The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-10

stream where the current was quite
strong and the waves active.
Here the man began laughing again
and walked toward James, rocking the
dugOut until it almost dipped water
and his weight coming nearer the end
caused the prov to sink and the stern
to rise dangerously.
Give me that paddle" he demanded.
A strange look rose into his face; his
voice was unnaturally keyed. James
felt a sudden chill of terror run
through his blood "Give me that
paddle" the man repeated, letting fall
his leather case in the boats bottom
and reaching forth his hand.
James dared not refuse outright, yet
he felt that he must not obey; he hest
tated and the dugout began to turn
down the current.
At this point the man took out large
knife from his pocket.
Give me that paddle" he again de-
manded
The boy was now so terrified that he
dropped the paddle into the water. In
an instant the dugout was unmanage-
able. The man took off his hat and
flung it at the floating paddle, mean
time breaking into a new fit OF laugh
ter and glazing in hideous delight
at James who, white as a sheet, cow
cred low and chung to the gunWales,
while the tipsy craft bobbed and qu1V-
cred on the waves like a i've thing.
James looked toward the house, but
no one was in sight. He was afraid
to cry out, for the big knife was gleam-
ing over him, and besides his tongue
and throat seemed dry and powerless.
Bare headed, with his long gray hair
and beard disheveled, the strange man
kept his equilibrium with all ease and
appeared quite careless of danger,
while the dugout, drifting with the
current, soon passed around a pend Oh
the stream and f1oated on and on be-
tween high wood covered banks far
out of sight of the old inn and the
ferry.
The man fourished his knife great
deal; but ne did not strike al James;
and after long while he crouched IN
the middle of the boat. James thought
that he had a drunken man to deal
with; yet strangely enough he could
smell no fumes of whisky. the
dug-out kept we'll in the middle of the
went down at length and night fell.
The man filled his pipe and struck fire
to light it with a flint.
Wed better go ashore he present
ly muttered. 81 prefer the cannibal
island; L am a cannibal."
What the word cannibal meant
James had not the slightest suspicion
Of, yet his imagination caught from it
a thrill of terror.
Pull ashore" the man commanded.
"How-how can I, without a pad
dle?' faltered James.
Again the hoarse, scarcely human
laugh came from between the mans
teeth which were clamped upon the
pipe-stem.
81 will fry you and boil you and
stew you and roast you he said.
1--WE must so ashore and make fire"
Now for the first time James felt
that he was in the power of a maniac.
Once before he had seen crazy man;
but he was kept safely locked in a
room.
Il will eat your heart first; then
you may eat mine the man went on,
meantime reaching over the gunwales
and vigorously kaddling with his open
hands.
The dug-out answered to his efforts
and began slowly creeping shore
ward diagonally across the current
James felt his heart sink and a deadly
cramping took hold of his breast; he
could scarcely breathe. Nevertheless
his strong instinct of self-preservatiGn
did not desert him. No sooner did
the brow strike the rivers bank than