Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-09

|
wade having made me decidedly sleepy
rubbed them vigorously and stared my
hardest
Tho -Aede we're moving.
"a deer" thought (they were about
the height of a deer), cor perhaps some
other wild animal. l am sure there is a
good deal more game on Swamp Island
than Nab has any idea Of There it Is
againi Something black The snout of
an alligator, perhaps. No. The woolly
head of a Cariberoe, by Jupiterl Nothing
else"
The next moment the woolly head was
followed by bronzed, tattooed savage
face. 1t gazed furtively round, and then
the Cariberoe, seemingly satisfied with the
result of his inspection, rose to his feet and
waved his hand, whereupon six more Carl
beroes rose to their feet; and after another
look round, the seven put their heads to-
gether, like jurymen considering their YER
dict.
At the same moment the note of the
bell-bird rang out loud and clear.
81 am glad you are safe, Nab" I NUT
tered; "but l am afraid [ shall not be able
TO join you until these rascals have taken
themselves off,
That they would take themselves off
made no doubt-in time. They had moth
ing to gain by following US further, and
were not in sufficient force for raid. This
was my theory, at least: but after awhile
I began to fear that the Cariberoes did not
take quite the same view of the matter.
| Their proceedings, when they had done
putting their heads together, were ominous
in the extreme. They went down to the
waters edge, gesticulating f1ercely and
talking necessarily. They pointed to our
footmarks in the mud, then to the bluff
and toward the forest, as if they had a
very strong suspicion that we were not
very far off. Perhaps they had seen the
f1utter of gown among the trees.
Were they going to follow US up, after
all? It looked like it; for after another
putting together Of heads, they unstrung
their bows, and fastened the strings round
their heads. Then the tallest of the lot,
after reckoning to the others to follow,
stepped into the stream, and cautiously
feeling his way with his long spear, made
straight toward the bush behind which I
was lying perdu.
81 am in a pretty tight fix, now, and no
mistaken thought. Seven bIood-thirsty
savages within a hundred yards of me- and
no getting away! The mere raising of my
head would be my death-warrant.
l confess it candidly, l was dreadfully
| frightened; but only for a moment. The
very extremity Of my peril seemed to steel
my nerves and clear my brain, and almost
on the instant made my plan of cam
paign. Though had little hope of saving
my life. the attempt was worth making,
and might, at any rate. stop the pursuit
and give the two girls chance of making
| good their escape.
! Again the note of the bell-bird.
Slowly, and taking infinite pains to avoid
stirring the bush or exposing my body, I
brought my rifle to bear, and waited until
| the Cariberoes were in mid-stream, up to
the arm-pits in water. Then, taking de-
! liberate aim, / shot the tall fellow who
! had first stepped into the water through
the head. Down he went, and was swept
! away with the tide; but the others, after a
moment of hesitation, gave a loud yell and
| charged in body toward the bush. Wad
| ing in deep water is. however, slow work.
1 reloaded my rifle, fired again, and
brought a second man down.
Surely" l thought, ''that will stop
themp,
But no; they came on if possible more
resolutely than before; and one rascal
threw his spear with aim so true that had
not managed to ward off the stroke with
my rifle, should have been pinned to the
ground.
The four surviving savages, now effect
ually cowed, pulled up short, and, turning
round, make back as fast as they can. l
had already reloaded my rifle, and could
easily have picked one of them off, but for
! PHYS sake | fOrebOre; the danger was past,
and felt that there had been slaughter
enough. Nab, however, gave them apart
ing shot, which, though it hit one of the
fellows, did not seem to hurt him much;
for, after howl and stumble, he con-
! tinued his flight, and kept up with the
others.
AS they disappeared among the reeds
sprung up the bluff, where, as expected,
1 met the queen.
"Thank Heaven you are safel' she ex-
claimed, fervently. II feared those wretches
had killed You. 1 am again your debtor
for my life"
at is the other way about-you have
saved mine"
"Oblige me by not talking nonsense, Mr..
Erie" she answered in her imperious way.
Had you not stayed down there at the
risk of your life, what would have become
of Marian and me?"
Had You not left the shelter Of the for
est at the risk of your life, and shot that
Cariberoe in the very nick of time, what
would have become of me?"
You would have shot him yourself and
escaped all the same.''
II am sure l shouldn't They would
have been on me before | could reload my
rifle, and though l might have killed two
or three more of them, they would GER
tainly have killed me. Shall we settle the
dispute by saying that each of us saved
/ the others life. Then we shall be quits"
Say what you like; we shall not be
| quits''-smiling. "I am still your debtor,
and some time But never mind that
now. Why did those Cariberoes attempt
| to follow US across the creek?"
| "The very question have been asking
myself"
"Don't you think they wanted, at all
| hazards, to prevent Us from giving the
| alarm"
EITHER that, or there are many more of
them down there than we have any idea
of. and they are going to invade Fair Is
/ land at once"
cit is possible" said Nab, anxiously.
/ LET us go on. Oh, that we had fleet
/ horses; or, still better, some of those won
derful speaking wires you have told me
abOutF'
CHAPTER XXvI.-FRIENDS IN NEED.
1t was very easy to say, Let US go on"
! But as Nab had only the vaguest idea of
/ the way to Weston's, and I had none,
whatever, the carrying out of the proposal
I was attended with some little difficulty