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diff --git a/44032.txt b/44032.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6e8cf51..0000000 --- a/44032.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5437 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Thirty Years on the Frontier, by Robert McReynolds - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Thirty Years on the Frontier - -Author: Robert McReynolds - -Release Date: October 25, 2013 [EBook #44032] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THIRTY YEARS ON THE FRONTIER *** - - - - -Produced by Fred Salzer, Greg Bergquist and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -[Illustration: They Crossed the Gila at Flood Tide (page 188).] - - - - - _Thirty Years on - The Frontier_ - - ....BY.... - ROBERT McREYNOLDS, - - AUTHOR OF - - "_Rodney Wilkes_," "_The Luxury of Poverty_," "_A - Modern Jean Valjean_," "_Facts and Fancies_." - - [Illustration] - - EL PASO PUBLISHING CO. - COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - 1906 - - - _Copyright by_ - ROBERT MCREYNOLDS. - 1906. - - - - - TO - LOUIS TALIAFERRO, - _Colorado Springs, - Colorado_. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER. PAGE. - - I. In Days of Innocence 1 - - II. Out for a Fortune 9 - - III. Black Hills Days 16 - - IV. The Custer Massacre 21 - - V. The Shadow Scout 31 - - VI. Indian Fight in Colorado 39 - - VII. A Cow Boy Duel 47 - - VIII. Pleasant Halfacre's Revenge 53 - - IX. Capturing Wild Horses 63 - - X. An Expedition That Failed 72 - - XI. Across the Palm Desert 79 - - XII. The Last Stand of a Dying Race 87 - - XIII. The Tragedy of the Lost Mine 98 - - XIV. The Land of the Fair God 107 - - XV. Outlawry in Oklahoma 115 - - XVI. A New Land of Canaan 125 - - XVII. Told Around the Camp Fire 134 - - XVIII. The Lone Grave on the Mesa 141 - - XIX. Under the Black Flag 148 - - XX. In Cuban Jungles 156 - - XXI. Emulous of Washington 164 - - XXII. On the Round Up 169 - - XXIII. The Egypt of America 179 - - XXIV. In the Dome of the Sky 190 - - XXV. Where Nature is at her Best 197 - - XXVI. When the West was New 207 - - - - -Thirty Years on the Frontier - - - - -I. - -IN DAYS OF INNOCENCE. - - -In the following pages I shall tell of much personal experience as well -as important incidents which have come under my observation during -thirty years on the frontier. As a cowboy, miner and pioneer, I have -participated in many exciting events, none of which, however, caused me -the prolonged grief that a certain bombshell affair did when I was a -boy, resulting in a newspaper experience and habit of telling things, -and eventually led to my coming West. - -My grandfather's plantation in Kentucky and nearly opposite the town of -Newburgh, on the Indiana side, was as much my home as was my mother's. -She being a widow and having my brother and sister to care for, as well -as myself, felt a relief from the responsibility of looking after me -when I was at my grandfather's home. - -The plantation faced the Ohio River, the wooded part of which had been a -camping ground for rebel soldiers, until they were driven out by the -shells of a Yankee gunboat. While hunting pecans in these woods one day, -I stumbled on to an unexploded bombshell, and, boylike, I wanted to see -the thing go off. However, I was afraid to touch it until I had -counseled with the Woods boys, whose father was a renter of a small -tract of ground below the plantation. That night the three of us met and -decided to explode the shell the following Sunday morning, after the -folks had gone to church. I feigned a headache when grandmother wanted -to take me in the carriage with them to church, but when I was satisfied -they were well down the road, I hurried to the strip of forest a mile -away, where the Woods boys were waiting. They had come in a rickety old -buggy drawn by a white mule. It was in autumn and as the leaves were dry -on the ground, we were afraid to kindle a fire, and decided to take the -shell near the tobacco barn, around which we could hide and watch it go -off. Neither of the boys would handle it, so I lifted it into the buggy; -then they were afraid to ride with it, and it was left to me to lead the -mule to the tobacco barn. I hitched the animal to a sapling near the -barn, while the other boys gathered up some kindling, and we made a pile -of old fence posts, and when I had laid the shell upon the log heap, we -lit the kindling with a match and all ran behind the barn, forgetting -all about the mule. The wood was dry and was soon all aflame. Every -little while one of us would peek around the corner to see if the thing -was not about ready to explode. We were getting impatient, when the mule -gave a great "hee haw" that called our attention to his peril. It was -his last "hee haw," for in a second more the bomb exploded with a -deafening noise, and fragments of the shell screamed like a panther in -the air. We ran around to see the result of the explosion, and behold! -it had spread that mule all over the side of the barn. - -The things my grandfather said and did to me when he returned from -church does not concern the public. But when he had finished, I was -fully convinced that I was all to blame, and that I owed Mr. Woods $150 -for his demolished mule. - -Then followed long lectures from my mother and grandmother, and to add -to my discomfiture was Mr. Woods' lamentations and his expressed regrets -that it was not me, instead of his mule, that was blown up. - -I was the owner of an old musket with which I spent most of my time -hunting rabbits, using small slugs of lead for shot, which I chopped up -with a hatchet. Two weeks before the bombshell episode, I had found a -musket-ball, and I concluded to try a man's load in the gun on my next -rabbit; I poured in a full charge of powder, but when I came to ram the -ball home, it would go only half way down the barrel. I was afraid to -shoot then, lest the gun might burst, and as I could neither get the -ball out or farther down, I laid the barrel between two logs, tied a -string to the trigger, and got behind a stump and pulled it off. - -A few minutes later while I was examining my gun, grandfather came -running out of the potato patch to find who was shooting at him. -However, he was so thankful that matters were not worse, that I got off -with a slight reprimand. - -But this Sunday capped the climax. A council of my kinfolks was held -that night, and decided that neither man nor beast was safe on that -plantation if I remained. Their final verdict was that I should be sent -to my mother's home in Newburgh, and there to learn the printer's trade, -attend Frederick Dickerman's night school, be made to pay for the mule, -and my musket confiscated. I was paid $3 a week as printer's devil to -start with, one dollar of which I might spend for my clothes, fifty -cents for tuition in the night school, one dollar and twenty-five cents -for the mule debt, and the other twenty-five cents I might spend. - -Grandfather was very careful to see that I saved the mule money, and I -used to think he took a special delight in collecting it from mother, to -whom I paid it every week. - -It took me nearly three years in that printing office to get out of -debt. I was now eighteen years of age. - -Life in the printing office was too monotonous; I wanted a more exciting -scene of action. I used to watch the great river steamers come and go, -and wondered if I could hold any kind of a position on one of them, -except carrying freight, when by accident one day there came an -opportunity. The steamer "Dick Johnson" was lying at the wharf loading -hogsheads of tobacco, when the freight clerk was injured by a fall of -the stage plank. The captain wanted someone to take his place, and my -schoolmaster recommended me. Here was a chance to put in practice the -bookkeeping I had studied under him. It was what I wanted--I could now -get a glimpse of the outside world. - -The position on the "Dick Johnson" was a stepping-stone, for in another -year I was the mate of the steamer "Rapidan," plying between Florence, -Alabama, and Evansville, Indiana, and had thirty negroes under my -control. - -It was historic country through which we passed. The trees on the -islands near Pittsburgh Landing yet showed signs of shot and shell fired -by federal gunboats. Ofttimes some passenger who had been a participant -on one side or the other at Shiloh, would entertain his listeners for -hours with stories of the fight, until some of us younger officers -became imbued with the war spirit. - -The autumn of 1875 had come when yellow fever broke out aboard our boat, -and we lay in quarantine two miles below Savannah, Tennessee, for a -month. I stayed with the boat until we were released, and then went to -my home in Newburgh, ill with malarial fever. - -Stories of rich gold finds in the Northwest had been circulated through -the newspapers, and one day I resolved to try my luck. The things we -believe we are doing for the last time, always cause a pang of sorrow, -and as I packed my valise on Sunday afternoon to leave forever the home -of childhood, my feelings can be better imagined than described. My -grandparents came over from their Kentucky home to bid me good-bye. When -I was ready to start, grandfather took from his pocket a roll of bills, -and placing them in my hands, said: "Here, Mackey, is your mule money, -and I have added interest enough to make the sum total $500. I paid Mr. -Woods for his mule, but I wanted to teach you a lesson. Profit by it, -and make good use of the money, and say, Mackey, whatever you do in -life, never insult a blind man, never strike a cripple and never marry a -fool." - -It was the last time I ever saw the noble old guardian of my youth. The -first two of his parting injunctions I have religiously obeyed. - - - - -II. - -OUT FOR A FORTUNE. - - -My first view of the Nebraska plains was the next morning after leaving -Omaha, and I thought I never saw anything half so grand. The February -sun threw its beams aslant the mighty sea of plain over which so many -white covered wagons had toiled on their way to the then wild regions of -the West. - -Small herds of buffalo and antelope were frequently seen from the car -windows; the passengers fired at them and often wounded an antelope, -which limped away in a vain attempt to join its mates. That night we -witnessed the mighty spectacle of the plains on fire. The huge, billowy -waves of flame leaped high against a darkened sky, and swept with hiss -and roar along the banks of the shallow Platte. The emigrant train upon -which I was aboard was crowded with people of all sorts. Many of them -were homeseekers on their way to Oregon and California, while not a few -adventurers like myself were bound for the Black Hills. A young man who -went under the name of Soapy Wyatte, was working the train on a -three-card monte game, and was very successful until he cheated a couple -of ranchmen out of quite a sum of money. Then they organized the other -losers, and were in the act of hanging him with the bell rope when he -disgorged his ill-gotten gains and paid back the money. Men of his class -were plentiful, but as a rule they were careful not to cheat the -frontiersman, for when they did they usually got the worst of it. - -Cheyenne at that time was a typical frontier town. Gambling houses, -saloons and dance halls were open continuously, night and day. Unlucky -indeed was the tenderfoot who fell into their snare. I soon secured -transportation with a mule-train for Deadwood. There were thirty-three -of us in the party. The wagons were heavily loaded with freight and the -trail was in frightful condition; we ofttimes were compelled to walk. - -I had bought a heavy pair of boots for the trip, but the sticky alkali -mud made them so heavy that I soon cut off the tops. The next thing, I -put my Winchester rifle and revolver in the wagon and then trudged along -the best I could. The Sioux Indians were on the warpath and it was -dangerous to get far away from the wagon train. Almost every freighter -we met warned us against Red Canon. The stage drivers reported "hold -ups" and murders by organized bands of road agents. This kept us on the -alert. At night there was a detail of eight, to divide up the night in -standing guard. These men were selected from the most experienced -plainsmen, of whom there were quite a number with us. - -We were eight days out from Cheyenne, and several inches of snow had -fallen during the night, but the sun rose clear on the biting cold of -the morning. Suddenly we heard shots ahead. "Indians! Indians!" shouted -one driver to another and then the wagons were quickly formed in a -circle, the mules being unhitched and brought to the center of the -circle. - -Then for the first time I saw the hideous forms of a band of half-naked -savages mounted on their ponies in the distance. They were galloping in -a circle around us, yelling their war cry, "Hi-yi, Hip-yi, yi." They -fell from their horses before the deadly aim of our men; their bullets -came like the angry hum of hornets about our heads. Their numbers -increased from over the foothills, whence they first came. There was a -look of desperation upon the faces of our