The Portland daily press., 1892-10-26

l
"The devil! The tarrapin too? Why
how could you git the tarrapin when
they were sunk in ten feet. of waterT'
and the Pike began to look wild.
No trick at all, said Joe., II bought
all the horseshoe magnets in Denver,
stuck EN- onto the ends of poles and set
a whole army of men and boys to fish
ing up the terrapins. At every prod
they'd brisss up terrapin, and some
times two or three, their iron shoes stick
ing fast to the magnets"
mot alive, was they?" asked the Pike.
Yep; all alive and kickin," said Joe.
"Just nicely refreshed.
''See my dam luckw cried the Pike,
and he seemed ready to shed tears.
LAS soon as I'd git out about ten acres
of 'em,' continued Joe, land my black
smiths had got the shoes off 'em, sent
'em in drove to big swamp down the
river. Out of the four sections of terra
pins | only lost about nine acres. For
ten years had the biggest terrapin
ranch in America"
"One thing more" said the Pike.
"Did you never see anything of my big
bell turtle what kicked your kneepan
open?"
"Yep; I fixed him?" u
"What?"
well, one day man came riding to
my house yelling: Joe, Joe, Joe! Joe,
your tarrapins is all marchin away from
your ranch. Go an head 'em off or
you'll lose every mothers son Of 'emv
81 mounted my horse and struck out.
A column of terrapins five miles long
was moving across the plain, the big
bell turtle at the head steering straight
back toward Missouri.
81 lassoed the old devil, but nothing
could stop or turn him. He was as
strong as rhinoceros. He dragged me
and my horse along as If we were mere
toys. ! says to myself, This is no
human TURTLE and leaving my lasso on
the old fellows neck went back home"
.sYou give in to him-you let him
go?' cried the Pike.
"Noap," said Joe; II went home,
nodded some silver bullets, loaded my
revolver with 'em and rode back.
'sThe column of terrapin was then at
least ten miles long and moving over
the plain like monster tapeworm. !
commanded the big turtle to halt. He
went on. Dismounting, Isaid, Stop and
turn back or I'll shoot On he went. l
stuck the pistol on his neck, just at the
edge of his shell, and fired.
''At the crack Of the pistol there fell
at my feet an old white headed niger
and stream of blood spouted out of
his neck as big as a hoehandle. He
gave an awful below and sat up and
rolled his eyes at me.
Sup comes terrapin and makes a
dive FOR the bell that was on the old fell
lows neck. It was big terrapin and
was getting bigger every second-ex-
panding in every way.
"'Aha!' cries l, and l sent a silver
bullet into the thing, when down tum-
bles little niger boy.
''Next minute something brushed me
in the face that felt like a leather apron,
and down drops flying terrapin and
grabs at the silver bell. | pops this
one with silver bullet, and before me
lies an old niger woman all a-kicking
and a-squalling.
ssIn three minutes all three were dead,
and | then took the silver bell and col
lar off the old mans neck. | started
back toward home a-ringing the bell
and the whole band of terrapins turned
about and marched after me. From
that hour was the king of the terra
pins could lead 'em anywhere, though
they'd never leave the swamlAlntil they
heard the music of that silver BELL
stranger, shake hands!" cried the
Pike. 81 hope you made half a million
out'n them tarrapin, and | don't be-
grudge it to you. In what you've told
you've morn paid me for all my trou-
BILE and losses. This is the happiest day
of my life. Buck and Bud never would
believe in my tarrapin drive, but now
they've got to back water-now the
whole thing is proved Gospel truth"
After a parting round of redeye the
marched Indian file into the tules skirt
ing the northern end of the lake. They
parted the tall rushes to right and left,
as a farmer waves aside the stalks when
he passes through a field of growing
grain. They made a bee line for the
ranching settlement lying to the west
ward of the lake along the timbered
foothills of the Sierras.
Our chief of commissary looked after
the retreating Pixies and said, "Three
as queer and well matched cattle as
ever saw, and as capable drinkersp'
.'Three tolerably capable liars said
our chief cook, who was always grum-
bling.
'sThe only thing worthy of a second
thought in all their yarns" said the
critic of our party, sis this-how came
that fellow Lige to know that Colorado
Joe here-a stranger to him-had a
scar on the cap of his right knee?"
sum, the fact is" said Joe, 81
fbunked at the cabin of the three Pixies
last night when you here thought was
lodged at a hotel in Franktown, at the
other end of the lake"
Critic-Ah, l see! Soft is to you we
are indebted for the visit and peculiar
s+v1a of entertainment we have been