The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-10-25

| the rapids, and quick as flash i MADE
up my mind what to do. You can be-
that old birch-bark darted dowI
stream for tho next milel
"The reds yelled like maniacs wher
they came out IN tho river and eoult
see me padding away from 'en. eoult
see there were four of them, two in eacf
canoe. They couldn't be loaded much
heavier'n / was, and they could catcE
me anyway by running ashore an
takin' it afoot. but knew they'd stick
TO tho water as long as didn't land.
II tell you, if you ever get parcel o
reds after you. just do something thatyl
make their black eyes pop out Of theil
heads-something startling, you know.
They're chock full Of superstition, an6
born towards, every one. where any
thing unnatural is concerned
when they SEQ q fellow do some
thing that they've no idee any human
being would dare to attempt it jus,
strikes their weak spot every time.
IF they don't como to tho conclusion
that he is an evil spirit, and let him
alone entirely. they're mighty sure to
form a good opinion Of his courage;
and they know that they can't calcu.
late at all on what's going to happen
when they NEEDLE with such q fellow.
That just knocks the pluck out Of tho
varmints.
$50 instead Of landing an taking 20
my heels. which looked TO DO my only
chance Of saving my scalp, Just pad
died right straight on.
But didn't impress EN- very much.
for could tell by the way the Indians
yelled that they thought l just didn't
know enough to landl s'pose they
thought ! was some greenhorn that
didn't know anything about fighting
Injuns, and was scared out of my wits
to boot.
They all padded like Sam Hill, and
kept up tho 'tarnalest sore eching you
ever heard. Of course they gained on
Inc fast, with two paddles to my one.
and wondered why they didn't shoot
the two that hadn't fred at first. But
it didn't take me long to see what
their game was
They thought I'd have to land when
I came to the rapids, and they wero
holding their fire to pick me off at short
range while I was making a landing.
That tickled me so that l had 70
laugh. and padded all the faster as I
got within hearing O. the rapids.
when l reached the first rifle, tho
reds wern't more'n twenty rods behind
me. padding and yelling like mad.
never let up till / could feel the swift
current pullin' the canoe along. Then
I turned round an swung my old hat at
'em, and yelled like steam-engine.
well If you wouldn't "a died laugh
in to see them Sioux about that time.
They stopped padding and stared at
me like they'd seen a ghost, as I went
shooting into the big rollers If I'd
gone down without saying anything
they'd thought it only an accident; but
when laughed and yelled at them it
made their hair stand on endl
They could have popped me over as
easy as nothing at the distance, but
there wasn't one on them that had
sense enough left to think of shooting.
felt kind of ticklish myself. but
thinks l: In case like this the bold
EST course is always the safest If
IAN ride her through Pm all right and
f l happen to bust upon a rock 'twon't
De no worse'n being hacked to pieces
Ind scalped.
II reckon I've steered a canoe
through as rough places as any man
alive. but tell you, never got into
such a roaring, whirling, mixed up
ness of rocks and water as that was.
My canoe jumped and dipped, and was
,alf-full of water in no time. But
iidn't happen to hit any rock. and
'oon I was sailing into smooth water.
Then / ran her ashore at sharp
bend. jumped out into tho river, an
threw my steel traps into deep water
beside big rock. where l cd find 'em
lgin. Then tipped the canoe bottom
tide up, and set it drifting down stream. |