men, such as pen can not -describe. James Morgan, who was standing near me in the act of reloading -his Winchester, suddenly fell nerveless to the ground. Our captain's -voice rang out now and then, "Be careful there, boys; take good aim -before you fire." Two Indians circled nearer than the others. They were -lying on their horses' necks and firing at us while they were at full -gallop. I took aim at one and fired; others must have done so at the -same time, for both of them fell from their horses. The fight lasted -perhaps an hour, when the Indians withdrew to the hills. One of our men -lay dead and two were wounded. I went to where the two Indians had -fallen. There lay their forms, cold and stiff in death. The sunbeams -were slanting over those snow covered hills. I felt an unaccountable -terror as I looked upon them and the crimson snow which their life blood -had stained. The raw north wind seemed to pierce my very heart. Night -was coming on, and with it all the horrors of uncertainty. I lingered -about the spot for some time, with a dreadful fascination mingled with -terror. Human life had perished there; human souls had gone into the -uncertainty of an unknown beyond. With my brain reeling with excitement -of the day and sickened in heart, I returned to our wagons, where some -of us walked outside the circle throughout the long watches of that -wintry night. - -When the morning sun rose clear above the snow-covered hills, we wrapped -the body of the dead teamster in his blankets, and again took up the -toilsome drive. The Indians had retired from the fight, probably for the -reason that they saw another outfit of wagons coming far down on the -plain. The wagons overtook us about 9 o'clock, and after that we had no -more trouble with Indians. - -Deadwood, at that time, was like all the frontier mining towns. Saloons, -gambling houses and dance halls comprised the business of the place. -The gulch was dotted with miners' cabins and dug-outs. There were a few -stores, restaurants, and a bank, but as yet the town had not started a -"regular" graveyard. The news of our fight soon spread up and down the -gulch and many were the willing hands that offered their services in the -burial of James Morgan, our teamster. They dug his grave on the -hillside, where afterwards more than five thousand men were buried. They -either fell from the deadly pneumonia, or from the bullets of each other -in quarrels. When Morgan's grave was ready to be filled, some one -suggested that a chapter from the Bible should be read, but none of us -knew where to ask for one, in all Deadwood. Presently a boy said, "I -will find one," and he soon returned with a young lady, who proved to be -his sister. He handed the book to our bronzed captain of the mule train; -he shook his head. Then someone asked her to read it. When she began, -those grim frontiersmen bared their heads, and I fancied I saw the tears -gather on more than one bronzed cheek as she knelt upon the frozen clay -and offered up a prayer for the dead teamster's soul. - -The adventurous spirits from far and wide were flocking to this new -Eldorado. Wild Bill, the famous scout, Captain Jack Crawford, Texas -Jack, and other equally noted scouts and Indian fighters, were there. -They sought gold and adventure alike, only for the pleasure it would -bring. - - - - -III. - -BLACK HILLS DAYS. - - -I knew Doc Kinnie was not a civil engineer, but he had a plan which -looked good, and as I was almost broke, I consented to help him work it. -There was a horseshoe bend in the creek which might be drained for -placer mining by tunneling through in a narrow place. I talked up the -project with some of the boys, and they agreed to dig the tunnel while -Doc did the civil engineering. Day after day they dug and blasted rock, -while Doc stood around looking wise and encouraging the work. In about a -month they were practically through to the other side of the creek. Then -they began to call for Doc's measurements and calculations. "Never mind, -you are not through yet," he would say, "I will let you know when to -stop digging." - -"But we can hear the water rushing," they would say. - -[Illustration: General George A. Custer (page 21).] - -"You fellows can't tell anything about it. Sounds of rushing water are -always carried a long distance by rocks." - -"But we are not in the rocks now, we are in a clay bank." - -"Clay does the same thing; keep on digging." - -Two days later and there was a commotion at the lower end of the tunnel, -when a full head of water came rushing out, bearing with it men, -wheelbarrows and shovels. They were nearly drowned, and half frozen, -when they scrambled out of the creek. Mad as hornets, they sought their -civil engineer, but he was nowhere to be found. The work was done. -The prospects were good. When their clothes were dried and they had -eaten dinner, they laughed over the incident and pardoned Doc's -miscalculation. With pan and rocker, we now began to work the dry -horseshoe bend. Nuggets weighing an ounce, and from that on down to the -size of a pin head, were found. The fellows were honest, and made an -even divide all around at the cleanup each night. In two months we had -taken out over $6,000, and then sold the claim to a placer mining -company for $18,000 in cash--$3,000 apiece for the six of us. In two -months we were all broke; the money had gone into wildcat speculation in -mines. But who cared? Were the hills not full of gold, and all to be had -for the digging? - -I joined a party who went thirty miles to the northwest in search of new -diggings, and the most that came of it was a laughable incident. - -The great hills rose on every side, frowning darkly in the dense forest -of pine. Our voices echoed from rock to rock, as we sat one noon-day -about our campfire, talking of possible finds, when, bareheaded, with -hair disheveled, blood flowing from a wound in his face, and a wildcat -held to his chest in close embrace, Mark Witherspoon rushed into camp, -yelling at the top of his voice. He was prospecting in a ravine a mile -distant, when he saw something waving in the underbrush. Thinking it was -mountain grouse, he advanced in hope of getting a shot, when a huge -wildcat sprang at his throat. - -As the forepaws of the animal struck his chest, he let fall his gun, and -hugged the beast with all his strength to his chest with both arms. The -head of the wildcat was drawn slightly backward by the tense pressure -of his arms upon its back, while the claws were rendered practically -powerless by the close embrace. So quick had been Witherspoon's action -at the start, that he received only a slight wound on the face. In this -predicament, he started on a run for the camp. He did not dare to let go -and the wildcat wouldn't, so both held fast. The cat glared up fiercely -at him with its yellow eyes, while its hot breath came into his face at -every leap. Whenever the vicious beast made the slightest struggle, -Witherspoon hugged the tighter, fearing at every step he might stumble -and the deadly teeth be fixed in his throat. - -In this manner he reached camp, and it was some seconds before he could -make us understand that the cat was terribly alive, and that he was not -holding it because he wanted to, or racing for the sake of the exercise. -Finally one of the men despatched the animal with his revolver, and, to -Witherspoon's inexpressible relief, the dead beast dropped from his -arms. Before the boys got through telling the story afterwards, they -made it out that Witherspoon had run nine miles with the wildcat. - -Soon after our return to Deadwood, a man in an almost fainting condition -came into town and announced that his companion had either been killed -or captured by the Indians. A party was organized and was led by Wild -Bill. It was not long before we came upon a scene that told what the -poor fellow's fate had been, much plainer than words are able to -portray. We found his blackened trunk fastened to a tree with rawhide -thongs, while all around were evidences of the great torture which had -been inflicted ere the fagots had been lighted. - -When brought face to face with this, I stowed two cartridges safely away -in my vest pocket, resolved to suicide rather than to fall into the -hands of such miscreants. Then came the news of the Custer massacre. For -many days afterward we patrolled the mountain tops, and kept bivouac -fires lighted by night, as signals. - - - - -IV. - -THE CUSTER MASSACRE. - - -The arrival at Fort Lincoln, on the Missouri River, of a party of -Indians in 1874, who offered gold dust for sale, was the beginning of -the cause that led to the great Sioux war in 1876, in which General -Custer and his devoted soldiers were massacred on the Little Big Horn -River on the 25th day of June of that year. - -The gold which the Indians brought to Fort Lincoln, they said came from -the Black Hills, where the gulches abounded with the yellow dust. The -consequent rush of white men into that region was, in fact, a violation -of the treaty of 1867, when Congress sent out four civilians and three -army officers as peace commissioners, who gave to the old Dakota tribes, -as the Sioux were then called, the vast area of land bounded on the -south by Nebraska, on the east by the Missouri River, on the west by -the 104th Meridian, and on the north by the 46th Parallel. They had the -absolute pledge of the United States that they should be protected in -the peaceable possession of the country set aside for them. This -territory was as large as the state of Michigan, and of its interior -little or nothing was known except to a few hardy traders and trappers -prior to 1874. - -With the advent of the gold seekers in 1875 the Indians saw that the -greedy encroachments of the white man were but faintly resisted by the -United States government, and that sooner or later it meant the total -occupation of their country, and their own annihilation, and so with the -traditional wrongs of their forefathers ever in mind, they determined to -make a stand for their rights. - -The scene of General Terry's campaign against these Indians lay between -the Big Horn and Powder Rivers, and extended from the Big Horn Mountains -northerly to beyond the Yellowstone River. A region barren and desolate, -volcanic, broken and ofttimes almost impassable, jagged and precipitous -cliffs, narrow and deep arroyas filled with massive boulders, alkali -water for miles, vegetation of cactus and sagebrush--all these represent -feebly the country where Custer was to contend against the most -powerful, warlike and best armed body of savages on the American -continent. - -An army in this trackless waste was at that time at the mercy of guides -and scouts. The sun rose in the east and shone all day upon a vast -expanse of sagebrush and grass and as it set in the west cast its dull -rays into a thousand ravines that neither man nor beast could cross; -to go north or south could only be decided by personal effort. An -insignificant turn to the wrong side of a little knoll or buffalo wallow -would ofttimes lead the scout into ravine after ravine, or over bluff -after bluff, until at last he would stand on the edge of a yawning -canon, hundreds of feet in depth and with perpendicular walls. Nothing -was left for him to do but to retrace his steps and find an accessible -route. - -Custer had been ordered by General Terry to proceed with his command, -numbering 28 officers and 747 soldiers, up the Rosebud River, and if the -trail of the Indians was not found at a given point, to then follow the -course of the Little Big Horn. These instructions were followed, and on -the 24th of June he turned westerly toward the Little Big Horn, where a -large Indian village was discovered some fifteen miles distant. The -trail they were on led down the stream at a point south of the villages. -Major Reno with three companies was ordered to follow the trail, cross -the stream and charge down its north bank, while Captain F. W. Benteen -was sent with three companies to make a detour south of Reno. - -The point where the little armies separated, many of their men never to -meet again, the river wound its silvery course for miles in the narrow -valley as far as the eye could reach; its banks were fringed with the -elm and cottonwood, whose foliage hid from view a thousand Indian tepees -beyond the river. Sharp eyes had noted the advancing columns, and quick -brains had already begun to plan their destruction. - -That night the three divisions made a silent bivouac beneath the stars -which must have looked down like pitying eyes. - -In the grey light of the morning, and with noiseless call to boots and -saddles, they were stealing on toward the foe. - -Reno proceeded to the river and crossed it, charged down its west banks -and met with little resistance at first. Soon, however, he was attacked -by such numbers that he was obliged to dismount his men, shelter his -horses in a strip of woods and fight on foot. Finally, finding he would -soon be surrounded, he again mounted his men, charged the enemy and -recrossing the river, took a naturally fortified position on the top of -a bluff. - -Benteen, returning from his detour, discovered his position and drove -away the