The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-28

Joseph b. Bowles)
compels me to insist that had the
Wharf Rat led with his right he would
have sent the Smasher to the ropes.
"'Ah,' sighed Finer. lamely spar
ring at his shadow. II one os those
lads could only stub up against the
Chuck McBurr outfit and chasten it.
This called for an explanation, and
our host described McBurr as very
unwholesome neighbor. 1t seems his
long. lank frame contained the crossed
blood. of the Athabascan Injun and
the worst traits of white sea cap.
tain. FINER said Chuck's grandpa
was New Bedford whal.r, when that
port was wearing out the water with
its many boats, and had lost his ship
in Ungaya In the early days. Half
crazy, he had refused to return and
face the owners, and had Joined n
tribe of vagrants on the Little Seal
river instead, and ultimately took a
wife. One thing the old fellow was
strong on, and that was the art of
self-defence. Sea captains In his day
to the mat with mutinous sailor
Thus, because of his prowess and the
Little Seal peoples ignorance of the
pummelling business. he soon came
to be considered the only patent med.
icine on the coast.
Naturally he taught his son the
game, and so 1t was handed down to
the present polyglot. who now bossed
the tribe.
"'Taken all together. they are bad
combination, all right declared Fin.
ger. Several of our boys who had
stolen up there to find out where they
mine the gold they sometimes bring
here to swap for rum, tobacco and
gunpowder have forgotten to return
Chuck's people are not at home now
| but when they return | am going to
collect few of my men and run
them out. Only last night my best
hunter was telling me the missionary
at TuWk had lost his one'year-old
boy-been kidnapped, you know; and II
Chuck McBurr wasn't In on the deal
the youngster eloped by himself. Say,
| give us some more of those fights.
They're great
1T was Finzer's chance remark
about the gold flakes, mined by the
tenants of the Little Seal, that set
Tib to yearning to discover their lode
Now that this Chuck, or whatever
they style him, has led his children up
north, why not sneak over to that
stream and do some prospecting, he
began: ard knew he would have his
way. For two days / stood him off,
but as FINER repeated there was no
danger, the territory being deserted, /
finally capitulated. and we borrowed
two men and u boat and ultimately
knocked along the coast and landed
/ at the mouth of the river. We ordered
the men to drop anchor and await our
return, and to send a posse after us II
we failed to ring In after seven days.
For the first day we hardly got out
|, of sight of our boat, SO intent was Tib
examining every bit of ledge and tam.
perlng with every bowlder with his
hammer. But we didn't find enough
| gold to fill tooth. For the next two
days we pressed inward rapidly, and
one night, while making coffee on a
little island, about as large as your
hat, and reached by jumping from
rock to rock, | made big hit. The
island was apparently the butt-end of
a gold mine. In fact, 1t needed no
| geologist to see we'd made happy
haul. Almost every layer OF ledge,
, facing up stream, that | jerked loose
contained several scales OF the lovely
stun. Tib said II we'd only follow the
banks until we struck some falls we
doubtless could scoop It out In hunxs.
oh, yes lamented. as the circle
narrowed and galaxy of ngly squaws
formed a menncing fringe on the out.
skirts. Chuck is away from home. all
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