How Kootenay Emerged from its Wild State. 247 



fellow's six-shooter went off, and but for F 's speedy assurance 

 that he was unhurt, the aggressor would not have had the chance of 

 getting off with a sound pummelling. 



It subsequently came out that this man's very foolish attempt 

 was the consequence of the belief that as I was known never to 

 carry a six-shooter in Western eyes a bit of unprecedented folly 

 I would, under no circumstances, use a firearm in self-defence.* 



Next morning a thoroughly paralysed town met the gaze of the 

 one or two passengers who arrived by the train at Sandpoint. 

 Among these was Messiter, who had heard from some trainhands 

 of the proposed little "fun" that was to have taken place during 

 the preceding night, and who now, relieved to find me safe and 

 sound, very good naturedly offered to stand by me in any further 

 trouble that might arise. I had, however, decided on my course, 

 which was to go on to Rathdrum for the purpose of swearing out a 

 warrant, and get Sprowle arrested. Bidding good-bye to Messiter 

 I stepped on board the Westbound train, and took my seat in one 

 of the smoking cars. It was a " light " train, and there were only 

 five or six men of the ordinary nondescript Western type 

 distributed in various parts of the car. The train, after its short 

 halt at Sandpoint, was already moving fairly fast towards the long 

 trestle bridge which spans an arm of Pen d'Oreille Lake near 

 Sandpoint, when, from the window out of which I was looking, I 

 saw Sprowle make a jump for the footboard, and get on the rear 

 part of the car I was in. This was an unexpected move on 

 Sprowle's part, and I began to wish I had not refused the proffered 

 six-shooter. I had but a brief moment to consider what had best 



* Out West I always went unarmed, except perhaps in countries where the 

 Indians could not be trusted. As a means of protection against white men the 

 pistol is ordinarily worse than useless, for the class of man who would use the 

 six-shooter against one is far too quick in the handling of the same to give one 

 the ghost of a chance. If you are shot, the fact that you have no gun on your 

 person makes matters decidedly more awkward for the murderer than if a pistol 

 is found even in the depth of your pocket, for in the latter case the usual plea of 

 self-defence is easily set up, and a sympathising jury, if indeed it comes to a 

 jury at all, is easily prevailed upon to return a verdict of justifiable homicide. 



