Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-08-03

and supplying a strong demand Ladies
of society wished for egret plumes and
otner feathers for external adornment
and the Seminole OF the Everglades
desired corn whisky for his stomachs s
sake, and white game regulations for
'ade collection of the first Indians pro-
lection acts vetoed lawful distribution
of the second. And for the transgres-
sor there were distinct and heavy PEN
alties.
But, to begin with, States Jaw does
not cary very far i'm the Everglades Of
Florida, which is the home of outlaws,
and in the second place Mr.. Mutt and
friend were both wanted" on several
counts already, among which uniustih-
able homicide ranked high, so that they
were men entirely reckless and inclined
10 look upon + aching and Illicit whisky
pedling tc the aboriginal as the ,nildest
OF mild peccadillocs. Moreover as in
furtherance of their business they were
extremely well armed and apt to shoot
first and reflect afterward when an
noyed, they were not persons to be
argued with by any Of the more gentle
methods
The three men on the steamer were in
no way prepared TO receive these du-
biols visitors-were, in fact. completely
ublivious of their approach, being still
chained In the deepest slumber, The
sun had drooped below the tree tops,
and already the night noises of the
Forest were beginning-the rattle of
criCkets and toads ia the trees, the
grunting OF the builfrog in the swamp,
the dry rustic OF the jar flies and the
warm hum OF the never sleeping mo-
squito In the darker tree aisles there
commenced the brief light snappings Of
firehles, and i'm the black shadowed
water of the bayous were other phos-
phorescent sloWs, Ike these, only COM
ing from the eyes OF some prowling al
ligator
The sloop ran down her jibtopsail,
and as the iron hanks screamed along
the stay a negro trotted nimbly ont
along the ilat bowsprit top to secure the
sail in It's gaskets. The wind was drop
ping with the sun, and because the cur
rent raced manfully down the blight
where the stranded steamer was lying
the sloop made but a fathom or so TO
the good by every board across the
river. The one eyed man danced a
barefoot tattoo of fury on the floor
boards Of the cockpit at this slowness,
and his loose limbed partner. who still
sprawled on the cabin roof chuckled
with easy amusement But the breeze
held long enough for their purpose.
They ran up above the steamer, and the
stream ground their planking against
the rust streaked iron. a pair of davit
fails hung down with the blocks weed
covered In with water and overhauling
one of these they made It fast round
the bits. Then, swarming up the other
fan the whole five of them gained the
bridge deck above
nstinctVely when once their feet
were on the warm gray planks each
man. black and white, handled his
weapon ready TO fight any one. as
might be demanded of him, but no one
appeared to seek explanation Of their
presence and from starting about
them they took to staring at one an
other rather foolishly. II one has been
expecting brisk game of murder, and
one meets with empty silence, it rather
spoils the sequence of ideas
Come to think OF it," said Hank in
an oppressive whisper, If there'd been
an anchor watch, they'd have hailed us
before we got this far. l bet the old
mans asleep In the charthouse.
'Twouldn't be bad idea to bottle him"
CONTINUED Next Week.)