The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-23
:stoyer's Machine Gun.

! .- s.s
| When Smith had finished his story
old Bolder spoke up.
II would have liked to have seen
your firework display" he began.
'"It must have been rather interest
ing. 1t reminds me of the time I was
used for bait"
"Used for bait!" exclaimed several
ofus ii astonishment.
"Yes, bait for Indians. tell you,
gentlemen, about the most unpleas.
ant thing in this life is to be used
for Indian bait. 1t has made me
nervous ever since. 1t is exciting,
and gives man all the horseback
exercise he wants, yet it is not as a
general thing n healthy occupation.
lswould not care to choose it as q
steady business.
"The first time met Slower l had
no idea he wascrazy. He would talk
as nationally rs any man here"
(Which wasn't saying much for
him." observed the man from St.
Paul.
Twas out of u job in Kansas City
and was looking round for work oi
any kind when l stumbled in ON
Stover. He seemed to have sort OF
Il machine shop. There was a lot ol
gun barrels lying round and a port.
able forge stood in the corner, with
tho usual tools here and there.
He said lie was going west and
he wanted Il man who knew how to
take cure of horses and WASH tafraitl
of work. l told him l was just his
man and he took me on the spot.
asked him if he wanted to start a
machine shop further west, and he
smiled grimly and said that that was
just what he was going to do. We
packed up II lot of fixtures that he
had there in some boxes and there
was u lot of other boxes already
packed, of the ccontents of which was
ignorant.
4 well, we got away with another
fellow, who deserted us when we wore
out on the plains, and so It was no
small work looking after the horses
that carried the things, for we had
three wagonsand, wien the other fel-
lowlci only two to drive and take care
of them. 1t was the usual overland
business. Travelling slowly all day
and camping out at night. We kept
on the look out for Indians, but
didn't see any, and we kept on 10
long that hcgnn to think old Slower
was going clrart through to California,
but the old man knew where he was
going and llewcnt there ina bee line:
One afternoon when we were days nnd
days from civilization we came to a
bluff close to n small river.
"'Hrre's our spot, said Stover.
"Why, said l, you don't expect
to start n machine shop here?'
"'Yon bet ] do, replied Stoyer.
"Well, ! said, where will you ret
your custom? There isn't-anybody
but Indians for hundreds OF miles
around Z
"We'll have lots ofbuiness when
we get ready for it. Besides 1 intens
to send you out to drum up trade II
it don't come in by ITSELF, !
| began to suspect then that the
old man wasn't just right, but what
was | to do? He kept the firearms
and the provisions and he owned the
horses. Of course could have. stolen
one of them and got away, perhaps,
when the old man was asleep, but
didn't care to do that .sors'of thing.
Besides knew that the-chances were
ten to one that the Indians would
have me before l got ten miles off.
Although Slower wasn't.very soci-
able, he was II heap better'n an In
dun.
=. 81 took the horses down to water
and when came back I said to Stov-
er: See here, there's been some one
ahead of you on this here claim.
There was cabin down there by
the river that's been burnt down.
eyes said Stover, quietly, that
was my cabin.
NONSENSE l said, now thorough
!y convinced that he was crazy; you
don't expect me to believe that YOU
were ever out here before!'
OF you go to the other side of the
bluff, he said, as quietly as ever,
you will see four graves with n
rough wooden cross above them, il
the Indians have not takerfqt down.
Those are the graves of my wife and
three children, murdered by the red
skins. One day when l came home
from hunting in the foot hills found
them there and the cabin burned
down. :.
"I wouldn't think you would want
to come back here,' / said.
81 came back to settle up with
the Indians
"Then you'll never leave here
alive
" Never expect to-
And how about me?'
g: Don't expect you will, either. l
hired you
"Great heavens cried, jumping
up. DO you think ] hired to get
killed for SIG "a month";"
Soldiers do il for about that
much, said old Stovcr, as calmly as
if it were an everyday bargain.
"'lcs, but soldiers know what they
are hiring for. didn't
Well, you can give me Il months
notice and, quit if you want to-
GA month's notice! Where will We
be in Il month il the Indians get OH
to us?'
"Wcil, next day the old man laid
ont II system OF ffortiiications and set
me at digging. He ran a shallow
trench down to the river and took
out of one Of the boxes ~ coil of lead
and uncoiled il down the ditch into
the river and fixed up nutty little
pump inside the lines, so that ii the
Indians did come they could not cut
us off from the water. Then he GOV.
cred up the trench, and there We were
I'LL right, rs fi,ras water was con.
earned, which IL IN important thing
wAsn you're dEhtlns tsaukinv, Qss