The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-08-01

OF all the quintet the man at the
tiller was the only one who showed
signs OF energy, and his energy had
sulphurous anger mixed with It. He
was q bowed, shamhling creature, with
one eye red and the other missing, with
| long, hairy, ape-lilke arms, with an inn
! pediment OF speech which threw him
into paroxysms OF temper every second
time he opened his lips Once or twice
when his malady stuck him voiceless In
the middle OF a sentence the other white
man laughed, and then when his tongue
served him again he would break on
from the text and rap out a stream OF
| poisonous cursings.
At last he climaxed these by the only
vituperation which no American can
listern to unmoved, and the man on the
coach roof dropped his Incidence like
| a fash and was on him before he could
resist The aggressor was lusty, and
shakes rat, with ponderous wrenchee,
and because the sloop carried strong
weather helm when the tiller was let
| go she ran UP into the wind, with her
canvas Stating wildly.
| You snake mouthed little skunk,
you'd say that to me, would you?
thought learned you once how far
| gouged for this game less,n a month
hack, .'hnd II you fling your twisted
suffering tongue at me any more, by
gum, I'll pocket the other" ~.
The blacks on the foredeck chnckled
and spluttered, but the big man hove
command. "Quit that yehawinl" which
they did with yell and q sudden veil
ing of ivory. Then with an indolent
sprawling OF arms and legs he gained
his basking place again on the top OF
the cabin roof, and once more the
steersman got the sloop under COM
nand. @
The next three boards were made in
silence. save for the creaking Of the
gear when she went about, and then
the one eyed man broke out again.
"Yovre sure 1t wasn't a government
bo-o-o-at, Hank% ... .,..... a..
Government be sugared! She wasn't
the right build to start with. Besides,
II the government knew this channel at
all, you bet it'd be said so in all the
papers. And she did know 1t, or she
| wouldn't have gone buzing past at six
knots without a leadsman. Seems to me
some ones split, and she's some darned
Britisher come to cut out our game
| for themselves" ....
| legal by these bub- bub blessed bird
laws, and SOS selling whisky to Injuns.
AS 1t is, we've trouble enough to sneak
in and out Of the 'Glades in this sus-
enthusiastically OF sloop, so how in
hades d'you expect they'd do in a 1000
tom Here the mans infirality
blocked his speech for a full minute.
| He snarled out. "Oh, I've no use for a
blank putty hear like you"
Hank laughed and put tobacco into
his mouth. Go It," he said, Go 1t,
right close to the end IL you like, but
bring up short Of that, or LII gouge
you, sure's DEATH"
The steersman grinned a spasm of
fury. He longed much to use again
the objectionable phrase but he fore
bore. He felt that his friend would be
as good as his word. So he ceased from
speech altogether, and a negro on the
foredeck enliveneo the silence with the
Jordan hymn, giving full value to every
possible shake and turn.
A porpoise surged past them making
for the open after a days fresh water
| fishing, and once or twice an alligators s
eyebrows and snout showed like knots
OF blackwood floating up against the
current, for this was territory where
the skin hunters rifle had not scared
them altogether into night work. The
sloop's pace up stream was small, and
1t was not till just before night fall
that she rounded a cape where high
black pines stood UP like soldiers on
parade around the waters edge and
saw the steamer, She was grounded
on sandbank athwart the stream and
lay with a two foot list away from the
current. Not until they were close
aboard OF her could those on the sloop
see the gold lettering on her counter.
"B-b-both lifeboats gone. Say, that's
rum!"
Port Edes of London" Hank read.
Port Edes? ! seem to know that
name. Hullo, Mutt! What's wrong
now? You look as though I'd said your
rich uncle had gone dead" ...
The one eyed mans face was lit up
with an unholy joy. Don't you know?"
he suffered out. ",The biz was in all
the papers. That steamboat was bring
ing out 2500,000 in sovereigns. Her
port was New Orleans, and she's got
here. BY gum, suppose they think
they're going to steal 1t all by them
selves" -.
who's they?" inquired the other. q
II guess we shall know that soon,"
returned the one eyed man grimly. Hi,
you niggers there forward! I s'pose
you got razors hid somewhere in yer
pants?
say" drawIed his friend, you'd
mebbe better go slow, Billy Mutt. That
steamer does look asleep, but II you
start making yourself ugly too soon
somebody may wake up and pull of
guns at u.s." , ....... "
Shoot or no shoot" retorted the man
at the tiller, I'm going to have some OF
their plunder before a dozen hours are
over, or else be a deader. I've never had
q chance Nike this in all my life before,
and I'll never geg-geg- get another"
You bet not" agreed the other.
''Nor'll I. That's why I'll stand In with
you over this deal down to the last
chip. / reckon" he added In a lower
, voice, I'VE can count well on the niggers
too. They're not exactly a camp meet
ing crowd. They're toughs that a rae
ket like this'll suit as nat'ral as chicken
Vt ealing" "