Boys' Column.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2044, 18 March 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Boys' Column.

A Trapper’s Story.

Teats n-0, while in St. Louis. J fell in with im old trapper by the name of Dick Sampson. Circumstances threw us much together and on one occasion he told me this story ;

U c were away olf on (he 1 ollowstonc one tall, trapping beaver about as fast as we could pull i heir heads off, There were three of us—Tim Jones. Sam Woodis and myself. Luck was witli us that time and no mistake. I never gut off a pack so soon in all the years I’ve been un the plains. The bojs declared that we should he rich men in a little while, unless our luck turned for the worse, and bam declare 1 that if he was only as strong as Sampson ot old, he would astonish the buys when ho cut back to the fort by the size of his pack. There was but one thing that worried us. and that was Injuns. We were su high up the river that we were at their mercy should they come down upon us. But we didn’t let the thought of them rob us of our sleep, or hinder us from piling up our pack as fast as we could. One morning I woke up on the sick list with the headache, and feeling kinder bad other ways. I hadn’t a bit of appetite for breakfast, and su I told the hoys that I guessed I should lay by that day and let ’em do the work. They said it was the best thing I could do, so they went nl f without me. saying they would be back by dark, I lay in my bunk for an hour or two after they were gone, and I couldn’t help thinking how lonesome it was, and what 1 should do if the redskins should happen to pounce down upon me. The sun wasshining outside, and it looked warm and pleasant there, sol went out and lay down on the ground to suu mj’self. I don’t know how long I lay there, watching the clouds as they sailed above the tree-tops, but by-and-bye I felt kinder drowsy, and afore 1 knowitl was fast asleep. How long it was that I slept I don’t know. It might have been an hour, and it might not have been so long. Anyway, it was long enough for me to dream a dream that made my hair stand on end. I thought that the redskins had captured me, and were about to roast me alive. Everything was ready. I was tied to a stake, and the fuel heaped about me. A redskin came forward with a torch, and was about to light the pile. Cpon this the varmints gave a shout, winch seemed to wake me up.

1 rubbed my eyes and looked about me, ami it was as much as half a minute before I could seem to remember where L was. lint I ( diil at last, and was just getting on my feet when 1 caught sight of a redskin right nfure me among the trees. I knew in a minute by bis actions that be meant mischief, and that 1 had got to look out for my hair if I wanted to keep it on my head. I don’t know how it seems to you, mister, hut I could not help thinking that something had waked me up jest in time to give me a olianco for my life.

The redskin dodged ahind a tree, and at the very moment an arrow went whizzing past my head, so close that it seemed as though it had grazed the skin. It did not come from the direction of the Injun I had seen, so 1 knew that I had at least two of 'em to atiend to. My ride was standing inside the hut, to which was some twenty paces away, and I knew that my best bold was to got under cover, and that into my bands again.

I sprang to ray feet like a cat and made for Use door, but I kinder hauled up before I went inside, for what should I see there but a redskin, looking over my pile of furs, which lay in one corner. Most likely he belonged, •o Mie party, but bad gone in without seeing me where I laid. Here was a fix—the redskins all about me, lot me turn where I would. I didn't have time to make up my mind in. There warn't but one chance to save our furs and my life. That was, that I got hold on my rilie. And that 1 must do without the savage inside seeing mo, for if ho did he had me, so that there was no chance. 1 was close to the door before I saw him. and now I crept along as softly as a cat, expecting every minute to have a bullet or an arrow planted in my back. My foot was inside, and reaching out my hand I grasped my rifle, jest as the savage turned and saw mu. In a moment his hand was on Ids tomahawk, and the next instant the ugly weapon was flying through the air in the direction of my head. To this day I believe I dodged it. though how it was dime i don't know. The next moment 1 had clubbed my rifle and aimed a blow tor his skull. He wasn’t so lucky as I was, for the blow hit him fair and be went down like a log, At that moment (hero was « yell ontsxle, and the same instant I felt a blow and a sting on my leg. which almost threw mo over, fluiek as thought I had the arrow by the shaft, and with a jerk of my hand drew it out, and threw it to one side. Then 1 caught hold on the door and tried to swing it to ; but before 1 could do so a redskin thrust his head and shoulders in, so as to stop me. In an instant ! brought my rifle to my shoulder and pulled,the trigger'. The muzzle was so close to the face of" the face of the redskin that it blackened bis countenance, so that he looked like a Congo as be fell back outside the hut.

His feet still lay in the do y, and I had just time to push them out and pull the door too when the rust of the savages, with a .howl, sprang forward to get in. They were just a moment too late, for in a twinkling 1 fastened the door in such a way that I knew they could not break it down in a hurry. The wound in my leg was stinging like the bite of a serpent, but I had no time to attend to that. It was my life now that I had proved too much for them, even though they had caught mo napping ; and for an hour they done the best they could to get into the hut. but we had built it with an eye to the purpose of keeping them out while we staved there, and it answered to the purpose well. I loaded up my rilie, and from a crevice in the wall got another shot at them, which laid out one more of ’em as handsomely as the others. After this they got kinder shy of staying about, and it wasn't long before they took themselves oft altogether. When the boys came home at dark they wore kinder surprised at lindiug me nursing my leg instead of my head, and at seeing the savages lying about so plenty. 1 was lame for more than a month, and had to keep close to the hut: but the buys were fair with me. They shared their furs with me, as they declared they ought to in return tor my saving those which they had on band." A. L, M.