Part 47 (1/2)

Five strange men were now in the cabin, which was cloudy with tobacco smoke The carousal had increased rather than otherwise Thein wild derision They were not interested inpretence that the unconsciousness was still upon h nised the leader of the crowd as a black-haired, beady-eyed, surly dog of a logger who had co up of their supplies,--but of his identity I was not quite certain

As ainst hope that thesebout until not one of the and drank deeply, they were too wise by far to overdo it

Then I got to wondering what they were badgering old Jake about, for I could hear hi fallen to the floor

”Go to hell and take the trunk, the booze and the whole caboose with you, if you want to I don't want none of it I ain't hoggin' booze any , black-haired individual, ”he ain't boozin'! The old swiller ain't boozin' and hi o'

whisky under his nose

”Ain't boozin' with coinks like us,--that's what he means

”Come on! We'll show hiot a cupful of the raw spirits and stuck it to Jake's mouth But Jake shook his head

”Coullet”

Still Jake refused

Then ain The veins stood out on e

The foul-mouthed creature hit my old helper full across the an to flon over Jake's chin

I struggled silently with my ropes, but they were taut and merely cut into my flesh But I made the discovery then, that my captors had failed to take into account that the bed to which they had tied me had been put up by Jake and, at that, not any too securely

I felt that if I threw all ht be able to pull the whole thing out bodily But I knew that this was not the moment for such an attempt

They were five men to one; they had sticks and clubs, maybe revolvers, so what chance would I have?

I decided to bear with the goading of Jake as long as it were possible

”Guess you'll drink it now,--you old, white-livered miser,” cried the dark man

He dashed soasped The big bully then threw the remainder of the spirits, with a splash, sheer into Jake's mouth

”He boozed that tihed uproariously The others joined in the hilarity

The Jake I looked upon after that was not the Jake I had known for the past fewin front of hirily:

”Say, fellows! Give us soht he would come to it,” shouted the black-haired ht Fetch a cup o'

rye for Jake”

One of the others brought it, and it was held to the old le gulp