The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1915-09-09
CHAPTER ~.
In Which We Have an Adventure.

arose with the sun on the
morning following our first
~ night in bivouac, and by noon
of that day. thanks perhaps in some
measure to my own work at the oars
and sail which we rugged from cor
ner of the tent. we had passed into and
through the lake which our map had
showed u.s. Now we were below the
edge of the pine woods. and our stream
ran more sluggishly between banks Of
entails or of waving marsh grasses.
We put out a trolling line and took
bass or so. and once LATTE, firing
chance medley into passing flock of
plover. knocked down half dozen. so
that we babe fair to have enough for
dinner that night. 1t was all new
world for us.
Toward nightfall we came into IL
more rolling and more parklike region.
Our prov was now heading to the
westward. for the general course of
the great river beyond. | had no no.
ton to visit the city Of Chicago. and
our route lay far above that which
must be taken by any large craft
! bound for the Mississippi route to the
gulf.
Farms now came down to the wa
ter's edge in places. villages offered
mill pond dams. around which in
scowling reticence we portrayed the
Sea Rover, unmindful alike of queries
and of jeers. | found time to post adj
ditional letters now Indeed. l was
preparing for a long and determined
enterprise. 1t was the Sea Rover
against the Belle Helene. and. did the
skipper of the latter lol along in fan
neled ease and luxury, not so with the
hardy band of cutthroats who manned
our smaller and more mobile craft,
men used to hardships. content to
drink spring water instead Of spar
Killing wines and to eat the product Of
their own weapons.
! We were l do not know how far
from our first encampment, perhaps
thirty miles or more, when toward
o'clock of the evening we concluded
to land at a wooded grassy bank which
offered good camping place. We
heard a gruff voice hail us.
"Heh! What're you dom there?"
We turned. expecting to meet some
irate farmer on whose land perhaps
we innocently We're trespassing. but
the figure which now emerged from
the screening bushes was rougher.
bolder, and in some indescribable way
wilder than that of a farmer. He
was stout man nearly of middle age.
dirty and i'll clad, his coarse shirt open
at the neck, his legs clad in old over
alls, his hat and shoes very much the
worse for wear. His face was covered
with a rough beard, and so brown and
so begrimed that, at once, guessed
this must be some dweler in the open.
Yet he seemed no tramp and even ii
he were he had no right to hail us in
this fashion.
i only looked at him and made no
answer, feeling none due. He came
out into the open. followed by a non
descript dog, which had the lack OF
decency-and also of discretion-to at.
tack my dog Partial with no parley or
preliminary. l wOt not Of what stock
Partial came. but somewhere in his
ancestry must have been stark fighting
strain. Mutely and sternly, as became
a gentleman, he joined issue. and sc
well had he learned the art of wal
that in the space Of a few moments, In
spite of the loud cutlery of the owner
of the invading cur, he had him on
his back in a throat grip which was
the end of the battle and babe fail
soon to be the end of the enemy.
The man who had accosted us caught
up club and made toward Partial
with intent to kill him. Then, indeed
we all sprang into action. In two
strides l was before him.