The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-10-11
n Jioux' 5 =
= Gratitude.

the Indian back to health, and then re-
stored his gun and canoe, and told him
to go home to his own people.
But the Indian did not lead a scalping,
party back to the trapper's camp, as
Griffin had half-expected he would.
Nothing more was heard of him. Three
ing at the end of September. and started
hunt, the incident had almost faded from
his mind. He padded to the head waters
of the Ponne de Terre, and camped a
few days in a little thicket of scrub-oak.
while he looked around to see what the
prospect was for furs-and for Indians.
He had kept his eyes open all the way
up-riverr; for the Sioux were reported to
somewhat in the trapper's favor, for
they would be likely to travel in big
bands and with care he might the easier
There were ''slathers of fur sign,' but
no traces of Indians in this region Of
by belt of heavy timber. So one day
a saddle of vension. When the after
noon was almost over he found good
sized buck, and presently started for
camp with the hide and saddle slung to
his back. '-~
Clear sky and bracing atmosphere and
the promise of successful season made
the blood fairly, bound through the trap
as though he Would ike to sing. Indians
were far from his thoughts just then.
The greater was his dismay when, just
as he had reached the top of a low ridge
half way between the woods. and his
camp, he saw band of forty Sioux COM
ing up on the other side.
Griffin had had many a FUSS with
these same Indians, and he recognized
that wintered In the Ottertail woods,
away, off at the northeast: Evidently
they had been out on the Dakota prairies
fnv h11ff olo h1,-+ f0vn
on foot and leading their ponies, which
were loaded with hides and dried meats
Flat In the grass dropped Griffin, but
not soon enough to escape the sharp eyes
they left the ponies to look out for
themselves, and came on in body,
while Griffin slipped the venison from
his shoulders and started at his best
pace toward the belt of timber.
The Indians were not more than two
hundred yards away when Griffin sighted
tage of going down hill, and he had al
most doubled the distance when they
reached the top of the ridge and began to
shoot; at him, None Of the bullets hap
pened to hit the moving target.
Griffin glanced over his shoulder. AS
he expected, a dozen of the swiftest rum
ners had thrown off their blankets, and,
rate rate that meant MISCHIEF p1 For man " Who
must cling to a tweleve-pound gun. But
the trapper had been in worse places
than this, and he felt that if he could
once get into the woods, with night fall
ing, he could dodge the Indians.
. He was still a half-nile from the tim
Der when he looked back once more. One
gaining, and Griffin began to fear that he
might lose the race, tired as he was from
his hunt and handicapped by the weight
he carried
That foremost Indian must die! Griffin
slackened his pace trifae, that he might
get his breath before trying to take aim.
The Indian put Or an extra burst of
speed.
When Griffin was close to the timber the
leading Indian had come so near that the
trapper could hear the patter of his foot
steps. Thinking it must be now or never,
pull trigger when his adversary made a
movement that caused Griffin to hest
tate from sheer surprise. The Indian
waved ySl,t him toward the the wo9ds no+oa
him friend! No stop; Injun no ketch
um!
The white man took good look. This
yes, this was the same young brave he
had spared and nursed! Realizing that,
Griffin grasped the meaning of the words,
and instantly he faced about and made
for the woods again.
White man saved Injun, now Injun
save white man. the savage called as
soon as the trees and bush hid him from
sight. White man hid UNI, heap quick
dark. white man run off. -~.--
Griffin shaped his course for the nearest
clump of bush, and put his last atom Of
strength into leap that landed him fair
in its center He spread himself fiat and
clung close to the ground. Yelling like
mad, to lead his mates away, the young
Sioux kept on into the woods.
1t was so contrary to the trapper'S
training to trust an Indian that his first
movement was to slip out his knife he
meant to be prepared in case the Sioux
should pounce on top ofhim.
But the Indian tore on into the forest,
and after him went the others. They
passed SO near the place where Griffin lay
that they might, have heard his hard I'd
fast and yelling SO Justify. D. .E..-5.-
But fat old fellow who brought up the
rear gave over the chase at the edge OF
the Ioresr. lie leaned against a tree not
twenty feet from Grifhn's bush, evidently
intending to wait until the others came
PACK with the white mans scalp.
The young braves kept up the search
until after dark. All that time the old
Fellow fingered by his tree, and Griffin
burst not even stretch for fear of being
heard. $50 y. : - :"
He hardly knew what, action to take. It
seemed that the young brave had meant
MIN to get away as soon as the crowd
passed; and it would be easy enough to,
shoot the old Indian, and then make his
escape in the darkness
But the trapper finally decided that the
right thing to do was to lie still The old
fellow might be his friends father for all
he knew. To kill him there might throw
suspicion upon the young man. And Crit
fin knew that If the Indians discovered
the trick that had been played upon them,
Il won't do it," said Griffin to himself.
Not IL lose my scalp for it,
By the time the band returned from the
fru1tless chase the trapper had got his
breath. He wasted none of 1T, we may be
certain, in the course OF the irnprOmptll
council that the Indians held before they
left the timber. Probably the talk lasted
less than five minutes But that seems a
long time to a man who feels enemies
that at any instant they may fairly fall
over him.
But finally they did leave, and Griffin
crept out of the bush and fetched a wide
circuit to reach his camp. He did not feel
any appetite for supper just then. What
he wanted to do, and did, was to load HIS
belongings into his canoe and heading.
down stream. put wide stretch of river
between himself and the redskins.
Griffin never saw or heard of the Young
Sioux again: but the tranper had better
opinion of the tribe and the race from
that time forward.
Sure enough, he used to say, when he
told the story. most of EN- are bad. and
others Of EN- are worse. but tell You
bows, sure. enough, some Injuns are folks!''
-Younth's Companion.
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"A Phonetic Similarity. x
80 you are going to take your airship
II am, J" answered the aeronaut.
Simply because funds are not forth