Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-03-26
SaldVig and ST. Xavier.
u FRAyKL1N wELLEs cALKIYs.

OVERWHELMINGLY
When Hercules Dousman was chief
factor for the Aston Company at Prairie
du Chen, he used frequently to cell the
story Of Sandvig and st. Xavier, who
were perhaps as oddly assorted q pair
of friends and partners as ever got to-
gether.
They were trappers. Ole Sandvig
was a fiaxen-haired Morse giant, who
stood six feet four in his moccasins,
weighed over two hundred pounds, and
had not an ounce of flesh to spare.
Denis S.. Xavier was a dwarf in size,
black as an Indian, and bow-legged as
a voyager boatman. Ole was the soul
Of good humOr. and Denis was chOleric
and at times rashly abusive.
Both, however, were of Undoubted
courage, and more than once the hot
headed little French-Canadian was
rescued from the perils of a dangerous
quarrel by the proves and vast
strength of his big partner.
There had been a protracted and Sc
we're drought in the upper Mississippi
country and the smaller streams and
lakes had all gone dry. Fur-bearing
creatures were driven in upon the
large streams. and the Mississippi it
self became prime trapping ground for
gathering beaver, muskrat, mink and
bitter pelts. As there was little snow
FOR several winters. mfSy of the trap
pers made their daily rounds upon
skates. and covered a wide extent Of
territory.
During the last of these dry years
Saadvig and St Xavier chose trap
ping grounds some fifty miles below
Prairie du Chen and above the mouth
of an Iowa river. There were, as these
trappers believed, no Indians winter
iEc nearer than the villages of the
Sacs and Foxes some distance away
and they put out long lines of traps
without attempt at concealment.
One night in November there came a
dry freeze" which scaled the Missis-
sippi ovec with glare ice. and when,
on the following day, the trapDers
went their rounds on skates. both were
much astonlshed and mystifed to find
that every trap had been stoken on
each bank Of the river.
When they compared experiences at
that indians must be lurking in the
neighborhoOd. On the next morning
they skated down the Mississippi to
the mouth of the little river some
miles below their shack. and there dis
covered traces Of two canoes which
had evidently broken through a thin
scum of ice in making their way up
stream.
Instantly the mystery of the stolen
traps was solved. Indians had, early
on the night of the first freeze. gath
cred the whole line" In returning
in their canoes. they had found the
mouth Of the small stream thinly COW
cred with ice.
st. Xavier broke out in a frightful
temper and to Ole's advice that they
secure aid from the trappers up the
river he would not listen. What were
five, six, ten pilfering Indians. he
asked, that two good men should fear
them? Had not Baptiste lie Bon gone
alone to Wabasha's Sioux village after
his stolen gun. and didn't he make
them give it up? Well then,
And 50 the two skated on up the lit
tie river in search of the thieves.
And they ran quite suddenly upon
an indian village of newly built
lodges dozen or fifteen of them
upon marsh island formed by an
arm, or broad bayou, of the river. The
lodges were of woven willow built in
a marsh of tall Corn-stalk grass, with
closely tied bundles of when they
were heavily matched. They were pro-
teCted from fires by the watercourses.
and from the winds of winter by the
thick triuges of willows.
The tvlppers boldly approached this
Iowa t0wC, walking up a narrow path
where the swaying corn-stalk tops
brushed Ole Sandvig's shoulders.
But when. on arriving at the lodge
OF the chief. they found that Conkey
John, notorious Musquakie scala
wag, was head man." they aban-
doned all hope of Immediately recov-
ering their traps. Only the summer
before. At the prairie" St. Xavier had
offended this redoubtable svuundrel by
telling him some emphatic truths
about his diShonorable career.
Nevertheless the trappers boldly en-
tered C0Ukey Johns teepee. and de-
msnded their traps and peItries. Con
key Johns answer was characteristic
of that willy thief. The fellow haul
picked up. somehow. a fair smattering
of English.
"Ho, You tlaps?" he inquired.
Heap Sac up libber (riverl He so
by las night. Him have many tap;
heap muSIat; heap skin"
The tr1pperS knew COnkey John
lied, and his Shrewdly twinkling eyes
betrayed his enjoyment Of the situa-
zion.
st. Xavier poured forth torrent Of
angry t5ceats, until Sandvig. dragging
Aim from the lodge. compelled him TO
ne quiet There was nothing for il
but 10 return TO Prairie du Chen emp
Ey-aaujed. and the sensible Norwegian
wished % make a prudent retreat from
50 dangerous a nest of freebooters.
q VIVID. which had risen that morn
ms. had increased to a gale. and was
blowing directly in their faces as the
1r2ppevs put on their skates at the
lover extremity of the island. Ole
Ssndv'g east several furtive glances
behind him. and cooked his gun. When
he had securely fastened his skates
tho Norseman rose to peer over the
top OF the waving grass.
At the same moment St. Xavier's
rife cracked, and Sandvig turned TO
sec that the angry Frenchman had
fred into q thick tuft OF grass. In
st2ntly Ole darted forward TO smother
the first tiny shoot of fame. but the
willy Denis tripped him. aud both men
Spraw,ei on the ice.
Before Sandyig could regain his foo.