So pretty soon we came to a place where there wasn't any snow and where there were no ridges—nothing but clear ice with water on it, and the wind making little ripples. Bony cried, and I said, “Aw! let's go back, Swatty!” because you couldn't tell whether it was ice under that water or air hole. Swatty looked all around, but he couldn't see any way to get to Illinois but to cross right over. Neither could any of us. So Swatty said:
“All right for you! You and Bony can let his father kill himself if you want to; but I won't, and when I get back I'll lick you both.”
Well, we didn't care if he did lick us. We'd rather be licked than be drowned. So Swatty said:
“Aw! Come on! I wouldn't have come if I thought you were a couple of cry-baby cowardy-calves. I'll dare you to come!”
But we didn't. So Swatty said:
“I double tribble dare you, and whoever don't take the dare is a sooner!”
Well, a sooner was the worst thing anybody could call you; even Bony would fight if you called him a sooner, but we didn't care what he called us; but just then we heard a gun go off over in the woods, and before either of us could stop him Bony started. He ran right out on the wet ice, crying and blubbering, and he fell down in the water and got up again and ran on. Every little while he would fall down, but he would get right up and run again. The water was almost up to his knees, but he didn't care. I guess he kind of liked his father and wanted to get to him.
Swatty shouted and told him to stop and come back, or anyway to wait for us, but Bony ran right on. Swatty shouted:
“Hey, Bony! come back, I was only fooling! Your father ain't going to kill himself.”
Because Swatty knew Bony's father wasn't going to kill himself, but he was afraid Bony would be drowned. He just wanted us to cross the river because nobody had ever crossed it when the ice was so rotten and we would be the first that ever did it, and he knew we wouldn't do it unless we thought we were going to save Bony's father, or something. So all we could do was to go after Bony, and we did. We waded through the water after Bony, and I was glad Bony had gone first because we were sure there was no air hole where Bony had been ahead of us.