"I dink I kin wades across dat," he mused, as he surveyed the calmly flowing stream, "and den I gits on de oder side, and den I dinks I ought to be on dis side, so I won't stay here nor goes to de oder side."
This perhaps was a sage conclusion, but rather difficult of fulfillment. Very naturally he felt safer upon the other bank of the creek, further away from the plotting Indians: but he was well aware that the stream was quite deep in some places.
He stood undecided some minutes, and then the point was settled by hearing the report of a gun at no great distance behind him.
"Doonder!" he exclaimed with a start, "mebbe dey shoots dat at me! I dink I leaf!"
Anxious as he was to advance, and warm as was the summer night, he preferred to reach the other shore in dry clothes; so he sat down upon the bank and carefully removed his shoes and pants, and tying them into a bundle, slung them over the barrel of his rifle, which rested over his shoulder, and then ventured into the stream.
"Dish ish nice," he murmured, as the cool water crept up about his bulky calves, "dish ain't deep."
Step by step he felt his way along, until he had reached the center of the stream, where the water was not more than eighteen inches.
"Dish ish bettrish goot," he continued, "dish ish de way to cross de brooks. I dinks dat I alway does—"
Despite his care, at this juncture he went into a hole, up to his neck. As he sunk down, he gasped:
"Oo—oo!"