The times., 1901-06-09

coils av our stoYepipe metal carried off
Thin We saw plain as your hand that
our frind Thunder Burd and his bucks
had discovered US. and that we could
count on our troubles beginnin'. And
they did, wild no mistake. Twas the
divirs own time We had from that day
on, and wild the heavy rains and the
loneliness av that desert av rock and
swamp and the black flies by the day
and the bitin' cold by night, and thin
pagan Crees Carryin of our wire and
burnin our tin-fOot poles and iviTlastin'
interferin' wild our connection wild
NapiOka.
This WIS all sore disJressin' to Lit
tie Jake, and ne wint bristlin' up and
down his line like a hornet But niver
a trace av a Cree did he git, till wan
night he sat up wild a rife across his
knee, and in the dark sighted wan av
Thunder BurG's interferin wild "A coil
av our wire. Little Jake sint him away
wild a bullet in his shoulder-blade, and
thin rolled up in his blankets and slpt
like a child.
In wan hours time a good three
dozen ay Thunder Burd's braves came
ridin' and yellin' and whoopin' round
our camp, and before Little Jake and
mesiif had fair shaken the sleep from
our eyes they had the two av US tied
up as nate as you please. Thin they
danced and hOwled round the two av
US, shakin their fists in our face and
shootin' off their guns in our ears with
all the tinder insolence aV the pagan
heart whin it's bint on cilibratin' a ri
vinge party.
While these triain' pleasantries were
takin place Thunder Burd himself rode
up, the sickest-lookin' chief you iver
saw put foot on brOncho. lie came
attinded by two squaws, with his head
wrapped up in blanket ard d jaw on
him like a smoked ham.
" Seems ike me copper frind had a
bit of a tOOthache," says Little Jake to
me. bein' wan av thin as would pass a
joke round at his own funeral. Tim
says he, wild most earnest look in the
tail av his eye, Tim. I'd give tin years
av me life 10 be his dntistn
but tin minutes after that Little Jake
was pullin a face as lorg as me arm
He was able 10 speak their lingo. some
what more or liss, you see and Whin
Thunder Burd called off his braves and
they sat round in most solemn sort av
pow-wOw, Little Jake began to compri-
hind there was trouble ahead for that
tiligraph construction gang av two.
And 'tWould have taken the starch out
av sitter neck than his, I'm thinkin',-
Tim calls over Little Jake 10 me
do you know the giniral meanin' and
uilIi dN an tIilS mere ma Lidn SpetCHl-
fyin'2
&C. It's all beyOnt me-, says l.
They're havin',' says he, "A most in
terestin' debate says he, as to which
wan av US two is TO step off the earth
first, wild a side-questiOn regardn' the
ginral method he's to do the steppin'
in.
Twas no pleasant feelin', sorr. but
wasn't for maxim a show av me sinsa-
tions before me frind. And there stood
Jake Wid his eye cooked on that circle
Of braves. and there stood mesilf wild
me own eye cooked on Jake.
Thin Jake turned to me wild a queer
look on the face av him and says, 'Tis
decided, Tim. They're after thinldn'
I'm the boy who did the shOotin, says
he, and they're goin' TO give me some
av me own midicinei
"''Tis unjust" says 1, pullin at me
ropes wild rage and 1 won't stand for
it, for I'm in wild you to the ind says
l.
Don't you loose sleep over that.
Tim says Jake. They're holdin' you,
says he, 'holdin' you-for torturen
Thin I'll die hard!' says l.