tol. As he leveled
it to shoot him in the back of the head, I knocked him stiff, and
the gun dropped on the floor. It was cocked, but it did not go
off. They carried the man back to his room, put cold water on him,
and finally brought him to. He sent for me, and went I went back
he reached out his hand, and said: "Friend, you did me a kindly
act, for I had made up mind to kill that man. I am glad it happened
so, for it was all the money I had, and it was raised by my friends,
who, knowing that I never would reach home again, were sending me
to Florida, as all the doctors have given me up; and I thought I
would kill him, as I do not expect to get off this boat alive. I
have got consumption in its last stages." So I pulled out $1,000,
counted it out to him, and he cried like a child. His pistol I
gave to the mate, as I thought he had no need of such a weapon.

LEAP FOR LIFE.

Another time I was coming up on the steamer _Fairchild_ with Captain
Fawcett, of Louisville. When we landed at Napoleon there were
about twenty-five of the "Arkansas Killers" came on board, and I
just opened out and cleaned the party of money, watches, and all
their valuables. Things went along smoothly for a while, until
they commenced to drink pretty freely. Finally one of them said:
"Jake, Sam, Ike, get Bill, and let us kill that d----d gambler who
got our money." "All right," said the party, and they broke for
their rooms to get their guns. I stepped out of the side door,
and got under the pilot-house, as it was my favorite hiding place.
I could hear every word down stairs, and could whisper to the pilot.
Well, they hunted the boat from stem to stern--even took lights
and went down into the hold--and finally gave up the chase, as one
man said I had jumped overboard. I slipped the pilot $100 in gold,
as I had both pockets filled with gold and watches, and told him
at the first point that stood out a good ways to run her as close
as he could and I would jump. He whispered, "Get ready," and I
slipped out and walked back, and stood on the top of the wheel-
house until she came, as I thought, near enough to jump, and away
I went; but it was farther than I expected, so I went down about
thirty feet into the river and struck into the soft mud clear up
to my waist. Some parties who were standing on the stern of the
boat saw me and gave the alarm, when the "killers" all rushed back
and commenced firing at me, and the bullets went spl