The Huge Hunter | Page 9

Yellowstone, near the head of navigation, just as a small
trading propeller was descending the stream. As much from the novelty of the thing, as
anything else, he rode on board, with his horse, with the intention of completing his
journey east by water.
On board the steamer he first met Ethan Hopkins and Mickey McSquizzle, who had spent
ten years in California, in a vain hunt for gold, and were now returning to their homes,
thoroughly disgusted with the country, its inhabitants and mineral resources.
Baldy was attracted to them by their peculiarities of manner; but it is not probable that
anything further would have resulted from this accidental meeting, but for a most
startling and unforeseen occurrence.
While still in the upper waters of the Yellowstone, the steamer exploded her boiler,
making a complete wreck of the boat and its contents. The hunter, with the others, was
thrown into the water, but was so bruised and injured that he found it impossible to swim,
and he would assuredly have been drowned but for the timely assistance of his two
acquaintances.
Neither the Yankee nor Irishman were hurt in the least, and both falling near the trapper,
they instantly perceived his helplessness and came to his rescue. Both were excellent
swimmers, and had no difficulty in saving him.
'Do ye rist aisy!' said Mickey, as be saw the hunter's face contorted with pain, as be
vainly struggled in the water, 'and it's ourselves that II take the good care of yees jist'

'Stop yer confounded floundering,' admonished Hopkins; 'it won't do no good, and there
ain't no necessity for it.'
One of them took the arm upon one side, and the other the same upon the opposite side,
and struck out for the shore. The poor trapper realized his dire extremity, and remained
motionless while they towed him along.
'Aisy jist-aiey now!' admonished Mickey: 'ye're in a bad fix; but by the blessin' of Heaven
we'll do the fair thing wid yees. We understand the science of swimmin', and'
At that moment some drowning wretch caught the foot of the Irishman, and he was
instantly drawn under water, out of sight.
Neither Hopkins nor Baldy lost presence of mind in this fearful moment, but continued
their progress toward shore, as though nothing of the kind had happened.
As for the Irishman, his situation for the time was exceedingly critical. The man who had
clutched his foot did so with the grasp of a drowning man; in their struggle both went to
the bottom of the river together. Here, by a furious effort, Mickey shook him free, and
coming to the surface, struck out again for the suffering hunter.
'It is sorry I am that I was compelled to leave yees behind,' he muttered, glancing over his
shoulder in search of the poor fellow from whom be had just freed himself; 'but yees are
past helpin', and so it's maeself that must attend to the poor gentleman ahead.'
Striking powerfully out, he soon came beside his friends again and took the drooping arm
of Baldy Bicknell.
'Be yees sufferin' to a great extent?' inquired the kind-hearted Irishman, looking at the
white face of the silent hunter.
'Got a purty good whack over the back,' he replied, between his compressed lips, as he
forced back all expression of pain.
''Ye'll be aisier when we fotch ye to the land, as me uncle obsarved whin he hauled the
big fish ashore that was thrashing his line to pieces jist.'
'Twon't take you long to git over it,' added Hopkins, anxious to give his grain of
consolation; 'you look, now, like quite a healthy young man.'
The current was quite rapid, and it was no light labor to tow the helpless hunter ashore;
but the two friends succeeded, and at length drew him out upon the land and stretched
him upon the sward.
The exertion of keeping their charge afloat, and breasting the current at the same time,
carried them a considerable distance downstream, and they landed perhaps an eighth of a
mile below where the main body of shivering wretches were congregated.

'Do yees feel aisy?' inquired Mickey, when the hunter had been laid upon the grass,
beneath some overhanging bushes.
'Yes, I'll soon git over it but woofh! that thar war a whack of the biggest kind I got. It has
made me powerful weak.'
'What might it have been naow!' inquired Hopkins.
'Can't sayfust thing I know'd, I didn't know nothin'remember suthin' took me back the
head, and the next thing I kerwholloped in the water.'
The three men had lost everything except what was on their bodies when the catastrophe
occurred. Their horses were gone, and they hadn't a gun between them; nothing but two
revolvers, and about a half dozen