“Well, down to the water they all came, and stood in about fifteen or twenty feet of me. ‘It is all over now,’ thought I; ‘if discovered, I am used up as fine as salt;—if I ain't, there is no bad taste in a rough 'simmon.’ Well, there they stood in a good humour, laughing and talking, about I hardly know what, for I could'nt catch many of their words. At last, I heard one of 'em say, in Shawanee, ‘where is the canoe? It must be close by. Step upon the log and find it.’
“‘Hold my gun,’ answered one of 'em, and passing it to one of his friends, he stepped upon the log and began to walk right to where I was. Now did'nt I squat low, and feel mean? But hush; he had'nt got far before another must jump on, to help him find the boat. This last one had only walked a few steps, when the log slipped, and splash it came right in the river with the two Ingens. They both held on, though they got a little wet, and the first thing I knowed the log was going out into the stream with all three of us on it. It was slanting at first, and slipping, got pushed off. Those on shore set up a loud laugh, and they would'nt hear any thing until it was too late to give any help. But for those on the log, it was no joke; for they were already out in the stream, and going down it, with a smart current. They now hallooed manfully for help, and those on shore, seeing how it was, told them to hold on, and that they would find the boat and take them off. Well, I have often told you I had seen hard times, now wa'nt here a predicament? On a log with two Ingens, and floating along at night down the Ohio. Well, sure enough, there I was, and what did I think of? why, of every thing in this world; it raily made me feel right knotty, and what to do, I did'nt know. We had now floated two or three hundred yards, and I was sitting as I told you before straddled on the small end, and jest as silent as a deer listening for the dogs, thinking how the affair would terminate, when one of the Ingens who was still standing upon the log, stepped off upon one of the limbs to make room for his companion. His stepping caused the log to creen me in the water, and forgetting where I was, and what I was about, I cried, ‘stop! stop! you'll turn me over.’ ‘Oh hell!’ said I to myself, ‘it is all over now—clean gone this time.’ How the Ingens looked, I don't know, for it was so dark I could'nt see their faces, but they must have been worse skeered than I was, for I knew who they were, and they did'nt know who or what I was. They kept muttering something very fast, and I thought they were going to quit the log and streak it, but arter a few minutes they became silent, and began peeping towards where I was, like a couple of turkies looking for worms. And then one said, ‘dont you see something?’ ‘Yes,’ answered the other, ‘dark lump; bear perhaps;’ and then the one who first spoke, cried out ‘who's there?’ I did'nt answer, but I growed small so fast, trying to squeeze myself out of sight, that my skin hung as loose as if it was a big jacket. They kept peeping at me, and I heard one say, ‘It is no bear. It is a man, look at his head.’ When I heard him say so, I was so mad I wished my head was under the log, but then I thought if it was, I would'nt be any better off than I was then, so I straightened up; I knowed they had seen me, and I thought twa'nt worth while to play 'possum any longer. Well, when I straightened up, he cried out agin, ‘who's there,’ ‘I am here,’ said I, speaking in his own language. The moment I spoke, he laughed, and said to the other, ‘he is a pale face.’”
“How could he tell that, Earth,” inquired another of the group, “you say that it was dark, and a fog was rising.”
“I've got you, Jim,” said Earth, then pausing he began to count on his fingers, saying, “that is four, no, three; now don't forget it, Jim.”
“Go on, go on, Earth,” cried half a dozen voices.
“Well, the reason he knowed me so quick, was that he seed I did'nt speak the real Ingen. Arter he had told the other that I was a pale face, he turned to me, and said, ‘what you doing there?’ ‘sitting down straddle on the small eend,’ said I. When I said this, they burst out into a laugh; I myself was in no laughing humour, and it did'nt sound to me like a laugh, but like a sort of a chuckle, and one said to the other ‘he is a pale face, a lean dog, sleeping on a log, we did catch him good,’ and saying this, they put their hands to their mouth, and gave the war whoop. I tell you what, it was an awful sound, and then they told their companions on shore that a pale face was on the log with them, to get the boat and come quick. Those on shore answered them, and ran laughing down the river looking for the boat, and keeping along with the log. I now found that I must go at the old work, and my bristles began to rise.
“‘Come here,’ said one of 'em, beckoning to me. ‘Come quick, before the others come; I want your hair.’”
“What did he mean by that?” said one, who with the most fixed attention had been standing by eagerly devouring all that Earth had been telling.
“Why, he wanted to scalp me, but recollect, if you please, I have your vote too,” said Earth, again pausing an instant, “That is five, no, four. Well, when he called me to him to let him have my hair, I could'nt stand it any longer, but throwing up my rifle, blazed away; he jumped up like a buck, and fell splash in the water. My rifle made a mighty pretty noise, and I heard the report rolling away for miles up and down the river. As soon as I fired the Ingens on the bank also screamed the war whoop, and the fellow on the log cried out to 'em to bring his gun. I jumped up and crawled at him, he gathered up an old limb and stood his ground. The first thing I knowed, he come down upon me all in a heap, breaking the old limb into a dozen pieces over my head and shoulders; it was a good thing for me, that the limb wa'nt sound. His blow staggered me, but I soon rose up, and seizing my rifle with both hands brought him a side wipe with the barrel. As I did, he slipped off the log in the water, I then hit him another lick, and stooping quickly down, seized him by the head, as he tried to crawl up upon the log. I was now upon the log, and he in the water, so I had him at a disadvantage.
“Well, I kept bobbing his head under;—when I first did it, the bubbles came up just like you were filling a bottle with water; you know, after a bottle is full, it won't bubble; well, I kept bobbing his head under until he would'nt bubble, so I concluded he was full of water, and then let him go; he went down to the bottom, and I never seed him any more.