Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-06-20

"a nearer approach, showing spot.
ted animals, proved her in the right
The Sioux on that side were lying in
wait for us also, and it soon became
evident that this party had cunningly
chosen q position where the current
of the flood set strongly in through
narrow channel and under pre-
cipitous range of bluff banks.
I'VE worked franticaIly at the
sweep, knowing now that our raft
building had been watched and our
destruction deliberately planned. MOI
was 1t long until we discovered that
there was, as one might gay, a de-
formity in our dilemma; it had three
horns instead of two! Sioux to right
of us, Sioux to left of us, and our
raft in danger of going to pieces!
Our ropes had begun to stretch
and give, and the logs were fast
wearing on them. Here and there
broken strands appeared, and it was
clear that the raft wouldn't hold to
gether for more than two or three
hours.
In spite of hard pulling, we were
swept steadily toward the bluffs lin
ed with hostile Indians. Seeing the
uselessness of rowing. we hastily pill
ed barricade of bales and boxes.
I'VE had need of haste, for before
VIC could get wholly under cover .
flight of arrows struck the raft and
sputtered in the water all round us.
Fortunately, most of the Sioux
were armed only with bows, and the
range was considerable. The air was
thick with feathered sticks for two
or three minutes. Then we drifted
out of arrow-shot, and took account
OF my crew.
zone of the Rec women had an
arrow sticking in her shoulder. 1t
had struck point down, and was buried
to the barb. The woman looked at
me and laughed as she wrenched the
shaft free and wiped the arrow tooth
upon her blanket. No one else had
been hurt.
Now we lunged again into the mid
die of the flood, with a rough tumble
of water tugging at our straining
ropes. l had one rope left, three.
quarter-inch, about sixty feet in
length. With this l started in to tie
the spreading ends of the logs on one
side, beginning with a corner log and
tying under and over. This might
have insured our holding together for
a trifie longer than we could other
wise have done.
while was at this task we round
ed turn Of the river, coming again
under fire, for a minute, of the Sioux
on the western bank. But the range
was long, and kept at my work until
my attention was distracted by COM
motion among the Rec women.
looked up, to see an excited group
shouting and gesticulating.
Then large young woman, strong
and active as cayuse, suddenly leaped
toward me, tore the rope from my
hands, and began fiercely undoing my
knots. The others gathered about
me, pointed their fingers down the
river, and shouted:
".Kuna! Kuna! Kuna!
II did not know what the word
meant, but what l saw was the tops
of bunch of trees thrust up above
the flood near mld-channel. And in
stantly Observation-Disclosures sub
merged island, and chance to make
fast the raft if we should prove ex.
pert enough to do it without going to
pieces.
81 turned to my men. Let these
women manage said. Fill your
pockets with biscuit and meat, and
shin up the trees if we break up
Three of the women and the children
were made to follow our example In
slowing food.
1--WE were very close to the upper
trees when the big woman had fihish-
ed undoing the rope, and had coiled
1t for cast. She mounted bale
of goods at the fore end of the RAFT.
Gene an Pierre steered as she direct
ed by gesture.
1--WE passed the first bunch of cot
tonwoods, grazing the bark of one
of them, and then the woman cast
her eyes upon half-dead tree with
broken limb projecting toward us.
1t stood on the left, and two smaller
cottonwoods stood side by side few
yards below.
1.-THE woman gave almost frantic
directions, and the steersmen pulled
hard to swing us within reach. When
we were still some yards above the
Rec whirled her rope, let fly the
moose, and made clean catch. There
was not man among US who could
have made such throw.
with swift gesture the woman
gave directions, and while one pulled
at the sweep, the rest of us seized
the rope and began swinging the raft
in toward the tree.
"It was deft vancouver. AS we
passed the tree, we at the rope were
at the fore end of the raft, and we
gave way inch by inch as we swung
round in half-circle until we lodged
against the two solid trunks below.
"In five minutes we were anchored,
where the pressure of the current
would actually assist in holding our
raft logs together. You can imagine
that we were glad, and it would have
done your heart good to see those Rec