The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-08-11
HORNS OF
A DILEMMA

Eyes, said Bonhomme. in answer
TO query OF mine, yes, l was with
La Moure and I've read his book"
He leaned against the counter OF
fully. l knew that interesting remin-
1scence was at hand.
There's a good deal of La Moure
In that book" he remarked. presently,
''but there are many persons in this
world who are unable to see any
thing except in relation to them
selves"
''Oue would have thought that La
M0ure would have told of the food
at Latts' Island, and Of the exciting
scenes through which his men pass
ed. But he was at ST. Louis at the
moment, and so was left out Of the
fracas.
Il was then clerk and small partner
In his business. Our store at Latts'
Island had been built in the Afties.
and as appeared from all indications,
above the limit of high water.
I'VE built on this little island for
safety to ourselves; for 1t was a time
OF general hostilities, and we
we're independent traders fighting for
BUSINESS against the big fur COM
panies, and pretty nearly all mems
hands were against US.
AT Latts' we had natural for
tress, for the current and the nature
OF the shelving banks were such that
the Indians could not land their ponies
ON the island. So We ran ferry,
and brought over, in small lots, the
bands which came to trade with us.
Our plan really amused some Of the
white men pull them across in their
big boat We did very good trade
until the father of all floods wiped US
of the map.
Il went to bed one night in April
midst the roar Of high waters, but
with the store at least six feet above
the food mark; and I awoke at day
light to find the island covered and
the water smashing against our
ground logs. l dressed hurriedly and
went to the door to look out upon
. moving sea, which stretched to the
foothills nearly mile away.
"And in front Of the store and al
most knee-deep in water stood four
Rec women with three small children
in arms. Their teepees on the lower
ground were afloat and how long the
poor creatures had been standing
there l do not know
these Indians had come to our
island some three days before, and
the men who had brought them had
gone off on a rowing expedition.
THE poor things turned scared and
piteous faces up to me, and | at once
asked them into the store l called
my men, Gene Belts and Pierre Car
bOnneau, down from their hunks in
the loft; and they were amazed, and
for the moment as frightened as the
Rees
I'VE soon discovered that our ferry
boat, which had been chained to a
sunken post, was swamped. We had
no floating craft at the house. and as
the water rose an inch while we were
eating breakfast, We saw that we
must make raft of our house logs
and that quickly.
I'VE worked like lumber jacks. We |
tore off the roof and let it's dry logs |
down one at time, splicing them
together with inch rope, which was
the largest we had. In two hours we
had thirty dry cottonwocds, twenty
four feet in length, dashed together.
Then we hurr;aaly fashioned and rig
gsd 8 sweep oar, piled on such bales /
and boxes Of goods IS our craft would
carry along with its human freight.
and cut adrift In more than three feet
of water.
1T was a wild ride we were prom
lse1. Never have l seen such a tual-