Indians and joined him. Soon the mule train was also within his -lines, making seven companies under his command. - -Reno engaged the Indians soon after noon on the 25th and did some hard -fighting until the evening of the 26th, when the enemy withdrew. After -congratulations with their reinforcements the question uppermost in -every mind was: "Where is Custer?" - -They had heard heavy firing on the afternoon of the 25th and saw the -black cloud of smoke settle like a pall over the valley, but Reno had -his wounded to care for, and to have gone to the relief of Custer would -have left them to be butchered. Neither could he divide his command, for -such a course would have been suicidal. - -Meanwhile the supply steamer, Far West, with General Terry on board, -steamed up the Yellowstone on June 23rd and overtook Gibbon's troops -near the mouth of the Big Horn on the morning of the 24th. At 5 o'clock -on the morning of the 25th, Gibbon's column was marching over a country -so rugged as to tax the endurance of the men to the utmost, and the -infantry halted for the night, meantime General Terry pushed ahead with -the cavalry and a light mountain battery. On the morning of the 26th, -some Crow Indians reported to General Terry that a great fight had been -going on the day before, and later scouts reported that a dense, heavy -smoke was resting over the southern horizon far ahead, and in a short -time it became visible to all. - -So broken was the country and progress became so difficult that it was -not until the morning of the 27th that Terry's relief column found the -trail of Custer. - -They had passed cautiously through a dense grove of trees and the head -of the column entered upon a beautiful level meadow about a mile in -width extending along the west side of the stream and skirted east and -west by high bluffs. It was apparent at sight that this meadow had been -the site of an immense Indian village and showed signs of hasty -abandonment. Hundreds of lodge poles with finely dressed buffalo robes, -dried meats, utensils and Indian trinkets were left behind. In a large -tepee still standing were the stiffened forms of ten dead Indians. Every -step of the march from here on showed signs of a desperate struggle. The -dead bodies of Indian horses were seen; here and there were cavalry -equipments, and soon the bodies of dead troopers, beside their frantic -and still struggling, wounded horses gave evidence of a disastrous -battle, and farther on was revealed a scene calculated to appall the -stoutest heart. Here was a skirmish line marked by rows of slain with -heaps of empty cartridge shells before them, and their officers lay dead -just behind them. Still farther on men lay in winrows, their faces still -drawn with the awful desperation of a struggle unto death; pulseless -hands still clasped blood-stained sabres. Near the highest point of the -hill lay the body of General Custer. There was a cordon of his brave -defenders dead about him; his long hair was clotted with blood, while a -great wound in his breast told how the brave soul had gone somewhere out -into the wide waste and hush of eternity. Near him lay the body of his -brother, Captain Custer, and some distance away another brother, Boston -Custer, and his nephew, Armstrong Reed, a youth of 19. All were scalped -except General Custer and Mark Kellogg, a correspondent of the New York -Herald. - -When the fight was at the hardest a Crow Indian with Custer wrapped -himself in a dead Sioux Indian's blanket and made his escape; as he left -the field he saw the squaws and Indian children rifling the dead of -their trinkets and going about with their stone battle axes beating out -the brains of the wounded; they danced about over the dead and dying, -mutilating their bodies and singing the wild, weird strains of their -battle songs. - -When the welcome news of relief came to Reno's besieged command, strong -men wept like children. - -Among the first of his men to search among the fallen for a dead friend -was one Charles Wilson, a blue-eyed, beardless trooper, a mere boy whose -heart seemed to fairly break as he contemplated what must have been the -awful death of his comrades. The man he was seeking was Jim Bristow, a -tall, dark private whose last words to the young trooper were: - -"Charley, my hour has come. We shall ride into this fight and you will -come back alone. I want you to promise to take a little trouble for me -when I am gone. You will find her face here in this locket upon my -breast. I had thought to some day make her my wife, and that thought has -gladdened my lonely life. Write to her, Charley, and tell her where is -my resting place and that my spirit will wait for hers in that -borderland twixt heaven and earth." - -The boy answered, and his voice was low with pain. Just then the bugle -sounded, and for an instant eye met eye and hand touched hand, and Jim -Bristow rode away with Custer's column. This was the man young Wilson -was searching for. The dead were so frightfully mutilated, their bodies -bloated, blackened and swollen by the hot rays of the sun that they were -buried as speedily as possible, on June 28th. Major Reno and the -survivors of his regiment performed the last sad rites over their -comrades and then a general retreat to the mouth of the Big Horn River -was ordered. - - - - -V. - -THE SHADOW SCOUT. - - -The bugle notes had died away, the cloud of battle smoke lifted from the -valley and peaceful starlight shone over the rugged hills when a shadow -crept out of a deep ravine and skulked into the valley of death and -began dealing out retribution. Chief Dull Knife had much to say about it -when he surrendered. He spoke in whispers when he referred to it, and he -looked suddenly around, as if he feared it was softly stealing upon him -to stab him in the back. Chief Gall's braves had something to say about -it when they surrendered, and when white men asked them who or what the -shadow was, they shook their heads and whispered: - -"We kill 'em all, but yet there is one left. It is a white man; there is -blood on his face and clothing; he carries a sabre and two revolvers, -and the night wind blows his long black hair over his shoulders. It is a -spirit sent by the Great Manitou to watch over the graves of the white -soldiers." - -White men saw the shadow, hunters, trappers and scouts who built their -camp fires near that valley, through which the big mountain wolf skulked -and prowled all night long, had felt the mysterious presence of the -shadow or had seen it. They fled from their blankets at its soft step, -and they had fired at it, and seen it glide off unharmed. - -It was not a shadow of sentiment, but a being who sought vengeance for -the butchery of the little band of heroes, for the brave comrades who -grouped themselves about the noble Custer and fought to the death. - -When the soldiers moved out of the valley, leaving so many graves behind -them, the wolves rushed out from canon, ravine and den, to dig up the -fresh earth and mutilate the dead. The shadow was there--a solitary, -mysterious and vigilant sentinel to guard those sacred mounds. It -screamed and gestured at the fierce beasts, it fired upon them with -rifle and revolver and struck them with bright, keen sabre. The wolves -ran here and there, from grave to grave, gnashing their teeth in anger, -but the shadow closely pursued them. They formed in groups in the -midnight darkness and waited for the shadow to tire out and fall asleep -or go away, but it paced up and down over the graves, vigilant and -unwearied, and daylight came to hurry the wild beasts to their lairs -till another night. - -[Illustration: Gathering Up the Dead at Wounded Knee (page 37).] - -Hunters and scouts had seen the sentinel-beat among the graves in the -light of noon-day, when men could not be mistaken. The path ran from -grave to grave, winding about to take in every one, and then it ran to -the river and disappeared in a ledge of rocks. Scouts said it was a path -beaten by human feet. The Indians said that a shadow or spirit alone -could remain in that lonely spot, having only the company of wild beasts -and the graves of the lonely dead. - -Once when Red Cloud and a trusty few were scouting to learn the -whereabouts of their white foes, they encamped in the valley for the -night. The shadow stole among them as they slept, and when the fierce -scream aroused the band from their slumbers, five of the red men had -been murdered, each throat slashed across with a keen blade. The shadow -stood and jeered at the living, who huddled together like frightened -children. When they fled for their lives it pursued them with drawn -saber, and one of them had a scar on his shoulder to prove he had been -struck with a blade. Next day when a full band of Indians rode into the -valley to solve the mystery and secure revenge, they saw no living -thing. The bodies of the dead warriors were cut and hacked and gashed. -Five of the poor cavalrymen whose brains had been beaten out had been -revenged. - -Before the crown of a single grave had sunk down, Crazy Horse started to -cross the valley at midnight with his lodges. The shadow confronted his -band and mocked them, and as the red men hurried along in the darkness, -vividly recalling the mad charge of the cavalry, the strange shadow -skulked along with the column and fired shot after shot into the band. -They fired at it and rushed out to capture it, but it disappeared, as -shadows do. Two squaws, a child or two, an old man and two warriors fell -by the bullets which the shadow fired. From that time the red men -avoided the valley as white men avoid a pest. They would not cross it -or skirt it, even at high noon when the sunshine beat down upon the -graves. - -Texas Jack, the famous scout in the employ of the army, and a companion, -in the late autumn of 1876 crossed the lonely battleground and halted -long enough to see that the graves had not been disturbed. They saw the -path of the sentinel leading from grave to grave. They saw the skeletons -of the red men slain by the shadow. They saw the shadow itself. They -were leaving the valley when their ears were greeted by a wild laugh, -and from a bed of rank grass and dry weeds a quarter of a mile away they -saw the shadow beckon them to come forward. The shadow was a man--a -tall, gaunt, heavy bearded and long-haired human being dressed in rags -that once had been an army uniform. He held up in the air and shook -at them a carbine and a sabre, and when they galloped away, he sent a -leaden ball whistling over their heads. - -This was the last time this trooper was seen alive, no doubt he was -bereft of reason, and believed himself called upon to avenge his -comrades and so lurked in the valley, living like the wild beasts -around him and missing no chance to strike a blow. - -Some years later, when peace was restored and Crow Dog with his son and -two warriors were hunting buffalo on the Little Big Horn, they were -themselves pursued by a hostile party of Crow Indians. They took refuge -among the shelving rocks along the river. Far into the deep recesses, -where the waves and winds for centuries had hollowed out a chamber, they -found a skeleton. By its side lay a carbine, two revolvers and a long -cavalry sabre; about the neck was a delicately wrought chain with a gold -locket attached. This and some other trinkets they carried away. After a -lapse of fourteen years from the time Custer and his soldiers fell, -these same Sioux Indians were again on the war path in the Bad Lands of -South Dakota. Custer's old regiment was there, too. Many of them had -fought with Reno and Benteen on that fateful 25th of June, and by the -chance of war it was a part of their command under Colonel Forsythe who -fought the battle of Wounded Knee. Among them was Charles Wilson, the -beardless boy, who rode away with Reno, whilst his friend Jim Bristow -followed Custer. No longer a boy, but a bronzed and bearded soldier who -had stood the chance of fate in many an Indian fight. - -After the battle, when they were gathering up the dead Indians frozen -stiff by a four days' blizzard which raged with wild fury over the -plain, there was found about the neck of a young warrior a locket and -chain. Wilson curiously examined the trophy and found upon opening it, -the photograph of Jim Bristow on one side and upon the other the sweet -face of the girl who had promised to be his wife. The young brave from -whose neck the locket was taken was found to be the son of Crow Dog, who -had married into Big Foot's band, and this blood-stained bauble, which -had at last found its way into the hands of Bristow's friend as he had -intended when they parted, and all the circumstances connected with it, -revealed at last the identity of the shadow-scout who kept the midnight -vigils over the graves of Custer's heroic dead; who when the chill -blasts of the northern winter had come, had crept into his lair among -the rocks and far from the cottage where the voice of love had pleaded -so long for his return, with the smoke of battle still before his eyes, -and with the shouts and shots of that dreadful day still ringing in his -ears, had died alone. - -Wilson stood by my side a week later as a