San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-05
and the Pike began fo,look wild.

stuck 'em onto the ends of poles and set
whole army of men and boys to fish
ing up the terrapins. AT every prod
they'd bris; up terrapin, and some
times two or three. their iron shoes stick
ing fast to the magnets"
mot alive, was theyT' asked the Pike.
yep; all alive and kickin," said Joe.
Just nicely refreshed"
"See my dam luckp cried the Pike.
and he seemed ready to shed tears.
''As soon as I'd git out about ten acres
of EN-" continued Joe, ':and my black
smiths had got the shoes off 'em, / sent
em in a drove to a big swamp down the
river. Ont of the four sections of terra
pins only lost about nine acres. For
ten years | had the biggest terrapin
ranch in America"
Zone thing MORE" said the Pike
did you never see anything of my big
bell turtle what kicked your kneepan
open?"
Yep: fixed him?"
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
II 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.
"Ilassoed 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. i says to myself, This is no
human TURTLE and leaving my lasso On
the old fellows neck went back home"
."You give in to him-you let him
go?' cried the Pike.
"Noap." said Joe: II went homo,
nodded some silver bullets, loaded my
revolver with 'em and rode back.
The column of terrapin was then at
least ten miles long and moving over
the plain like a monster tapeworm. i
commanded the big turtle to halt. He
went on. Dismounting, said, Stop and
turn back or I'll shoot. On he went. i
stuck the pistol on his neck. just at the
edge of his shell, and fed.
AT the crack of t." 81 there fell
at my feet an old W.. AIDED niger
and stream of bloc .,1uted out Of
his neck as big as a -iloehandle. He
gave an awful bellOT AID sat up and
rolled his eyes at me. ..
up comes q terra. u and makes O
dive for the bell that was on the old fell
lows neck. 1t was a big terrapin and
was getting bigger every second-ex-
banding in every way.
"'Ahar cries /, and / sent 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 a flying terrapin and
grabs at the silver bell. | pops this
one with a silver bullet, and before me
lies an old Niger woman all a-kicking
and a-squalling.
'In 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. Icould lead 'em anywhere, though
they'd never leave the swamp until they
heard the music of that silver bell"
stranger, shake hands," cried the
Pike. 81 hope you made half 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-
bic 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 parting round of redeye the
three Pixies took leave of us. They
marched Indian file into the tules skirt
ing the northern end of the lake. They
parted the tall rushes to right and left,
as farmer waves aside the stalks when
he passes through field of growing
grain. They made 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 drinkersw
Three tolerably capable liars" said
our chief cook, who was always grum-
bling.
"The only thing worthy of 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?"
ILL., 4l,n fnnt ir - enid Ina al