The Pilot Thought They Were
Funny, Too, For When He Passed He Grinned And Jerked His Head Back To
Call My Attention To Them.
He called to know what had happened to me,
and I told him that I was a derelict, and he would ascertain the cause
farther on.
After a while - it seemed hours to me - Faye and the wagons came up, and
in time we got out of the awful mess and on dry land. It was the
Fourth of July, and we all wished for a gun or something that would
make a loud noise wherewith we could celebrate - not so much the day as
our rejoicing at getting out of the wilderness. The men were in a
deplorable condition, wet and tired, for no one had been able to sleep
the night before because of the vicious mosquitoes and the stamping of
the poor animals. So, when Faye saw one of the drivers go to a spring
for water, and was told that it was a large, fine spring, he decided
to camp right there and rest before going farther.
But rest we could not, for the mosquitoes were there also, and almost
as bad as they had been on the island, and the tents inside were
covered with them as soon as they were pitched. If there is a person
who thinks that a mosquito has no brain, and is incapable of looking
ahead, that person will soon learn his mistake if ever he comes to the
Missouri River, Montana! The heat was fierce, too, and made it
impossible for us to remain in the tents, so we were obliged, after
all, to sit out under the trees until the air had cooled at night
sufficiently to chill the mosquitoes.
The chickens were let out at every camp, and each time, without fail,
they flew up to their boxes on the wagons. Charlie would put in little
temporary roosts, that made them more comfortable, and before daylight
every morning he would gather up the little ones and the mothers and
put them in the crates for the day. He is willing and faithful, but
has queer ideas about some things. Just as I was getting in the
ambulance the second morning on the trip, I heard a crunching sound
and then another, and looking back, I saw the Chinaman on top of the
mess chest with head bent over and elbows sticking out, jumping up and
down with all his strength.
I ran over and told him not to do so, for I saw at once what was the
matter. But he said, "He velly blig - he no go downee - me flixee him,"
and up and down he went again, harder than ever. After a lengthy
argument he got down, and I showed him once more how to put the things
in so the top would shut tight. There were a good many pieces of
broken china, and these Charlie pitched over in the water with a grin
that plainly said, "You see - me flixee you!" Of course the soldiers
saw it all and laughed heartily, which made Charlie very angry, and
gave him a fine opportunity to express himself in Chinese.
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