heavy army wagon rolled into -Pine Ridge agency bearing the body of Sitting Bull, the great war -chief, who had directed and led the fight on Custer's men. When the -wagon halted, Wilson drew the canvas cover from the dead chief's form -and gazed long at the bronzed, cruel face, which even in death, was -magnificent in the strong drawn lines of unrelenting hatred. There was -a cold glint of light in Wilson's eye as he took one last satisfied -look at this dead monster of the plains and turned away to keep his -word given fourteen years before to his comrade--Jim Bristow--the last -survivor of that awful massacre on the Little Big Horn. - - - - -VI. - -INDIAN FIGHT IN COLORADO. - - -Old "Daddy" Stephenson sat in the shade of the ranch house, squinting -his one eye toward the north, the other eye having been shot out a few -years before. His squaw was boiling the leg of an antelope in a pot that -swung under a tripod of sticks nearby, when "Doc" Kinnie and Charley -Hayes rode up. - -"Here's yer Injun," shouted "Doc," as he untied his lariat from a -blanket and let the bloody head of an Indian roll on the ground near -Stephenson's feet. - -The old squaw came over, took a look, and, uttering a long, doleful -sound like the cry of a wounded wolf, ran inside and grabbing her -blanket, started for the hills, chanting a dismal wail peculiar to her -people when in distress. - -"You fellows have played billy hell; you've killed my brother-in-law," -calmly remarked Stephenson as he refilled his pipe and again cast his -one eye toward the north. - -"And the best thing you can do is to hit the trail while you are wearing -your scalps," he continued after a pause of several minutes. - -At that moment the old man's half Indian boy and myself came up from the -corral. - -This incident furnished the cause for an ugly Indian fight which -occurred on Rock creek, northeastern Colorado, on June 12, 1877. - -"Doc" Kinnie, Charley Hayes and myself had come from Deadwood to -Cheyenne as an escort for a stage coach carrying the Wells-Fargo -express, when Stephenson offered us better pay to work on his cattle -ranch. - -Four days before the incident of the bloody head, Stephenson had missed -seven head of cattle and had struck the trail of one Indian who had -driven them off. He rode to the ranch house in high rage and offered -Kinnie and Hayes one hundred dollars if they would recover the cattle -and kill the Indian. In five minutes they were in their saddles riding -to the point where Stephenson indicated the trail. I did not join them, -as Stephenson insisted that two were enough. Kinnie and Hayes had no -difficulty in following the trail of the stolen cattle and were close -on them the next evening. Not caring for a night attack they went into -camp, eating their bacon raw rather than make a fire. They were in their -saddles at the first grey streak of dawn and within an hour came upon -two Indians eating their morning meal in a canon, while the missing -cattle were grazing five hundred yards beyond. - -[Illustration: =Charles Hayes, "Doc" Kinnie, Robert McReynolds=. - -After the Fight (page 40).] - -It was a complete surprise to the Indians, and in the melee that -followed one of them was killed and the other made his escape. It then -became a question of how best to prove to Stephenson that they had -killed the Indian without the burden of taking him back. - -Kinnie, who had been a medical student in Ohio before a certain escapade -had caused him to emigrate to the west, suggested the amputation of the -dead Indian's head as the handiest way, and also suggested that they -keep quiet as to the Indian who got away, lest the old man should only -want to pay one-half of the promised reward. - -Hayes stood guard while Kinnie cut and twisted the Indian's neck until -the head separated from the body. He then rolled it in the Indian's -blanket and carried it on the pommel of his saddle until the afternoon, -when he rolled the ghastly trophy out on the ground in front of -Stephenson and his squaw wife. - -"Seems to me if I had your kind of relations I would pay a better price -and get them all killed off," said Hayes, as he returned from the -corral. - -This remark nettled Stephenson, who smoked his pipe awhile in silence. -He then grew angry, ordered the three of us to hit the trail for Fort -Morgan at once, saying that two thousand Cheyenne Indians would be down -upon us as soon as his squaw could communicate with them. This we -refused to do, as neither Kinnie nor Hayes, nor their horses were in -condition for flight, besides the old man had not settled and we rightly -guessed that he would like to get out of paying the one hundred dollars, -as well as preserve his good standing with the Indians. - -Later in the evening he was caught hiding a quantity of Winchester -cartridges. That settled him. We knew then he wanted to see us slain, -while he would endeavor to lay blame upon us. In five minutes he was -bound hand and foot and laid upon a corner in the ranch house upon some -blankets. The Indian boy was also bound and thrown into another corner -for safe keeping. The log ranch house was then loop-holed and our horses -were brought inside, also a quantity of hay, wood and water. - -We were prepared for a siege. Kinnie and Hayes lay down to sleep, while -I kept the first watch of the night. All light was extinguished and I -constantly went from loop-hole to loop-hole, peering into the darkness -for the approaching foe, while the old man lay upon his blankets, -swearing like the old sinner he was. I lay down for some sleep in the -after part of the night, leaving the others to watch. - -It was daylight when I was awakened by rifle shots. They came from a -hill upon whose crest rode forty Cheyenne warriors, bedecked in feathers -and war paint and stripped for battle. - -We made no reply to their shots, but led them to believe by our silence -that the ranch house was deserted. - -After pow-wowing for an hour, six of them began advancing cautiously. We -waited they were within a hundred feet of the house, when our rifles -emptied three of the saddles, and two more were riderless before the -sixth retreating Indian reached the main party, which by that time was -in commotion and had begun a circling ride around the ranch house to -prevent our escape. - -For the remainder of the day they kept well out of reach of our rifles, -but when night had gathered they stole away their dead and wounded under -cover of darkness. The next morning there was no sign of them. We were -not to be caught, however, by such a ruse, having played the same game -ourselves the morning before. We felt sure they would be reinforced -within two days with an overwhelming force that could easily storm the -house and tear it down over our heads. - -Our only hope was to get away, and we held a council of war in whispers. -The old man and boy had been released at intervals to relieve the pain -of the cords, but not a word was said to them of our plans. When -darkness again came we saddled our horses, stored a quantity of -provisions in our blankets, strapped them behind our saddles and filled -our canteens with water. - -The Indian boy was then liberated and given these instructions: - -"Creep along the banks of the creek until you come to the lone -cottonwood tree, one and one-half miles distant, then fire six shots -from a revolver. This will draw the Indians to you, when you can explain -that we have compelled you to do this. If you fail to fire the shots we -will kill the old man and charge through the Indian lines anyway." - -This command was delivered to the boy in a manner calculated to impress -him with the earnestness of the threat, although it was not our -intention to harm Stephenson, and yet the muzzle of a Winchester close -to his head caused him to earnestly implore the boy to faithfully do as -he was told. - -From then the minutes dragged like hours. We watched anxiously from our -loop-holes for the flash from the young Indian's revolver. Twenty -minutes passed, then thirty, and no shot was fired. Was he playing us -false, or had he been captured by the Cheyennes, who in turn might set a -trap for us. Thirty-six minutes passed, then a spark flashed in the -distance and we counted six shots. This was the critical moment and -every ear was listening for the sounds of horses' hoofs. A few moments -later we heard them, as they came out of the ravines. We saw them, too, -as they skirted along the dim sky line. We waited a few minutes to give -them time to reach the cottonwood tree and then led our horses out and -rode rapidly away to the northwest, knowing that the clatter of our -horses' hoofs would mingle with those of the Indian ponies and might -readily be taken for those of their own horsemen. - -Our rifles were in our saddle holsters and our heavy revolvers were in -our hands, as we rode in silence. Kinnie was in the lead, while Hayes -and I rode behind side by side. Not a word was spoken for more than five -hours, until day was breaking, and by the red glow of the eastern sky we -saw away down the plains the camp fires and white tents of a troop of -cavalry from Fort Morgan. Kinnie burst out into a long, hearty peal of -laughter. - -"What the deuce has struck you now?" asked Hayes. - -"I forgot to give daddy any change back," he replied, as he held up a -well-filled pocketbook. - - - - -VII. - -A COWBOY DUEL. - - -Tom Rawlins rolled out of his blankets from under the chuck wagon with -the remark, "I suppose a man shouldn't be late at his own funeral," and -walking over to the camp-fire, lit his pipe by the glowing embers. - -Day was breaking, and by a solemn compact entered into with "Kid" -Anderson the night before, he would be dead at sunrise. - -A month before they had exchanged shots in a dance house in Ogallala, -after quarreling about a woman. The two cowboys met in North Platte the -day before, for the first time since the affair, and each swore the -other should die. - -Many of us who were friends of the two men divided into factions and -crowded about the principals. The declaration of war having been made on -both sides, neither could withdraw without losing caste, as such was the -custom in the 70's among the wild fellows of the plains, who put a -cheap estimate on human life. Rawlins had seen four years' service in -the Confederate army, and at the close of the war had followed General -Joe Shelby into Mexico and fought under the banner of Maxmilian. When -Bazaine withdrew the French troops he secured his discharge and returned -to Texas wearing the honorable scars of battle. "Kid" Anderson was -inured to the life on the plains from his youth and had been in many an -ugly Indian fight. - -Someone suggested a duel, and no Indian ever conceived a more fiendish -plan. Two Colt revolvers with handles exactly alike, one loaded, the -other unloaded, were placed under a blanket with handles protruding. A -silver dollar was tossed into the air, heads to win, tails to lose. The -winner was to have the choice of the revolvers. If he drew the loaded -one, he had the right to shoot the loser, who was to stand ten paces -away with the unloaded weapon in his hand. Rawlins won the choice of -revolvers and drew the empty one. - -Anderson then spent a month's wages buying drinks for the boys, and -kindly gave Rawlins until sunrise the next morning to live. Rawlins -accepted his fate with stoicism and returned to camp, rolled in his -blankets and slept soundly. Inured to danger for years, he knew sooner -or later the end would come, and so gave himself but little concern -about it. - -It was the spring round up and there were fifteen outfits in camp within -two miles of North Platte, and the round up would begin as soon as two -more outfits arrived. - -The news of the plan and chance of fate by which Rawlins was to lose his -life had spread from one camp-fire to another during the night, and -created an intense excitement. - -Rawlins was standing by the fire, when I. P. Olive, one of the largest -owners on the range, rode up. - -"Look here, Rawlins, suppose you had won, would you shoot Anderson down -like a dog this morning?" - -"Certainly I would," he replied, "and he would not be the first dog I -have killed, either." - -"This thing cannot go on," said Olive, decisively. "If you men have got -to kill each other you must do it in a civilized fashion. Your plan is -too cold-blooded; it has given the shivers to the entire camp." He then -rode over to the "Double Bar" camp, where Anderson lay sleeping. - -"Get up from there, you wild ass of the plains," he shouted. "Rawlins is -waiting to be killed. Are you going to do it?" - -Anderson was on his feet in an instant, facing Olive in the dim light of -the camp-fire. - -"It is none of your business what I intend to do!" and his yellow eyes -gleamed dangerously as his hand stole to the handle of his sixshooter. -Olive was a dangerous man himself and had a record of killing four men -in Texas. He saw danger in the manner he had approached Anderson, and -using a more conciliatory tone, said: - -"Give Rawlins a show for his life and we will all think the more of you -for it." - -Finding the sentiment of others who joined in with Olive strong against -him, Anderson yielded to a