"I hope, gentlemen, no man here will presume to think I'm exaggerating?"

"O, certainly not! Go on, Mr. ----," we all chimed in.

"Well, the ground under my feet was soft, and being relieved of my heavy
boots, I put off with double quick time, and seeing the creek about half
a mile off, I ventured to look over my shoulder to see what kind of a
chance there was to hold up and load. The red skin was coming jogging
along pretty well blowed out, about five hundred yards in the rear.
Thinks I, here goes to load any how. So at it I went--in went the
powder, and putting on my patch, down went the ball about half-way, and
off snapped my ramrod!"

"Thunder and lightning!" shouted the old woodsman, who was worked up to
the top-notch in the "member's" story.

"Good gracious! wasn't I in a pickle! There was the red whelp within two
hundred yards of me, pacing along and _loading up his rifle as he came!_
I jerked out the broken ramrod, dashed it away and started on, priming
up as I cantered off, determined to turn and give the red skin a blast
any how, as soon as I reached the creek.

"I was now within a hundred yards of the creek, could see the smoke from
the settlement chimneys; a few more jumps and I was by the creek. The
Indian was close upon me--he gave a whoop, and I raised my rifle; on he
came, knowing that I had broken my ramrod and my load not down; another
whoop! whoop! and he was within fifty yards of me! I pulled trigger,
and--"

"And killed _him_?" chuckled Riley.

"No, _sir!_ I missed fire!"

"And the red skin--" shouted the old woodsman in a phrenzy of
excitement--

"_Fired and killed me!_"

The screams and shouts that followed this finale brought landlord Noble,
servants and hostlers, running up stairs to see if the house was on
fire!

Dodging the Responsibility.

"Sir!" said Fieryfaces, the lawyer, to an _unwilling witness_, "Sir! do
you say, upon your oath, that Blinkins is a dishonest _man_?"

"I didn't say he was ever accused of being an honest man, did I?"
replied Pipkins.

"Does the court understand you to say, Mr. Pipkins, that the plaintiff's
reputation is bad?" inquired the judge, merely putting the question to
keep his eyes open.

"I didn't say it was good, I reckon."

"Sir!" said Fieryfaces, "Sir-r! upon your oath--mind, upon your oath,
upon your oath, you say that Blinkins is a rogue, a villain and a
thief!"

"_You_ say so," was Pip's reply.

"Haven't _you_ said so?"