The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-13

once. but on catching sight 0f the men
with the malIeis. crept to his corner
and whined like a dog, from pure
fright
/ took up our old needle gun and put
in a cartridge. Serene armed him
self with a hatchet We closed the
door softly and bolted IT. but ehinks
between the joints Of the corrugated
iron sheets Of which the walls Of the
hut were constructed enabled us to
peep out and watch what went on.
The cable. where 1t issued from the
water and led up over the sand. had
not been fully buried. The desert folk
discovered 1t and pulled at it FIRST with
their hands. then with the noses Of
their mallets But It had been stayed
up al the hut, and was too heavy for
them to move more than a little. But
they raised it partly out Of the sand,
however. and then ran along beside It
up toward the hut. which they ap-
peared now to discover for the first
time. Immediately they began 70
whiss. whiss to each other again. and
We could hear their feet work in the
sand.
Tony heard the sounds, too, and his
whimperings began afresh. Serene
poked him with his boot and whis-
pered to him to "shut up Tony only
whimpered the louder. was peeping
out. holding the gun.
The desert men stole up. stopping af-
ter every few steps TO listen. They
heard Tony's whines and stood in a
group a few yards from our door for
some moments. listening and perSing
their heads They were so near now
that I could see them move distinctly.
They were blacks. with woody heads.
and wore very little clothing.
At length one of the desert men came
10 the door and putting bis hand on the
iron iambs, felt 1t all over curiously-
Others walked around the hut. We
could hear their fnger-nails on the iron
sides. and there was much "whiss-
whissingn
On q sudden we were tremendously
startled by one Of them drawing of
with his mallet and striking against
the door. 1t gave back a prodigious
clane. so loud that several Of them
darted back, and Tony howled out
right
All was silent for some time. Another
Of them then dasned up and dealt an
other blow. then another, and another
TIL six or seven had struck at it. Ths
noise was really frightful Tony
crawled to our feet and whimperet
louder than ever. thumped him witt
the gun butt 10 make him keep still
His outerles were simply maddeninl
to Us.
Emboldeued probably by the crylnl
inside our queer visitors crowded uI
to the hut and rained with their NAL
lets a regular storm Of blows al
around It. The racket on that resound
Ing iron was terrific and nearl,
stunned rs. We bore Il few moment
and then / suddenly threw the doc
open and fred of the needle gun. Ou
assailants ran Instantly. We bot
rushed out. and it was laughable the
TO see these blacks 90 up over the san
hills behind the hut Their bare toe
threw up sand like hens scratching i
a garden.
Serene dashed after them hatchet /
hand. and thrusting In a cartridge
fired after them again as they snI
mounted the hlllocks. We climbed u
to the top Of a dune In time % see sex
eral Of them running their swifiest
the distance. fired a third shot afte
them just as the last one OF them wa
going out Of sight by way Of send-ofi
We then went back to the hut laugh
, ing over it. Tony stil lay there on III
door. We had had more Of his moi
sense than we could endure Seren
seized him by one foot and ! By D
other. and we dragged him ont on h
back and ran with him for a hundre
feet or more to the foot Of a dun
There we dropped him. and runnin
, back 10 the hut. entered 1t and shs
him out.
He came rushing back to the doc
begging TO get IN. but we did not adm
/, him. 1t was cruel. but we thought
. needed a little discipline He wtnt Q
: and hid by burving himself In the san
and remained there all night. but
; the morning be appeared TO has
gained a little courage.
II In the excitement Of the attack bot
} Serene ard ] had utterly neglected q
8 galvanometer. On looking TO i y
!. found chat the cable ship was sigma
q lng MS very persistensiy. AfFerwaI
+ they told US that they supposed y
+ had fallen asleep.
q We were apprehensive thai orr de
2 ert visitors might raise a force az
y come back. but we saw nothing 60
7 ther OF them during the FIVE days v
were there watching spot.
Probably they had seen the cab
e ship from some distnnt height 81 Ian
IN the Interior. aud that curiosity an
" nofhin else had led them % make tn