change. This time the principals were to meet -upon the plain a mile from camp, mounted and armed with revolvers. They -were to fight within a circle of one hundred yards, outside of which -they might retreat, reload and return to the combat. - -It was a beautiful morning, all balm and bloom and verdure. The face of -the sky was placid and benignant. The sun rose like a great golden disc -on the purple and pearl of the distant sky line and clouds, airy and -gossamer, floated away to the west. - -The men stole away from camp in twos and threes, and were gathering on a -knoll that overlooked the battle ground, while Rawlins and Anderson were -selecting their horses from the remudas. Rawlins chose a Texas mustang, -fleet of foot and supple as an Arab. Anderson chose a stocky built -animal and appeared altogether indifferent as to any of his qualities. -The two men were stationed at the edge of the circle formed of lariats -with their backs toward each other. - -Olive gave the word, "Ready!" The men grasped their bridle reins tightly -and settled themselves in their stirrups. - -"Wheel!" The trained horses turned as if upon pivots. - -"Fire!" rang out Olive's clear voice of command. - -Anderson rode forward a few paces and stopped. Rawlins dug his spurs -into his animal's side, and came on with a rush, firing his revolver as -he came. Four shots sped harmlessly over the plain. - -The men were within a few feet of each other when Anderson fired his -first shot. Rawlins reeled in his saddle a second, grasped the pommel, -and bringing down his revolver sent a bullet through the brain of -Anderson. - -Both men fell from their horses, and there were two dead faces in the -grass. - -The horses dashed wildly away, with blood upon their trappings and sleek -hides. - -Two graves were dug, and the funeral was over before the sun had dried -the dew upon the grass. - -There was a girl in Nebraska without a lover, and a widowed mother in -Texas without a son. - - - - -VIII. - -PLEASANT HALFACRE'S REVENGE. - - -I was with a party of cowboys twenty-five miles west of Ogallala, -Nebraska, in 1878, when a huge iron box was found in the sands of the -Platte River by one of our party, which recalled a tradition of tragedy -and revenge, unequaled in the annals of the west. - -In one of those great bends of the Ohio River, opposite Three Mile -Island and below the town of Newburgh, in Southern Indiana, there lived -some forty years ago, a man who furnished cause for which his neighbors -with one accord, joined in deporting him. - -Pleasant Halfacre occupied a cabin in a small clearing, which opened on -the south, facing the bayou which separated the island from the mainland -on the Indiana side. On all other sides for a mile or more was a dense -forest, where great hickory, pecan and beech trees furnished the winter -provender for the grey squirrels, raccoons and opossums. In some places -the woodland was low and swampy; there were great ponds where the water -lilies grew and in winter the wild duck and brant paused long in their -southern flight to feed. The bayou abounded in catfish and silvery -perch. - -In this little oasis in a desert of toilers, Halfacre had lived for -nearly a quarter of a century. His wife, a big buxom woman, was the -mother of eight tow-headed children who, when anyone chanced to come, -acted like scared squirrels. They would scamper away into the woods and -coyly peep at the stranger from behind big trees, while the dogs kept up -an incessant barking. - -In summer, the woman and children would cultivate the small clearing -with hoes, while Plez would catch catfish and sometimes work in the -harvest field a few days for some neighbor. This he did only when dire -necessity compelled. The very sight of an agricultural implement, he -declared, would make him sweat. The man loved nature and in his -simplicity, would go into raptures over the coloring of the gorgeous -sunset, or wade about the ponds for hours for water lilies, or the -great blue, bell-shaped flowers which grew upon the wild flag and -calimus stalks. - -He would bedeck his ragged garments with these flowers and, with a -string of catfish, would emerge, a gorgeous spectacle, from the forest -on his way to the Evansville market. - -In winter his children would gather pecans and hickory nuts, while he -would take the dogs and hunt raccoons and opossums, the meat of which -furnished the family food, while the pelts brought a small price at the -market. - -In all the forty years of his life, Halfacre had not been twenty miles -away from his home. He could neither read nor write and the world to him -ended at the blue rim of the northern horizon beyond the cypress hills. -The man was totally devoid of any sense of responsibility, either to his -Creator, his neighbors or himself. Once when the good preacher, who held -services at the "Epworth meeting house" twice a month, reproved him for -some misdemeanor by threatening him with the hereafter, he replied, "The -devil can't inflict any more punishment on me than I can stand, if he -does, he will kill me." With this logic to soothe his conscience, and -his love of idleness thoroughly gratified, Halfacre was very well -contented. - -For a long time the neighbors, for many miles around, had been missing -articles of small value, the loss of which caused much delay in their -work as well as vexation and annoyance. - -A farmer would be all ready to go to market and when he came to hitch -up, he would find the coupling bolt to his wagon gone, or perhaps the -singletree would be missing; or if ploughing in the field he would take -the horses out to where he had left the plow the night before and find -that the clevis or some bolts had been stolen. The good matrons would -have their dinner horns or bells taken away at night. Nothing of any -considerable value was stolen and no organized search was made until one -day, Farmer Beasley was floating down the bayou in a dinkey boat when he -came upon one of Plez Halfacre's children sitting on the bank eating -mush and milk out of the blue flowered shaving mug which old Tippecanoe -Harrison had presented to his grandfather, while another one of the -Halfacre children sat upon a log, making a paw-paw whistle with his -ancestor's razor. - -This was too much for Farmer Beasley. He turned the dinkey boat around, -paddled back to Newburgh and swore out a search warrant for the Halfacre -cabin. - -In the loft they found a collection of articles which was a wonder to -behold. There were grindstones, iron wedges for splitting rails, harrow -teeth and a miscellaneous lot of plunder, enough to start a second hand -store. - -The word was passed and the next day the farmers began to assemble. They -came by the score; some in wagons bringing the entire family and their -dinners, and the day was spent identifying stolen articles. - -Meantime, while all this was going on Pleasant Halfacre sat to one side, -looking the very picture of dejection. A council was held and it was -decided that if they sent Plez to jail, the county would have to support -his family, and as taxes were already high, it was decided to deport -him, his family and chattels. - -Nearby, a house boat was found, which the owner offered to sell for -twenty dollars. It was purchased and Halfacre, his family and effects -were placed aboard and warned never to return, whereupon the boat was -shoved out into the stream. - -It was a sad blow and one the least expected. "To leave the cabin and go -away where he should never again see the water lilies, out into the -world where he just didn't know nobody." This was the burden of his -lamentations as he sat upon the bow of the boat and wept. - -Some of the women cried softly when they saw such evidence of his grief -and love of home, humble and poverty stricken as it was, and they rode -home in silence, wishing to forget the scene of the grief stricken man, -who had said the birds would never sing so sweetly to him again. - -When the word went around a day or two later, that Plez and his family -were again living in the cabin, there was a general sigh of relief, and -when the preacher spoke of forgiving "Those who trespass against us," -there were some heartfelt Amens that went up from the holy corner of the -"Epworth Church." - -Winter had come and the Halfacres were discussed by the good dames who -gathered at each others homes at quilting parties, and many were the -articles of outgrown clothing that were sent to the destitute cabin. - -There was a January thaw and the ice in the river was breaking up, when -one morning in the grey dawn a barge came drifting down the stream amid -the cakes of ice that were piling high upon the head of the island. A -man was standing upon the deck, frantically calling for help, for it was -certain the barge would be crushed in the great pack of ice when it -struck the head of the island. - -A crowd had followed along the shore, but none seemed to know what to do -or to have the courage to venture to the man's rescue. - -Suddenly Plez Halfacre was seen to launch a skiff from among a clump of -willows and standing on the bow, fought his way through the ice floes -with an oar, rescued the man from his perilous position and landed -safely below the head of the island. - -The barge was lost and Plez became the hero of the hour. - -The rescued man proved to be a wealthy coal mine owner from the -neighborhood of Cannelton, and in his gratitude some days later he -presented Halfacre with a cheque for $5,000. - -Again a pressure of the neighborhood was brought to bear, and Halfacre -emigrated to the west. He started alone with his family from Omaha in a -prairie schooner, intending to settle in the neighborhood of Denver. -When twenty-five miles west of Ogallala he left his family in camp one -afternoon and wandered some miles away over the plain in search of -antelope. - -When he returned some hours later he found his wife and children slain -by the Indians and their mutilated bodies lying about the smoldering -ruins of his wagon. The horses had been driven away. - -Wild with grief and rage, he did the best he could in burying his dead, -and then made his way back to Omaha. He met with much sympathy from the -pioneers along the route, but for this he seemed to care but little. He -went about in a gloomy, abstracted way that caused people to say he was -losing his mind. - -One day he appeared at a blacksmith shop in Omaha, and ordered a big -wagon box made of plow steel, which he paid for in advance. When it was -completed he loaded it upon a wagon and covered it with a white cover, -until it looked like an ordinary prairie schooner. Into this he loaded -a barrel for water and provisions enough to last for six months. He also -stored in the iron box, a large quantity of ammunition, with two or -three rifles and revolvers. The sides, bottom and top of the box were -loopholed, protected with iron slides. - -When all was ready he purchased horses and drove to the place near the -Platte river, where his family had been slain. Here he picketed his -horses and deliberately built a camp-fire. He did not have long to wait -for results. The Indians saw the smoke, and seeing only one man, they -swept down upon his camp. He waited until they were reasonably near and -went inside his iron box. When they came to within a few yards, he -opened fire from the loop-holes, killing a number of them before they -retreated. The Indians could not make out the situation, and that night -they crept through the grass and tried to kindle a fire beneath his -wagon. Halfacre was alert, and shot them from the bottom loop holes. -After two or three assaults, in which they lost many of their number, -the Indians went away and ever afterwards avoided the place, as they -believed it protected by evil spirits. - -Halfacre lived in his wagon for more than a year, making incursions into -the Indian camps at night, where his rifle dealt death. - -To the Indians, he was an avenging spirit and they spoke of him in -whispers. His remains were found some miles away, long afterwards by -soldiers, who believed he had frozen to death in a blizzard. The rusted -relic on the banks of the Platte River, slowly disappearing beneath the -quicksands, was the only memento left of the tragedies there enacted. - - - - -IX. - -CAPTURING WILD HORSES. - - -Lying upon the plain with his shoulder dislocated and his foot tangled -up in a lariat, O. E. Kimsey held the head of his fallen horse close to -the ground, in No Man's Land, for four hours, to prevent him from rising -and dragging him to certain death. - -We had gone to No Man's Land, now Beaver county, Oklahoma, in 1887, to -capture wild mustangs, to be sold to the ranchmen of Kansas and -Colorado. We had become separated in our search for them. Kimsey was far -out on the plain when his horse stumbled into a coyote hole and as he -fell beneath the horse his shoulder was dislocated. In a moment he -realized that his foot was tangled in his lariat, which hung from the -pommel of his saddle, with one end tightly fastened there. The horse -attempted to rise, but to allow him to do so would mean being dragged to -death. - -Kimsey threw his uninjured arm over the horse's head and held him down. -To call for help was useless