Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-10-08

merry. mere was SIX Strappfn'
blacks in her. and every one had
paddle. l saw at once that a game
had been played on us-that instead of
niggers bein' decoyed my men was
decoyed away from the ship to give
the niggers chance to loot her.
There was small gun on the port
and another on the starboard bow.
both kept loaded in case the ongrate-
full niggers. not appreciatin' the bless
ms brought EN- by the Angel O.
Mercy, should show their teeth.
sized up the time it would take for
the canoe to reach me and. seem l
had few minutes, made one Jump
for the companionway and another
down it. Gatherin' firearms, l got
back with 'em as quick as I went
down and carried 'em to the little
four FOUNDER on the port bow. The
niggers acted as II they wasn't sure
how many men there was aboard.
They had seen a boatload leavin'
the ship, but hadn't spoke the niger
that had got 'em away. So they
didn't know how many was left.
yelled to 'em to keep of, and they
stopped paddlin' and looked up GURUS
like.
81 don't reckon they spoke any
United States lingo. Anyway they
didn't say anything; but, seem only one
man on the ship, they commenced pad
dim ag'in, maxim straight for me.
They had at least one gun they might
have taken from some kind white man
who had come all the way from a civ
ilized land to buy ivory of 'em or
teach 'em the gospel, for one Of 'em
sent a bullet singin' by my ear.
hadn't time to use the four FOUNDER,
which would have sunk their canoe IL
l could "a hit 1t, so 1 picked up q
musket and. takin' straight aim for
the hull of 'em-they all bein' In
line-fred. l dropped one man and
saw a paddle fly out of the hand OF
| another, so l reckoned I'd put two
! of 'em out o. the fight But l saw
that 1t was too late to sink 'em with
the cannon and l must shoot as many
| as l could before they reached the
ships side. l fred couple more o.
the muskets. droppin' another man,
| but in them days there was no repeat
ers, and had no time to reload.
THE gangway had been raised. and
| they could only climb to the deck
either by the anchor or bowsprit
chains. This helped me, cause didn't
have to defend more'n one position.
If had they'd have taken me in
rear BY quick firiH and sure aim 1
got rid of four out O. the six before
they got any hold. Then l shot an
other comm up the anchor chain and
dropped him in the water. But one
ugly black devil reached the bowsprit
| and I'd emptied my last gun.
II TUX the barrel o. the musket I
had last fired in my two hands and
waited for the niger to come for me.
intendin' to brain him with the stock.
But he tux care to spring for me
when a rope was In my way, and the
rope caught the blow instead of the
niger. In the clash the gun fell out
o. my hands.
! I'VE was two men, a black and
white, both stripped TO the skin, that
had to settle the dispute with a
wraste The only thing on deck
could use was a dirk knife I'd picked
|
that was back near the fo'castle COM
panionway. The niger gripped me,
, and l grlpped the niger. but saw ar
once that he had the advantage of me,
for he had oiled himself all over
Il was mighty strong in them days.
and intended to git my arms around
his middle and throw him overheard.
| could "a done 1t II 1t hadn't been
for his oiled skin. Howsomever. he
wriggled like a lamper eel and got
out o. my clutches. AS bad luck would
have it, the moonlight glittered on the
knife lynn on the deck, and he saw II.
saw him go for it. | made after
him. caught him round the waist just
as he got his fingers on IT and pulled
him away from it,
at looked now as II whoever got
that knife would live and the other
Teller wouldn't He wasn't as strong
as / was. but the oil on him made him
the better man. succeeded in gittin'
between him and the knife and put
my foot on it.
81 could never disremember that
niger as he stood off. his greasy face
III Nht iObhiu ut UlS
like a jungle tiger. But there's an
other thing / don't want to disremem-
berthe sound Of oars. The Niger
and | both listened and heard a quic6
stroke. CROWN louder with every
stroke. The niger turned and run
like a hound for the side o. the ship
| picked 10 the knife. and Just as no
jumped over the gun'ale threw It
and saw ii stick into his side.
What became of him | don't know.
but In a few minutes the boat I had
sent away reached me and the men
came aboard. They had heard the
FIRM. suspected treachery and pulled
back as quick as they could
How long did your fight last?'
asked q listener
From the first shot till threw the
knife-about FIVE minutes"
Some un tel as another such yarn"
I remarked an Octogenarian. This one
has warmed me up like hot grog.,
Oct & IN American