The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-21

in the rear end. Grubb had climbed
out on the front of the pier and wa.
looking blankly after the receding raft
Fosdyke was still clinging to the oar
blade, In mortal dread that Spitfrt
would crawl after him There VIA:
some likelihood of this, for the brute
crouched on the extreme edge of the
raft, humping the planks with his
long tail
"Wa-al, this is a purity fixr' snarled
Hackett- Here we are. cooped up in
the shanty, an just at the worst bit Of
the channel, too. If we swing broad.
side we're sure to go to pieces on the
rocks. How in thunder did the brute
git out?'
We gave an account of the affair. and
it only increased the big fellows wrath.
''Its them tarnaticn boys" he
growled III bet anything they
! loosened the screws in the hinges
| wish had 'em here now. I'd tan their
/ hides WE'LL
At this point Spitfre trotted toward
| the cabin and made circuit of it three
or four times, snufing at the chinks
and screaming shrilly. We almost held
our breath. The brute was evidently
ravenous with hunger.
Presently he crept to the forward end
/ of the raft, but returned too quickly to
allow Fosdyke chance to gain the
cabin. The luckless fellow had no al
tentative but to remain where he was.
He kept shouting at the top of his
voice to attract the attention of people
on shore.
Meanwhile, tn raft, already turned
slightly zigzag, was speeding on
through the Dauphin river; on each
side could be seen the patches of swirl
ing water that marked the location of
submerged rocks. The current ran
with almost the speed of a mill-race.
We'll be on the rocks in a minute or
two, if some one don't get to them
sweeps." exclaimed Hackett. This is
d vally BILE lot of timber, an I amt the
man to stand by an see it lost. In
agoing to smash that ugly brute's
head!'
He picked up the ak and started for
the door. Mel and 1 tried to stop him,
but to no avail. He opened the door
and dashed out with lusty shout.
Taken by surprise, Spitfre retreated
half dozen yards. Then he turned
and crouched for a spring. His hun
CRY, glaring eyes emitted a greenish
light.
The intrepid raftsman waited with
uplifted AK. For few seconds Mel
and l stood breathless.
Crash! We were almost knocked off
our feet as the forward end Of rhe raft
ground on a hidden rock. The current
Instantly whirled the stern end around,
and the dizzy motion confused the
panther. He forgot to spring, and
glared at HaclSett, who still stood on
guard with the AK.
Crash! again. This time the stern
end had fastened on the rocks, and the
great raft lay broadside across the
channel, swaying and trembling in the
fierce current. Waves broke over the
edge, sending little streams of water in
every direction
The strain lasted only few seconds
With a sharp crack the raft parted in
the middle, and Spitfre, who chanced
to be right on the sectien-line, was
plunged suddenly into the gap. Our
end held fast, but the other half swung
loose, and went swiftly down stream.
We forgot our peril in watching Spit
fire. He battled hard for life as the
current whirled him away, but the
loose part of the raft overlook him, and
his tawny body vanished in the twink
ling of an eve. He did not reappear,
though we watched for moment or
two. Fosdyke had crawled off the
sweep by this time, and he and Hackett
exchanged malicious grins over the
panther's untimely end.
We could see three boats speeding
out from the Dauphin shore to rescue
Grubb, and when this was accomplished
they came down to the raft. The other
portion had meanwhile lodged on the
rocks not far below. With the kindly
help of the Dauphin people, both sec
tions were dislodged and joined togeth-
er in the quiet water along shore.
But the whole raft was in such a
strained and shattered condition that
Hackett considered it advisable to tie
up at Harrisburg, where we arrived
shortly after noon. Several lumber
dealers came down to look at the tim
ber, and a satisfactory bid was prompt
ly accepted. Spitire's cage went with
the bargain, as it was hardly worth the
cost of sending it home. An examina-
tion showed that the screws had been
entirely removed from one side of each
hinge-no doubt by the malicious boys
at Clark's ferry.
We started home by rail that night
and arrived late the following evening.
John CARING accepted the loss of his
panther in a philosophical spirit, know
ing that we were not to blame He Of
fered US the promised ten dollars, but
we refused to take it. We were better
able to lose that amount than the old
trapper was to pay it.
But don't think we could have been
induced to take a similar contract
ngain. II. Graydon. in N. Y.
Ledger. |
Not in q Hurry.
Young Wife-This talk about man