in that barren and uninhabited plain, and -he could do nothing else but hold the horse's head close to the ground. -Night was coming on and he saw the hungry coyotes gathering. His -strength was failing as the hours dragged by. He had almost lost all -hope when he thought he heard the tramp of a horse's hoofs, and he -shouted loud and long. He was right. I was in search of him and came to -his rescue. - -Our trip lasted five months, and in capturing the wild mustangs we -followed a different plan from the Texas hunters. The latter pursued the -horses night and day, using relays of mounts, until the horses were -exhausted, when they were driven into a corral. - -We had started early in the spring, in time to reach the wild horse -country just as the first grass was covering the plains with green. - -The mustangs were then gaunt and thin from the hardships of winter and -the new grass was not nutritious enough to strengthen them quickly. - -A boy kept camp for us while Kimsey and I followed the horses. A spring -wagon, under which we could sleep at night, was filled with provisions -and grain. A dozen of the best saddle horses that could be found, that -were selected for fleetness and endurance, were a part of the outfit. -There was no hurrah and wild pursuit when the horses first came in -sight. We rode toward them leisurely and took precautions to alarm them -as little as possible. At first it was difficult to approach closer than -three or four miles. Each band was led by a stallion that circled round -and round. Sometimes there were three or four stallions with a band of -twenty or thirty mares and their foals. Generally, however, each band -consisted of five to a dozen mares and a stallion. The moment we -appeared the horses would begin to move. If they were followed close -they would break into a gallop, keeping on the ridges from which they -could view the surrounding country. - -I know of nothing more fascinating than a band of moving wild horses. -Their manes and tails are quite long and add grace to their movements as -they sweep along in the wind. At a distance a tenderfoot imagines a wild -horse to be a majestic animal, large in size, beautiful in color, clean -of limb and fleet of foot. At close range they are a disappointment, -especially in the spring when their coats are rough. They have great -endurance, some of them being able to carry a man 70 miles between suns, -and their recuperative power is wonderful. - -We pursued the largest band we could find, but, use the best precaution -we could, the horses would take fright at first and run for ten or -twelve miles before stopping. We tried to keep in sight of them if -possible, and always made it a point to be close to them at sundown, as -they sought water, and if not disturbed would remain near the spot all -night. If startled they would move, and before morning would be many -miles away. They were on the move at the first streak of dawn. After we -followed them two or three days the mustangs grew less wary, and we -began teaching them to drive. - -A characteristic of the wild horse is that if an attempt is made to ride -to the right of them, for the purpose of turning them to the left, they -will invariably bolt to the right, and run directly across the path of -their pursuers. - -It requires much time and patience to teach them to run in the opposite -direction. We won our first point when we taught the horses to be -driven. We then began driving them in a circle, which at first had a -large circumference. As the horses grew weaker from want of rest and -food, the circle grew smaller until its diameter did not exceed a -quarter of a mile. Meantime, we were using relays of fresh horses. Then -they were taught another lesson. A long lariat was stretched on the -ground, and in the path of the horses. Wild mustangs are very sagacious -and quick to suspect a trap. The rope always frightened them greatly at -first, but in time they grew accustomed to it, and could be driven -across it. We were now ready for business. The lariat was strongly -anchored in the ground by tying it to a buried log. The best horses were -now brought out and saddled. Riding as swiftly as possible, we started -the wild horses moving in a circle and kept after them until our own -horses were exhausted. The boy then took our place and maintained the -swift pace, while we saddled fresh horses. Before a great while a colt -would give out and drift, toward the center of the circle where it -would be joined by its mother. - -A band of wild horses will not desert one another and there was no -longer any fear that the running horses would bolt from the circle in -which they were moving. In the free end of the lariat a big running -noose had been tied. As the circle grew smaller the horses would begin -running over the noose. The boy kept close watch and gave a strong pull -on the lariat when he saw that a horse had stepped into the noose. The -horse would fall, snared by the foot. A heavy log chain about three feet -long was fastened to one of its forelegs with a leather and the horse -turned loose. The animal would spring to its feet and start away at a -breakneck speed, only to turn a somersault, caught by the swinging chain -encircling its forelegs. - -When half a dozen horses had been caught in this manner the others would -begin shying away from the noose, which was then abandoned for the time -being. Then we would coil our lariats and ride straight into the midst -of the band and rope them until the band was scattered. - -The captured horses were then rounded up, and the lesson of teaching the -others to pass over the rope was resumed. After a time, when their fear -had abated, they would again pass over the rope without hesitancy. In -this manner we caught one hundred and nine the first season. The work -grew more difficult as the summer advanced; the grass was better, giving -greater strength to the wild mustangs, while our own had become worn and -thin with hard service. The captured horses soon became accustomed to -being driven and herded and it was not difficult to move them across the -plains to Kansas and Colorado, where they were sold. Kimsey usually -selected the best ones and broke them to the saddle, an exciting and -dangerous business. - -Wild horses gave much trouble to ranchmen in those days. Tame horses are -quick to follow wild ones away, but a wild horse never voluntarily -forsakes the freedom of the plains for the corn fodder of the corral. -The wild stallions are constantly seeking to increase their harem of -mares. On the plains they do it through their ability as fighters and -their superior generalship over weaker stallions. They resort to extreme -violence in adding tame mares to their bands. I have seen a wild -stallion gallop up to a herd of domestic horses, select a mare, and then -begin maneuvering to drive her away. Sometimes the mare is lying down -and refuses to get up. The stallion throws back his ears and breaks for -her at full speed. If she does not move he seizes her with his teeth and -bites her so violently that she is glad to spring to her feet. Once -moving, she is lost, as the stallion keeps close behind, biting and -pawing at her until she is driven into his band, when all of them gallop -away. In time they drive away many horses, and in the old days ranchmen -often united and killed wild stallions as they killed wolves. The -stallions are constantly fighting among themselves, but as a rule -without great injury to each other. Domestic stallions fight to the -death, but the wild ones seem to know when they are worsted and the -weaker ones run away. There were usually about as many wild stallions as -mares, and as each successful stallion had from six to a dozen mares, -there were necessarily a number of stallions who were freebooters on the -plains. These were mostly old stallions, grown weak with age, and young -ones not old enough to win their fights. I have seen as many as -seventy-five such stallions in a band. - -It was November when Kimsey and I sat in the Albany Hotel in Denver and -divided almost $3,000 as the profits of our season's work. - -"Where to now, Kimsey?" I asked. "I go to San Antonio for the winter; -and you?" "To the C. C. Ranch, on the Cimarron," I replied. - - - - -X. - -AN EXPEDITION THAT FAILED. - - -Five men sat about a table in an upper room of the Coates House in -Kansas City. The names of several of them I omit, as they will sleep -easier. Upon the table was a plate of shining gold nuggets of a value of -$1,600. Charley Cole, the owner, was a miner from the northwest. - -He had met the party the day before, and offered to show them where the -nuggets came from for $2,000, saying his reason for so doing was that he -wanted to clean up and go to the Transvaal, then the Mecca of the -gold-seeker. - -This incident was in June, 188--. Around that table a party was -organized, but with the understanding that no money should be paid -until the gold was found to our satisfaction, and with the further -understanding that if Cole was deceiving us with the idea of leading us -into a bandit trap to secure our money, he should be the first man shot. - -To this he agreed and the next day the party was increased to six by a -young doctor. Ten days later we were in Rawlins, Wyoming, where horses -and a general outfit were purchased and the journey to the Wind River -country in the Shoshone Indian reservation was begun. - -July had come and the plains and valleys were beautiful in billowy -green. Cole, always in the lead, headed west of Lander. There was -nothing I could see about the man to indicate that he was other than he -represented, although several of the party whispered suspicions as, day -by day, we penetrated the wild and almost uninhabited country. - -We entered the reservation at a point about thirty miles west of Lander, -which town we had purposely avoided, not wishing to incite others to a -gold hunt. - -We broke camp and were riding down a beautiful valley one morning, when -we came upon some antelope. I wounded one, and as it was getting away I -spurred my horse after the antelope on the run. My horse stumbled into a -badger hole, and the next thing I remember distinctly was the awful -pain as the doctor of our party was setting my broken ankle. - -My horse was also lame, but later in the day I made out to ride him five -miles to the camp of some Shoshone Indians. - -The pain in my limb was so great I could go no further, and as the -Indians were friendly and hospitable, I begged to be left in their camp. -A bed was made for me upon the ground in one of the tepees, and after -giving me surgical attention, and leaving me such comforts as we -carried, the party proceeded, at my request, for I knew it would be -weeks before I could travel, and even then I would be a hindrance. - -I felt secure from the kindly attention I had received from the Indians, -who seemed desirous in many ways of alleviating my sufferings. Knowing -that the Indian despises any manifestation of pain, I managed never to -utter a groan, or show distress in my face, no matter how excruciating -was Nature's process of healing. - -After three or four days an Indian cut away the doctor's splints and -bound my limb in a huge pack of wet clay. From that moment the pain -grew less, and as I felt more like talking, the Indians would gather in -the tepee and sit about like children. I made pictures to amuse them, -taught them the game of mumbledy-peg, and in various ways won their -simple affections. - -The days had been dragging wearily, when the monotony was broken by an -Indian wedding. Bright Eyes, a damsel of no exceeding beauty, was of -that age when the consent of her father could be secured for her -marriage for a consideration of ponies. - -Several young bucks had been staking their ropes for the catch, each -hoping he would be the fortunate one in securing her for a partner. Some -of them had offered as high as nine ponies. But Wah-ne-a-tah, which -means in English, "it is hurting him," came forward with a dozen ponies -and secured the prize. A beef from the Agency had been secured and -roasted, as well as other things good to the palate of a hungry Indian. -At about 4 o'clock the bride was taken to a tepee set apart from the -others, where some twenty squaw attendants dressed her out in a "rig" -that for decoration resembled a general or an admiral's uniform. - -Not wishing to get married at this time, she kept her attendants in -tears by her lamentations. Some one in Lander had sold her father an old -hearse as being just the thing for a family carriage. The top had been -taken off, but the plumes remained, and into it she was loaded. The -horses were gaily decorated and an Indian walked at the head of each -horse. As she took her seat in the carriage, I obtained the first good -view of the bride. A description of her dress is impossible, but it was -a curious mixture of every color imaginable. She had proceeded but a -little way down the valley, when at breakneck speed came a buck and -three squaws who were running to the bride. The first squaw to reach the -bride was to receive her raiment, the second a pony and the third a -blanket. The bride was escorted to a tepee belonging to a relative