Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-28

well, he swung OH MS morse ana said 10
RE Smith, says he, DO you know any
thing about lrework.f
Not much, says |, except the kind you
fellows give Us on Saturday nights. and the
sort Maoney keeps t ten cents glass
"'Well, says he, we want to have a bang
up display at the ranch on the night of the
eth
"'Twenty fourth of whatf says l, you
mean the Fourth Of July, don't your
"'You bet We don't, although if this is a
success we viii have one then, too. The 24th
OF May is the queens birthday, and we are
going to celebrate it this year out at the
ranch. Now, we don't care what it costs, we
want it done right Can you order II lot of
flreworksf
al can order anything, if You fellows say
you'll pay for it..
"'All right Here's 500 on account, now
you go ahead Sky rockets, pin wheels, red
fire, Roman candles, bombs and all the rest
OF it. Besides we want a couple of barrels
full Of squibs.'
"'Squlbsf says l. what's themr
"'W ell, fire crackers, | think they call 'em
here. Do you know how to set 'em Off
Not a thing. Light EN- with match,
don't your
BuUNy 81, Dub Nb Nuub iulo Iulls, uDut
right, and don't you forget it. Where will
you get EN- fromF
"'Chicago
"'Ali right; tell them to send along a ten
derfoot who's posted on that sort of thing.
We want n first class display. Wen pay all
his expenses and use him white. He'll have
tho biggest time he ever had. You come out
with HIM and show him the way, and we'll
use you white, too
"Well, on about the Goth along came tho
Chicago man with the ammunition in n lot
of boxes and barrels. We loaded EN- up on
burros and of VIC started for the rsnch The
boys had been in, OF and on, to see that there
would he no hitch III the thing, and the night
the things came two of the cowboys came i'll,
and they sand they would see us through to
the camp, for there were rumors of Indians
about, and We didn't want to lose our scalps
We kept sharp lookout all that day, but
saw nothing of any redskins, In fact, we
did not really have any fears for EN-, any
how, SO near tho settlement, and we camped
out the first night feeling easy. We ought
to havo Gnown that that was just when we
might have expected them. but the boys WERE
careless, and they had taken on board n good
deal OF liquor at the settlement, and had
more with en- IN fact, whisky was to form
n good part of the celebration, and they had
a lot with 'cnl.
at was about midnight when woke up
hearing a biz yell, and before | could turn
around | was tied so tight | couldn't move
The Chicago man was dreadfuily frightened,
bat don't know that lie was any more
scared than we were. for we knew bettern
he did just what was waiting for us Tho
cowboys were soheted up. now that they
wclntIed with their own lassoes so that they
couldn't bulge.
They tied us onto our burros, and at day
light they moved on for the mountains keep
ing down the no lows as well as they could.
THIS ,.ay was the 2+th, and we had expected
to get into camp that evening When one of
the cowboys Got near me he whispered:
"Our only chance is to let EN- know some
way that we have a lot OF whisky with US,
and then they'll all get drunk and we'll have
a chance of getting away
Don't YOU bet on that" I says. some of
EN- will keep sober enough to keep us all
right, tied rs we are"
Tied" says tie cowboy. II can slip out
of this tie the moment want to- No Indian
can tie me up | used to travel with spir-
itualist company and am up to the tieing
game"
Well, we camped that night four or five
miles ncrtA of the ranch, but IN hollow
where wc were out of sight. They didn't
light Gre. and we knew there was little
chance OF the boys Ending US, although wo
expected they would all be on the lookout.
The cowboy ulotioned to his guard that he
wanted 10 get at a bag that was on one of
the burros and the Indian opened it for him.
1t was Il of jugs pacSed i'll prairie grass
There was great excitement in camp when
the indians found the whisky.
But it was jast as | said; four of 'em
stared Us sober as judges and kept the rest
quiet Still they could not resist the temp
ia.aon To take swig OF two, and all wers
pretty sleepy About 10 o'elock-and it was
mighte dark. too--the cowboy rolled over
once or twice and got near the.
Where's the tenderfootr he whispered.
Right here" said
SEQ here Chicago, what package is them
frecrackers inf'
The two barrels are full of them." whis-
pered the Chicago man
Can we Get the head off one of EN- with
out making noise"
What do YOU want to dol Set EN- otF
"You bet I'm going to make these In
dams think a regiment has jumped in on
them with repeating rifles
well. Won can't get the head of the bar
rel very easy. but II you can get alongside
Of one Of them, YOU can cut between the
slaves with knife aud break a package in
side and get the end of the fuse out. then
touch it off with a match. Then you want
10 yet away from that barrel mighty quick
'.Do YOU think the boys will hear it in camp
when it goes OF. supposing the Indians don't
scaref'
Hear iti Lord they'll hear it in Chicago
still night like this In the inside of that
barrel there's some cannon bombs that will
fill the sky and lots of rockets besides. Some
of them will go up a mile"
The cowboy rolled away gradually and it
seemed two hours before there were any in
dications. he had cut our ropes before he
left SC that IL the barrel bounded near us we
could get out ef the way
All at once | saw faint glow as If a match
had been struck and one of the Indians jumped
to his feet, but without making any outcry.
The next instant it was simply Hades broke
loose
There was one eternal rip. and then as If
10000 men were firing of revolvers all at
orce, That barrel danced all over the camp
Ike a whiriwind Of fire aud then a bomb went
off and burst 1t into thousand fragments
1t looked as if the earth had gone to pieces