The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-08

them fairly reeled. for they had swal-
lowed so much rum as to be quite
drunk. Several had bloody scalps dang
ling from their belts.
I had scarcely hoped for it," Mr..
Spafford whispered, but they are so
drunk they can hardly follow the trail
Of the snowShoes, and maybe We Will
outwit them after all"
After staggering around the house.
some of the Indians went inside. while
others came toward the barn; but after
glancing at the empty stalls they re-
joined their fellows, who set up a loud
shouting. Pretty soon two or three of
them rolled out of the house a caSk of
New England rum, and knocked the
head in and commenced to drink heaV-
lily. Then some more pulled two or
three feather beds out into the moon
light, and, ripping them open with their
knives, commenced TO throw the feath-
ers up into the air, dancing and sing
ing, and every few minutes drinking
again and again Of the rum. One after
another of the saTages became so in
toXicated as TO fall down in the snow.
and then they rolled over and over in
the feathers, which stuck TO their
bodies, until finally every one of the
band lay there, stupefied with liquor.
unable to move hand or foot
All this time David and his father.
hidden in the hay, scarcely dared to
breathe, for fear of betraying them
selves, but now had come the moment
for action.
I'VE can't tell how many more of the
saVages may be coming along. and so
we dare not kill these, although it
would be an easy matter" said Mr..
Spafford. It's almost daylight. too,
and we must be moving. Open the rear
door, David, and push the bobsled out
on the snow--I guess the crust is thick
enough to bear it now. Then help me
down, and We will make one desperate
effort to get away"
The brave boy crawled noiselessly
down from the hay NOV, and did as he
was bid. He placed a quantity Of straw
in the sleigh, and wrapped his father
up in buffalo robe, for the cold was
intense. Then he stepped in himself, as
he did so giving slight push with one
foot. The sleigh moved slowly, but soon
gathered momentum. for back of the
barn was a steep valley running down
for five miles to the frozen river; and
in all that sweep there was not tree,
or stump sticking up above the snow,
for all had been burned off in a great
forest fire years previous. Within half
a minute the sleigh seemed to leap for
ward like a deer, and then it shot down
the mountainside with the speed of an
express train. The noise made by the
whirring runners on the hardened snow
aroused some of the Indians and, has
tening through the barn, they saw the
escape. Two of the savages fired their
muskets at David, who was standing
up in the sleigh and steering it; but
they were so drunk that their bullets
went wide of the mark. A third seized
a long board and, with a fiendish yell,
threw himself on it headlong, as boy
nowadays will throw himself on a sled
This huge, painted, shrieking savage
came sliding down the hillside at amaz-
ing speed, but he could not catch up
with the heavier Sleigh. Still. he was so
near that Mr.. Spafford dared to take no
chances, and, resting his musket on the
seat of the sled, he aimed it and pulled
the trigger. There was puff of smoke.
a loud report and a horrible yell, and
the Indian seemed to leap off his board
into the air, half turning as he did so,
and then he struck the snow again,
rolling over and over until he came to
q full stop and lay there dead, his dark
body outstretched on the white crust.
Did you hit him, father?" asked Da-
vid. He spoke with difficulty, for he
was continually exerting his full