Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-06-19

were 1iAeGI-SlA natives In all. Inc
spokesman, who at FIRST had put his
requests for presents in civil language,
on meeting with quiet but determined
refusal to be allowed to board the YES
sci, soon changed his tactics, and be-
came iasolent and overbearing. Cap
tain Webster sternly pointed to the
shore, aud babe them return whence
they came.
Tho words had hardly left his lips
when the chief, putting his fingers in
his mouth eva shrin -a.,a-.4iAnAi.,o o.
whistle. simultaneously the blankets
We're stripped from the suspicious
looking heaps in the center of either
canoe, and each man, bending for
ward, seized musket. Abandoning
all disguise, the two canoes then
dashed for the schooner. In an in
slant the repeater was at the
captains shoulder, the crank
worked rapidly twice, and two
natives in the starboard boat fell
mortally wounded. AS he again
sighted, the sharp reports of the six
shooters rang out, and responsive yells
assured him that Ben and Bill Graves
were shooting to good effect. Partly
sheltered behind the low rail of the
schooner, Webster quickly sent four
more of the pirates to their last ac-
count. This deadly fusilade material
~ checked the advance of the canoes
toward the schooner, and dropping
down behind their low gunwales the
natives reloaded their muskets and
again poured volley into the
schooner. A sharp, singing sensa-
ton in the shoulder told the captain
that he was hit, while an exclamation
behind him of "Boys, I'm done for"
followed by a heavy fall on the deck,
told him that one of his brave COM
rades was incapaciCated for further
duty. Dropping on the deck, he
looked hurriedly around. Poor
Graves,s stretched at the foot of the
mainmast, was gasping out his last
breath, mortally wounded.
Crouched behind the rail, however,
his dying shipmate's weapon in his left
hand, his own six-shooter in his right,
Ben still kept the other canoe at dis
lance. Grasping his Winchester,
Webster now crept rapidly forward on
his hands and knees behind the rail,
and suddenly appearing in the fore
rigging. surprised the occupants of the
starboard canoe by several well-di-
rected shots before q dozen muskets
pointed in his direction compelled him
to drop upon the deck for q second
time. 1t was at this moment that Ben,
having thrown himself on the deck to
reload, was supposed by the natives on
his side to have been killed. With a
yell Of triumph, now feeling certain of
their prey, they urged the canoe for
ward, and in another moment were
the schooner. At this iunct-
ure matters looked very black for the
Webster had his hands
full with the other canoe, and
in order to keep that off was compelled
to expose himself necessarily to har-
assing fire. Ben had not yet succeeded
in reloading, and it looked as if the
Indians On his side would succeed in
gaining foothold on the deck. Once
there, the sailors would stand no
chance for life
At this important crisis assistance
arrived from a wholly unexpected
direction. A stalwart savage was al
ready in the main chains, and the canoe
alongside the little vessel, when Hon
Pee, rushing from the galley with an
immense copper of boiling water, pre-
cipitated its scalding contents into the
middle OF the canoe. A gigantic say
age alone succeeded in climbing on to
the rail. 10 him Captain Webster
now directed his attention, when
he became conscious that he
was himself covered by the
of a native in the fur
Their canoe. It was a critical
moment. The piece of the native on
the rail was directed at Ben, the barrel
OF whose pistol seemed in some way to
be damned. Disregarding his own
safety, Webster drew bead at the
man on the rail, and-missed him. It
had the effect, however, of disconcert-
ing the fellows aim, for his bullet, in
it's turn, whist]ed harmlessly by Ben's
head. Clubbing his now empty Win
chester, Captain Webster was about to
rush upon the native, when deafen-
ing report was heard behind him.
Looking back, he was in time to see
the native boy, falling backward down
the compaion way, sent there by the
recoil of his musket. The native
on the rail staggered and fell
forward, a gaping wound in his
breast telling plainly that the harm
less charge of powder with which the
boy had been intrusted had been sup
plemented by something of a more
deadly nature. This repulse afforded
both Ben and the captain chance to
reload. AS he rose from the deck,
however, to pour in another volley,
Webster felt a puff of air on his cheek,
and, CHANGING aloft, perceived by the
hellvinU canvas that tho cchnonor ,r,s