loosened all my teeth. Something began to make
an awful bawling sound, an' it scared the life out of me until I see
the Chinese devil go up the stairs leaving a trail of flame behind him;
an' then I knew that one of our own Medicines had arrived.

This was some the worst roar I ever heard. It would start in with a lot
of foreign words an' end up with Rah! Rah Rah! The voice sounded
something like Chess; but when I called him he didn't answer, an' I
feared it was his spirit.

The' didn't seem to be any use in bumpin' my two heads together any
more, so purty soon I dropped 'em, an' straightened up. The' wasn't a
sound, an' it was enough sight scarier than the noise had been. I
looked around in the dark, an' the' was ghastly waverin' flames all
over an' I could see hideous faces grinnin' at me.

I scuttled out o' that cellar like a homin' rabbit, an' ran around to
the side door. Mrs. Cameron put her head out after a bit, an' when she
found out who I was, she let her lantern down to me on a string, an' I
screwed up my courage an' went back to the cellar. I listened a moment,
an' it was quiet as a grave--it was too much like a grave to suit me. I
needed the touch of an old friend, so I went back an' hunted up one of
my guns, loaded it, an' went down into that cellar--an' I never want my
nerves stretched no tighter than the' were right at that minute. I see
three Chinamen an' Ches stretched out in a heap, Ches still huggin' the
big one he had picked out first.

I carried the two of 'em upstairs still locked together, an' laid 'em
on the porch. As I did so, Ches opened his eyes an' smiled weakly, ail
sez to me most beseechful, "Gi' me the ball, gi' me the ball, an' let
Hodge an' Roger throw me over the line. It's no use tryin' to buck
through." The doggone loon still thought the was playin' football, I
don't reckon a railroad wreck would give one o' them football players a
single new sensation.

He jumps up after a minute, shakes himself, an' seems as good as new. I
was for lettin' the Chinks go, an' gettin' indoors; but not for him, so
we ties 'em; but I ain't a mite easy in my mind. I was still lookin'
for old Mister Devil-Dragon to come chargin' back with his Fourth o'
July face, an' put an' everlastin' crimp in us. His man had a cut in
the back of the head, while my two was merely softened up a little; an'
as soon as we got 'em in the kitchen an' threw some water in their
faces, they revived out of it an' began to ja