The Red Cloud chief., 1895-07-26
Look heap nice In big CHEERS

Ginger rose to his knees and clutched
Ben about the legs. while he continued
begging to be spared.
His manner was h~eartrending.
IT'S too bad." | muttercd to Zeb, who
was near me. ben will scare the mig
foolish"
"Ef he'll cure him q boastin' l don't
keer a dern!' was the old fellows re-
tort.
stood it just as long as I could.
really began To fear Ginger would
die of AFFECT terror.
or a sudden | rushed out. firing into
the air with both revolvers. and yelling
loudly.
Big Bon took to his heels.
Ginger Hoped over and lay stiff on
the ground.
When I reached him found that he
had tainted.
The others came out and we restored
him TO consciousness. but he was rs
weak as a kitten during the rest of the
day. and he would start and shake at
Che slightest sound.
a thousand times he blessed me FOR
saving his life.
The Boosting was completely taken
out Of him.
Big Ben was going to tell him how the
trick was played, but ! objected.
] made them all promise they would
keep still till Ginger got to Boosting
again.
He was not taken that way.
But his admiration and love for me
seemed u~nbounded. Apparently he
sincerely believed that ! had saved his
life. and he was so grateful that he
could not do too much for me.
Really he hung about me SO much that
he began to be a nuisance.
We had completed the dam. and 1t
gradually filed with water.
The pipes were properly laid. and one
day we turned two heavy streams
Of water against the bank of the ravine.
II melted and came washing down be-
fore the force Of the water.
We could not use the water very long,
for the pond lowered rapidly, and It
took time for II to fill again.
But we could wash down enough so 1t
was an easy thing to carry the precious
clay to the sluices we had constructed.
In this way we could handle six or
eight times as much In the course OF n
day as we could before.
1t paid, and we were jubilant.
At the end Of a week we began to feel
Ike millionaires.
Then something happened.
We had been using the water, but had
stopped.
was getting my load far in under
The Eollowed-out bank, where I thought
1. was liable to be the richest.
suddenly there was a yell of warning.
7 looked UP.
A big slice of watery clay came swoop-
ing and sliding down the slope toward
me.
Above II ] saw the o~verhanEing bank
slowly giving way. threatening to bury
me beneath tons of earth.
Before I could make q leap the sliding
clay came about me and caught me to
the knees.
I tried to drag myself away.
Too late!
was held fast!
Slowly but surely the great bank was
settling for the fall.
Looking upward. / felt that my mo.
nents were few.
a numbness seized upon me, and I
gasped like one fascinated as death
came down upon me.
Then there was another hoarse shout.
I felt somebody catch me about the
body and fiercely struggle 10 draw me
from the clutch Of the clinging clay.
Given sudden hope. I did my best to
get free.
Thus aided, I succeeded. and / was
sent Keeling through the thick clay. over
the top of II, down the bank, catching
a glimpse of the face of my rescuer as /
went.
II was Ginger!
As / was suddenly freed. he slumped
and fell, struggled up, fell again.
Reaching solid ground, I turned to
zee him in the clutches of the coilins
clay.
| would have dashed back, but, at that
very instant. the crumbling bank gave
way and came down with a laundering
roar. part of 1t reaching me and hurting
me backward.
Ginger was buried from sight in a
second.
I arose unframed, but my brave res
cucr wa dead.
He had dared rush to my assistance
when my other comrades stood spell.
bound with fear.
But he had given his life for mine!
In time We excayated his body and
gave him decent burial, with a large
bowlder to mark his resting-place in
Freshet Gulch.
on the bowlder / laboriously chiseled
these words:
"GINGER. A TRUE HERO"