The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-21

turned as fast as train could bring |
him, after he learned OF his papers
change of policy, and Funston left
town on the next train. While in the
Lone Star state on the IXL Ranch,
he did alone what half q hundred
cowboys had been trying to accom-.
plish fer more than q year. A party
of A paches had been harassing the
cowboys for many months, driving
Off cattle and stealing horses. They
were camped in ravine, and all eff
forts to dislodge them had proved
futile, for they were too strongly en-
tIenched, and it was impossible to
get them from the rocky pass in
which they had taken refuge.
Funston grew disguised after see
ing some of his best steers driven
away and said he was going to drive
the Indians out alone. He rode to
the nearest store, twenty miles away,
and bought several little red bundles.
The other cowboys attempted to
dissuade him from his purpose, but he
| started for the ravine with his little
red packages. 1t seems that Funston's
purchase had been firecrackers. He
had gone to the mouth of the ravine
and climbed onto the cliff, so that he
overlooked the camp. He had then
! lighted package after package of the
crackers and thrown them into the
air so they would explode above the
heads of the red men. 70 them it
sounded as if / 600 men were filing at
them, and when they saw one or two
whom Funston had picked Off with
his rifle fall, they jumped on their
horses and rode as if the Evil One was
after them.
While still connected with the mi
ranch, Funston and several of his
friends Jaw a bulllight at chihuahua.
Juan Perez, the toreador, slapped
II flower girl as he was leaving the
arena, and Funston at once took up
her part. Perez challenged him to a
duel, which was fought the following
morning in the bullriug. Perez was
injured so he was not able TO fight
bulls for several months and Funston
was slightly hurt.
One of Colonel Funston's stories
told on the lecture platform, is an adj
venture he had on an iceberg in the
Behring Sea. The party of Govern
ment explorers of which he was a
member was sailing along the coast
when Funston sighted two Polar
bears on large iceberg floating near
the ship. He and four other profess
sors set out in an open boat to kill
them. The day was beautiful and
the sun was shining bright. The
boat arrived at the edge of the berg
and the bears were shot.
just as the party was ready to fas-
ten the boat to the berg the sun was
suddenly obscured and heavy snow
A:ctics began. The men could not
see twenty feet ahead.
, Funston called them about him and
after short talk, they decided the
best thing they could do was to re-
main on the iceberg Their boat was
pulled up and split to pieces to make
kindling wood. The bears were
skinned and their meat cooked over
the fire. At night the men wrapped
up in the bear skins and went to sleep
The storm continued two days and
during this time the five men contin-
ued to reside on the berg.
In the meantime they had made a
trip around the berg and found it to
be rotten. Large chunks were con-
tinually falling Off
On the third day the storm ceased
and they found themselves seemingl y
in mid-ocean with only u few other
icebergs in sight. But they tried to be
cheerful until the big berg upon
which they were camped commenced
to crack and break to pieces. Then
they knelt and prayed.
Looking up suddenly Funston saw
ship in sight. 1t was the Flora theil
own vessel, which had been pursuing
, them for many miles.
They were taken on board and 8
minute later the big iceberg cracked
into a thousand piecesn And so on
and so on, and so on!