of -the groom. Here she was placed on a blanket and wrapped up until no part -of her was visible and then carried to the tepee set apart for the happy -couple. Arriving there she was unwrapped in the presence of the guests -and her clothing immediately claimed by the squaw who came out best in -the race. The bride was re-dressed, the groom summoned and seated on the -blanket beside her. They were now married in the eyes of the Indians. -Then came a feast, participated in only by the happy couple and the -guests departed to the general feast. - -Three weeks had passed when one day an officer of the Indian police came -to our camp and through him I learned of Cole's former camp on a -tributary of Wind River, and he said the gulches and sands of the stream -were plentifully besprinkled with nuggets, that the reason white men -were not there in multitudes was they were kept away by the Indian -police. - -He said that Cole was permitted to stay because he furnished the Indians -with whisky. This Cole doubtless made from drugs. - -At the end of another week my party returned without Cole. They came -hastily and seemed in a hurry to get away. I asked if they found gold. -They replied, "Yes, plenty of it, but Cole's treachery has defeated -every plan." Beyond this they would say nothing. - -As I was in no condition to accompany them and was as comfortable as -circumstances would permit, they left me in the Indian camp. Here I -remained for a month longer, when Red Jacket and Spotted Horse rode with -me to Rawlins. Two truer hearts I never expect to find among any race. I -had our photographs taken and made them presents, as well as sending a -flour sack of candies back to the camp. When our train rolled away they -stood on the platform and watched us out of sight. - -The mystery of the fate of Cole was cleared some years later when I -called on one of the parties in Kansas City. It seems they reached -Cole's cabin in the wilds of the Wind River country and that he showed -them fine placer mines, and that after a few days he produced a vile -decoction of whisky which he and a younger member of the party drank. A -quarrel between the two men, crazed with the drink, ensued, in which -Cole was killed. - - - - -XI. - -ACROSS THE PALM DESERT. - - -An ancient fight--as ancient as the time dividing the bird from the -serpent, a fight thousands of times repeated in the lonely places of the -earth each year, but which man seldom sees, was witnessed by Mark -Witherspoon and myself on the borders of the Palm Desert in California, -where we had come in the search for gold. It was a struggle to the -finish between an eagle and a big rattlesnake. Death was the referee, as -he is in all the contests waged under nature's code of fang and claw. - -There are two things men may not know, so it is said: "The way of the -serpent upon the rock; the eagle soaring in the sky." Each has a -wonderful power which man does not understand--does not understand any -more than he does why they always fight when they meet and that they -always should and will, so long as there are serpents upon the rocks -and eagles soaring in the sky. If there were no eagles, the rattlesnakes -would have no enemy in the sky or upon the earth, save man, to fear. The -eagle likewise has no fear of anything, unless it be the glistening -yellow and brown poisonous creature of the rocks--the rattler. - -Thus it lives forever--the death feud of the eagle of the Montezumas and -the serpent father of the Moki's--the rattler. - -How it began I did not see. I was standing near the top of a big stony -crag that glistened in the bright light looking over the vast opens and -great basins of the Palm Desert which we were to cross, when my -attention was attracted by the flop of something striking the sands a -hundred feet away. I could not see what it was, but a moment later I saw -an eagle swoop down and rise slowly, holding within its mailed claws, a -snake. The big bird soared up a hundred feet or more and shook the snake -loose, which fell twisting and coiling with a distinctly audible -"flop"--the noise that first attracted my attention. Again and again the -bird swooped, arose with the serpent and dropped it, while -Witherspoon drew closer and closer to watch. - -[Illustration: Truer hearts I never expect to find (page 78).] - -Then the eagle--a young one, as we could tell by its size and -plumage--struck and failed to rise. Witherspoon was now close enough to -see everything that happened. - -The young bird had almost exhausted itself in its struggles with the -snake, and may, too, have been bitten by it. At any rate, it was upon -the sands, its wings slightly spread, as if from the heat--its mouth -open. The snake was recovering from its jolting fall, and slowly -gathering its coils. - -It rested a moment in position, and then struck the eagle, the fangs -entering the corner of the bird's mouth, in the soft tissues at the base -of the beak. - -The eagle recovered from the shock, stood motionless a few seconds, -while the rattler watched as only a rattler can, and spreading out its -wings, toppled over. - -Then the man--man who hates serpents as the eagle does--put forth his -hand, using a power more wonderful than that of either. There was a puff -of white smoke in the clear air and the report of a pistol rang among -the glistening wind-polished rocks, and the snake was a mangled, -bright, still thing that the ants began to gather about. - -"It was unjust maybe," remarked Witherspoon. "The snake had won -fairly--he was entitled to go his way, a terror for all the furry little -bright things hereabouts." "But I couldn't help it." "Someway that -slaying by poison, even if it is done in the open, doesn't seem fair." -"Then, too, a man hates to see the emblem of his country's armies and -navies, the triumphant eagle of thunderbolts, lying in the sunshine -dead, and that by a serpent." - -We had purchased a mustang in San Luis Obispo and loaded him with our -stock of flour, bacon, frying pans, blankets, etc., and was resting on -the borders of the Palm Desert, which we intended to cross the next -morning, to the Mexican dry diggings, in the foothills of the Sierra -Nevada Mountains, when the battle between the eagle and rattler -furnished the topic of conversation all the afternoon. From San Luis -Obispo we had taken the trail that led over the mountains and through -the beautiful Santa Margarita Valley. Of all the places I have ever -seen, I think this valley came the nearest to being an earthly -paradise. It is seven miles in length, five in breadth, and is walled on -all sides, except a narrow pass, by the lofty Santa Lucia Mountains. -Through the center of the valley flows the headwaters of the Salanis -River. Giant live oak trees studded the valley at almost regular -intervals, as if they had been planted by the hand of man. The earth was -a carpet of green verdure, with splashes of the yellow wild mustard and -varied hues of the many different semi-tropical flowers. Two days after -passing through this Eden, we began our toilsome march across an arm of -the Palm Desert. When we reached the diggings we found a group of motley -Mexicans, who good naturedly swarmed about us and showed us a camping -place near a spring, but its waters were so impregnated with sulphates -of magnesia and sodium, that we found it impossible to use it. We moved -our camp about a mile further up the canon, near the quarters of a -sheep herder, where we found good water and were free from the Mexicans. -They taught us, however, the art of dry washing the gold from the loose -earth of the placer claim which we had staked off. Here, for more than -three months, we toiled. When our supplies run short, we sent for more -by the man who came once a week to bring provisions and look after his -interests on the sheep ranch. I always pitied that sheep herder. He had -several hundred to care for, and their continual bleating sounded -dismally in the solitude of the mountains, and when he lighted his -bivouac fire at night, it always seemed like a signal of distress. - -From the red earth we gathered the golden grains, and when the stars -came out at night, and the mountains took on their shadowy gloom, we -talked of home two thousand miles away, and often wondered at the enigma -of creation. Then came a time when by exposure to the damp and dews, and -living upon poor food, we both began to fall sick. Medicine was out of -the question, and so with our precious packet of gold dust upon our -persons, we loaded our mustang with our camp equipments and took up our -march toward San Luis Obispo. - -It was in the early dawn of the morning when we started across the arm -of the Palm Desert. The sun rose like a ball of fire in a cloudless sky -and heated the sands until they parched and blistered our faces. By -noon our water supply was exhausted, and soon after I threw away the -Winchester which I carried, for I could no longer bear the burden. If it -has not been found by some weary pilgrim it lies there today with its -barrel as bright in that rainless valley as it was when I threw it down. - -We walked in silence all that torrid afternoon. The poor mustang crept -along, led by Mark, while we, with bloodshot eyes and fevered brains, -could but feebly keep in sight the jutting mountain spur where we would -find a haven of rest. - -Exhausted, I sat down in the scant shade of a desert palm. Its sparse -branches rattled in the hot wind like dried sunflower stalks, and then, -in my imagination, I stood a few feet away and saw myself lying dead on -the sands, with face drawn and withered and dead eyes staring at the -skies. - -I roused myself from the horrible dream and walked on. It was long after -the sun had dipped beyond the mountain crest, and the Palm Desert was -shrouded in the gloom of night, that we reached a pool of clear water, -fed by a generous spring. We drank of its waters and bathed our fevered -brows, and lay down in the warm sands to awake ever and anon in fitful -dreams. It seemed I was buried in the stone coffins of Egypt, where I -lay for a thousand years in torrid heat, with unquenchable thirst. -Whenever I awoke, I drew myself to the edge of the pool, drank deeply of -its refreshing waters, and fell asleep again, repeating the same thing -perhaps twenty times during the night. - -How soon we forget our troubles, and oh, how soon we forget that we have -passed through the valley of the shadow, and that a merciful God has -watched over our destinies. Within a week after this, when Mark and I -came so near perishing on the Palm Desert, we had purchased new summer -clothes and were sitting about the best hotel in San Luis Obispo, -smoking fine cigars and playing the part of high-toned young gentlemen -generally. - - - - -XII. - -THE LAST STAND OF A DYING RACE. - - -The battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, occurred December 29, 1890. It -was the last stand of a dying race, the last Indian battle fought on the -soil of the United States. - -Whatever views I may have held at the time, and whatever part I may have -taken in the engagement is mitigated by previous experiences and -circumstances; but with time there comes a belief that somebody -grievously erred. - -Nearly every nation in its decline has looked for the coming of a -Redeemer to lead them back to the glory and valor of former days. This -has been especially true of the Indian races. The few remaining Aztec -tribes yet look for the coming of Montezuma, while the Indians in -the mountains of Peru believe that Huascar will again appear and -re-establish the magnificent empire of which the mailed heels of a -conquering Pizarro host clanked the dying knell nearly four centuries -ago. - -In the autumn of 1890 there appeared in an Indian village in Nevada a -man who was strange to them and to the neighboring tribes. He told them -a wondrous story. He had come from a far-off land beyond the setting -sun, and was sent by the Great Spirit to rescue the redmen from the -oppression of the paleface, to restore to them their hunting grounds and -to populate the plains once more with the buffalo and the antelope. He -taught them a new form of the death dance and made a garment, decorated -it with hieroglyphics and blessed it, and said that it would turn the -bullets of the white man. They received his tale with great rejoicing -and started immediately to carry the tidings to the tribes on the plains -to the east. Great enthusiasm among the Indians marked the progress of -the march across the country, and when he reached the Rosebud Agency in -South Dakota, so exaggerated were the wondrous stories that preceded -him, he was fairly worshipped as a deity. Chiefs Red Cloud, Crow Dog and -Two Strikes brought him before the Great Council at Pine Ridge -Agency, some fifty miles distant from Rosebud. - -[Illustration: Battlefield at Wounded Knee (page 87).] - -For more than three months after his arrival thousands of the Sioux -warriors kept up the ghost dance almost nightly. The quantities of -unbleached domestic that they were purchasing at the agency stores and -making up into "ghost shirts," together with the ammunition they were -known to be hoarding convinced the agency authorities at Pine Ridge