River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-18

is / almost got them, and then ! didn't
I'm no wiser than | was before, but
was near them"
Boiled down into simple American.
YOU got a hunch," Shorty insisted
"Somethin's goin' to happen before
the day is out. You'll see. An them
dried fishIl have a bearin'."
You've got to show me-" said
Smoke
no, / amt. The day'Il take care of
itself an show you. Now, listen to
what I'm tellin' you. got bunch
myself out of your bunch. I'll bet
eleven ounces against three ornery
toothpicks I'm right"
you bet the toothpicks, and I'll bet
the ounces Smoke returned.
Nope. That'd be plain robbery.
win | know a hCach when it tic!lles
me. Before the days out somethin' II
happen. an them ish'll have mean
in
An hour later they cleared the divide,
dipped down past the Bald Duties
through sharp elbow canyon and
took the steep, open slope that drop
ped into POrcupine creek. Shorty, IN
the lead, stopped abruptly. and Smoke
whoaed the dogs. Beneath them, com
ing up. was a procession Of humans,
scattered and draggled, a quarter Of
mile long
Shorty noted.
They've no dogs" said Smoke.
Yep; there's a couple of men pullin
on a sled"
'See that fellow fall down? There's
something the matter Shorty, and
there must be 200 Of them"
Look at em stagger as if they was
soused There goes another"
Its a whole tribe. There are chill
dren there"
Smoke, l win," Shorty proclaimed
"A bunch is a bunch, an you can't
beat it. There she comes. Look at
her-surgin' up like lot Of corpses.
The mass of Indians at sight OF the
two men had raised a weird cry OF JOY
and accelerated it's pace.
They're sure tolerabe Woody" com
mented Shorty, See 'em fallin' down
in Jumps an punches"
Look at the face Of that first one,
Smoke said. Its starvatiOn-tha
what's the matter with them. They've
eaten their dogs"
"Whatll we do? Run for it,"
"And leave the sled and dogs?'
They'll sure eat us if we don't
They look hungry enough for it. Hello
old skeeziks. What's wrong with you?
Don't look at that dog that way No
cO0kin' pot for him-savvy?"
The fOrerunnerS were arriving and
crowding about them, moaning and
planting in an unfamiliar jargOn. To
Smoke the picture was groteSque. and
horrible 1t was famine unmiStakable.
Their faces, hollow checked and skin
stretched, were so many deaths heads.
More and more arrived and crowded
about until Smoke and Shorty were
hemmed in by the wild crew. Their
ragged garments of skin and fur were
cut and slashed away. and Smoke
knew the reason for it when he saw
wizened child on squaw's buck that
sucked and chewed strip OF filthy
fur.
Keep off there-keep back!' Shorty
yelled. falling back on English after
futile attempts with the little Indian
he did know.
Bucks and squaws and children tot
tered and Swayed on shaking legs and
continued to urge in, their mad eyes
swimming with weakness and burning
with ravenOus desire. A woman.
moaning, staggered past Shorty and
fell with spread and grasping arms on
the sled An old man followed her,
painting and gasping. with trembling
hands striving to cast off the sled lash
ings and get at the grub sacks be-
meath. young man with naked
knife tried to rush in. but was flung
back by Smoke The whole mass
pressed in upon them, and the fight
was on.
At first Smoke and Shorty showed
and thrust and threw back. Then they
used the butt OF the dog whip and
their fists on the food mad crowd. And
all this against background of moan
ing and wailing women and children
Here and there in a dozen places the
sled lashings were cut Men crawled
in on their bellies, regardless of rain
of kicks and blows, and tried to drag
out the grub. These had to be picked
up bodily and flung back. And such
was their weakness that they fell con-
tinually under the slightest pressures
or shoves. Yet they made no attempt
to injure the two men who defended
the sled.
1t was the utter weakness of the In
dams that saved Smoke and Shorty
from being overborne. In five minutes
the wall of outstanding, on-struggling
Indians had been charged to heaps of
fallen ones, that mOaned and gibbered
in the snow and cried and sniveled as
their staring, swimming eyes focused
| on fhe grub that meant life to them