1 68 The Winning of the West 



but watching his chance, as the small Indian came 

 up, he kicked him so violently in the chest that he 

 knocked the tomahawk out of his hand and sent 

 him staggering into the water. Thereat the big 

 chief grunted out his contempt, and thundered at the 

 small Indian a few words that Andrew could not 

 understand. The small Indian again approached, 

 and, after making several feints, struck with the 

 tomahawk, but Andrew dodged and received the 

 blow on his wrist instead of his head ; and the wound 

 though deep was not disabling. By a sudden and 

 mighty effort he now shook himself free from the 

 giant, and snatching up a loaded rifle from the sand, 

 shot the small Indian as he rushed on him. But 

 at that moment the larger Indian, rising up, seized 

 him and hurled him to the ground. He was on his 

 feet in a second, and the two grappled furiously, 

 their knives being lost; Andrew's activity and skill 

 as a wrestler and boxer making amends for his lack 

 of strength. Locked in each other's arms they 

 rolled into the water. Here each tried to drown the 

 other, and Andrew catching the chief by the scalp 

 lock held his head under the water until his faint 

 struggles ceased. Thinking his foe dead, he loosed 

 his grip to try to get at his knife, but, as Andrew 

 afterward said, the Indian had only been "playing 

 possum," and in a second the struggle was renewed. 

 Both combatants rolled into deep water, when they 

 separated and struck out for the shore. The Indian 

 proved the better swimmer, and ran up to the rifle 

 that lay on the sand, whereupon Andrew turned to 



