Sharp County record., 1890-02-06

until it skunk under a seat. All the
while my friend INDUCED in chuckles
and demoniacal laughter, and when l
tried to take the dogs part he turned
upon me, and then followed a struggle
which is the direct cause Of my white
hair.
THE boat was a fat-bottOmed one,
and. therefore, we could not move about
much. | felt my time had come. lie
slowly bent over me, with his hands
working convulsively, his movements
reminding me Of a beautiful tiger creep
ing on to its prey. l threw my legs un-
der the seat, and grasped the thwarts
with my hands.
"He was laughing softly to himself,
evidently enjoying the situation, and at
times rolling out the most horrible
curses. | knew | was powerlesS, and in
his cunning he knew it too. He played
with me as a cat plays with mouse.
For fully ten minutes he hoyered about
me, all the time keeping his eyes upon
mine-those horrible eyes, which
seemed to burn red holes into my very
soul. My God, sir, l was going mad
myself. He saw how | suffered, and
cunningly chose to prolong my suffer
ing with his deyiltry rather than finish
me at once.
"While his hands were just about to
clutch my throat and his hot blood
burned my check he changed his mind,
evidently thinking there would be more
amusement in seeing me drown than
in numbering me in cold blood. His
game was to stand upon the thwarts and
capsize the boat, and it kept me pretty
busy for half-hour jumping from side
to side when he did to cOunteract his
efforts. This seemed to please him, for
he kept me at it until was nearly dead
from exhaustion. We shipped good
deal of water, at which the dog howled,
and then the lunatiC left me once more
to chastise the dog. He caught it by
the tail and nearly twisted it off, banged
it against the boat, and treated it so in
humanity that was forced to interfere
again, whereupon he shouted;
"Dry up or you'll get it yourself?
ellis violence increased, and as the
sun was very hot l was in hopes that he
would become exhausted, but such was
not the case. His deviltry for awhile
was more annoying than dangerous,
such as brandishing an oar about
my head and trying to catch me
off my guard so that he might tip the
boat over. At last he quit laughing at
me and gazed stolidly at me for fully
five minutes, then threw the anchor
overheard. He picked up an oar, which,
by the way, he guarded very cautiously,
as if he knew if l possessed myself of
one | would use it as a weapon Of de-
fense. He whirled the oar in the air
and then made jab at me with all the
accuracy of a Zulu striking with an as
segai. The blade flew by my head,
almost grazing my ear, and to this
laughed and said:
"That's good one; you nearly
winged me that time
"But he was not in the mood for con-
versation. His cat and mouse tactics
were changed, and instead saw sullen,
morose, cruel. crafty murder. He seemed
to enjoy it and at each jab he would
emit kissing sound through hisclinch-
ed teeth
cat last he dropped the oar and
sprang upon me. | wouldn't have given
half-pence for my life. His face now
was as white as marble, and his eyes,
sunken deep into his head, burned like
live Goals. threw upmy hands and he
grasped my wrists, and no wise ever had
a harder grip than he. His breath came
in short gasps and he rolled his tongue
about like an English bulldog ready to
be unleashcd.
Quicker than l can say it he lifted
me up, drew my face close to his, and
with those most horrible curses he con-
signed me to the lowest depths of the
bottomless pits.
"You shall die" he shrieked, and
then | happened to think that insane
persons sometimes had their minds di-
verted by a sudden suggestion entirely
foreign to the subject in hand.
II can't tell you what thought of in
those few seconds while he held me
there as a child in the grasp of giant,
but with a sudden and peremptory voice
| said:
"'Tll bet you a box of cigars or new
hat that you can't outswim the dog
50 can't eh?' he said. III take both
bets
'He dropped my hands and began to
disrobe, and then for the first time in
two hours l drew long breath. | felt
that if | could get him in the water |
could row away from him and at least
keep out of his way. Finally, he stood
nude before me, l picked up piece of
wood, threw It far out in the water and
then threw tAe dog in.
Splash went my crazy friend, and
then | went frr the anchor, but his eyes
were on me and back to the boat he
came. He grasped the side and essayed
to tip it over, and then for ten minutes
| went through the same maneuvers
that did before. He would hang on to
the side and | would sit on the opposite
side. Then he would letgo and | would
have to jump for the middle of the boat.
Then the dog came up. and pushed him
away time and again, until at last | had