that -an outbreak was imminent. A call was made for United States troops, but -before any considerable number arrived hostilities had begun. A cattle -herder was killed and a large herd of cattle belonging to the government -was driven into the bad-lands. The same night Chief Red Cloud, who had -become almost blind in his extreme old age, was taken forcibly from his -home near the Pine Ridge agency building and made to lead the hostile -attack on the Jesuit Mission some four miles distant. A desultory -firing was kept up on the agency for some nights afterward, when a -reinforcement of troops arrived and the hostiles withdrew to the natural -fortresses of the bad-lands. - -Chief American Horse appears to have doubted the divine origin of the -Indian Messiah, and held in check some six or seven thousand of his -people encamped on a creek near the agency. In the meantime General -Miles arrived with a strong force of cavalry and artillery. Batteries -were trained on the tepees of the Brule Sioux under American Horse, and -they were ordered not to congregate, which order was respected up to the -close of the campaign. - -Rumors of Indian depredations were of every day occurrence. Settlers -were fleeing from their homes and seeking refuge in the villages. So -great was the terror in northwestern Nebraska that General John M. -Thayer, then governor, ordered out the entire force of the National -Guard, numbering about two thousand men, under Brigadier General Leonard -W. Colby, to protect the Nebraska frontier. - -The main body of hostiles was safely intrenched in the bad-lands and was -only awaiting the springtime, when grass would furnish provender for -their ponies; when they intended to begin their work of destruction on -the white settlements. - -Up to this time no Indian had been killed or wounded, although there -was some heavy firing done in defense of the mission and the agency. -This fact tended to strengthen their belief in the invulnerability of -the ghost shirt which, by this time, was worn by all the warriors. So -great was their faith in the efficacy of this garment to turn the -bullets of their white foe, that Big Foot and a band of about four -hundred ventured to leave the stronghold and commit some petty -depredations within thirty miles of Pine Ridge. - -General Miles promptly dispatched Colonel Forsythe and a troop of two -companies of the Seventh Cavalry to subdue them. It will be remembered -that the Seventh was General Custer's old regiment that met the Indians -on the Little Big Horn on that memorable 25th of June, 1876, when every -man taking part in the engagement was massacred by this _same tribe of -Sioux Indians_ which this detachment under Colonel Forsythe was seeking. -On the evening of the twenty-eighth of December, Colonel Forsythe came -upon Big Foot's band. No resistance was offered at the time, although -the demeanor of the braves foreboded the terrible tragedy soon to -follow. The Indians were escorted some miles distant and ordered to go -into camp on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek, which flows through a -wide, open valley skirted for miles on either side by high, sandy bluffs -and scant growth of fir, cedar and pine. The Indians were made to pitch -their tepees in a semi-circle and park their wagons and ponies behind -them. The soldiers formed in a triangle in front of the semi-circle with -a Hotchkiss gun under command of Sergeant Wingate in the center of the -triangle. The men stood by their guns throughout the bitter cold of the -Dakota night, while the Indians were comfortably wrapped in their -blankets within the shelter of the tepees. As the first rays of the sun -were slanting across the bleak and cheerless plain, the shrill notes of -a bugle rang out on the frosty air. It was the signal to arouse the -Indian camp. They came from their tepees with blankets swathed about -them, and desperation was stamped upon their faces. Big Foot, who was -ill with pneumonia, was first carried out and laid upon a bed of fur in -front of his tepee, and then two hundred and fifty braves seated -themselves in rows about him. Through an interpreter they were ordered -by Captain Wallace to lay down their arms. They were armed mostly with -Winchesters which were concealed beneath the blankets about them. -Suddenly the medicine man of the tribe sprang to his feet and threw a -handful of dirt into the air. It was a signal, and in another instant -the death-like shrieks--the Sioux war-cry, "Hi-yi-hip-yi!" echoed up and -down the valley, and the blaze of two hundred Winchesters sent their -deadly missiles into the faces of the soldiers not over thirty feet -away. There was an instant of hush--then a crash of musketry, and the -last Sioux Indian battle was on! There were wavering ranks of blue as -men fell to the ground wounded or dying; frantic horses dashed riderless -over the plain; forms in red blankets were running hither and thither as -the deadly triangle poured a withering crossfire into the struggling -mass about the tepees. There were swift retreats of small parties, -followed by swifter pursuit of horsemen. Indians were shot right and -left as the mellow cadence of the bugle said, "Fire at will." Squaws -were dashing right and left, attempting to stab the soldiers with their -long, copper-handled scalping knives; boys kneeled on the ground and -coolly fired rifles at the soldiers. They, too, were shot, and -meanwhile the terrible Hotchkiss gun boomed death. Small fleeing parties -gained the sand bluffs and shot the pursuing soldiers. A wagon, drawn by -two ponies and loaded with bucks and squaws who were trying to get away, -was struck by a six-inch shell and literally blown to pieces. Brave -Captain Wallace was killed with a blow from a stone battle-ax as he was -entering a tepee. - -The field of carnage is a dreadful sight. The mind shrinks from -contemplating it. Human life has there passed away. Agony and suffering -is everywhere. Gloom is on men's faces and dark frowns on their brows. -One wishes it were effaced from memory, for in years to come one must -see in fancy and hear again in fitful slumber the dying shrieks and -piteous cries of agony. - -That evening the sun set behind a bank of crimson clouds. Sickening -odors came from the smouldering tepees. Stark faces, stiffening in -death, were turned to the skies. There, too, were the wounded with the -dew of death already upon their brows. Strong lines were drawn upon the -faces of the dead that told of the awful desperation of the soul at the -moment they fell. Weapons were clutched in pulseless hands, and piteous -was the sight of the struggling, wounded horses in their vain attempt to -join their mates in the wild chase among the hills. Amid these scenes -could be heard the prattle of childish voices about the Indian tepees. -In the tenderness of their years and the savagery of their nature they -were unable to comprehend the awfulness of the hour. When darkness came -over the scene like a pall, the booming gun had ceased, but the plains -were aglow with the lurid fires in the high grass--a weird and fantastic -scene. Two hours later and the crimson clouds, which at sunset had -portended evil, burst into fury, and a blizzard, with icy winds and -drifting snows, raged as if to aid the soldiers in their determination -that no living thing should survive the day. - -When, four days later, the winds had spent their fury, and General Colby -was riding over the field with his party, a cry was heard from a -snow-bank that covered the dead bodies of some squaws. A soldier -dismounted and found an Indian pappoose tied to its dead mother's back, -and clasped in the child's arms was a soiled, little rag doll which the -baby fought to retain. General Colby immediately had the little waif -cared for and afterwards adopted her. The Indians named her "Ziutka -Lanuni," which in the white man's tongue means "Lost Bird." She is now -living at the home of Mrs. L. W. Colby in Washington, D. C., a beautiful -Indian girl, well educated, speaking the tongue of the white man, for -she never had the opportunity to learn the language of her people. - -A few days after the battle the great Sioux chief, Sitting Bull, was -slain by the Indian police. The news of the battle spread among the -hostile Indians. They learned that the much prized ghost shirt was no -protection against the white man's bullets, and the closing scene of -this drama occurred some weeks later when the hills about Pine Ridge -agency fairly swarmed with returning hostiles. - -No conquered general in the history of the world ever met the conqueror -with haughtier mien than did Two Strikes, the untutored savage, chief of -the hostile band, when he made his formal surrender to General Miles. -Followed by half a dozen lesser chiefs, he strode majestically toward -the agency school building in front of which stood General Miles and -aides waiting to receive him. His magnificent form was erect, his head, -proudly decked with the eagle feather, was thrown slightly back, while -every muscle of his face was as tense as steel. His warrior robes were -draped about his shoulders, while his arms were folded across a carbine -upon his breast. With measured tread he approached and halted in front -of General Miles and met the mild blue eye of that warrior with black, -piercing eyes that fairly blazed fire. Steadily the two men gazed at -each other for more than a minute. The muscles of the Indian's face -twitched and the proud lips essayed to speak--as though he would hurl a -torrent of defiance and hatred into the conqueror's face. With one swift -movement he laid the carbine at the general's feet, stood erect another -instant gazing with defiant eyes--and strode away to join his people. - -[Illustration: After the Blizzard at Wounded Knee (page 95).] - - - - -XIII. - -THE TRAGEDY OF THE LOST MINE. - - -In 1879, Capt. Charles Watt and Irwin Baker built a cabin in a gulch -some miles distant from where Cripple Creek now stands. Baker had in his -possession samples of very rich gold-bearing ore which he claimed to -have brought from Arizona, where he and a Mexican had been driven out by -Indians, as their reservation at that time extended over that region of -country. The Mexican afterwards died of wounds received in the fight, -and Baker was the sole possessor of the secret of the mine. He would sit -for hours and tell how they had dug the white quartz which was threaded -and beaded with strings of gold, and hoarded vast quantities of it under -a great shelving rock which bore evidence of having at one time been the -home of the Cliff Dwellers. And how he had carefully made a map of the -country and intended when the Indian troubles were over to hire a -sufficient force of men and burros to go there and bring away enough of -the treasure to fix him in comfortable circumstances for the rest of his -life. He often spoke of the map which he kept carefully concealed among -his effects, which consisted of a valise and some mining tools. - -In the fall of 1879 Baker concluded to make a trip to Leadville, which -was then in the height of prosperity, and taking his rifle, blankets, -and a few days' rations, set out on foot. He reached Leadville safely, -and a few days later died of pneumonia. As no one claimed the few -chattels, including the valise, which Baker left behind, Captain Watt as -a matter of course took them. He searched everywhere for the map by -which Baker set so much store, and not finding it, concluded it was -concealed about his clothing and had been doubtless buried with him. And -so years passed on, but the straight story the man had so often told -around the cabin fire in the silence of night, was never forgotten by -Watt, who, in the lonely hours among the towering peaks of the Rocky -Mountains, had thought of it a thousand times. - -But one day, the hand of Fate and Chance took a part. - -Captain Watt needed a strip of leather. There was none to be found. -Finally, his eye rested upon the old valise which had once been the -property of Irwin Baker, which had tumbled about prospectors' cabins for -the last ten years. It was worn out, but the sides would make the strip -of leather the captain wanted. The first slash of his knife revealed -between the outside and the lining a folded sheet of paper, yellowed -with age, and a closer examination proved it to be the carefully -prepared map which Irwin Baker had concealed ten years before. The lines -were drawn with the skill of a civil engineer, and the places so plainly -marked that a party instantly formed, believed they would have no -difficulty in going straight to the lost mine. - -Three others, myself and Captain Baker staked our time and money on the -venture, and another month found us in the country called Coconino in -Arizona through which the Colorado River crosses with many a curve and -twist. It lies in the northern part of the great Colorado plateau and -west of the Moqui country. - -John Bowden, a young civil engineer, was one of our party. He had -studied at Ann Arbor and also at the University of Minnesota. His field -work covered about five years prior to joining us. He was not familiar -with the Southwest, its climate and peculiar topography, but others of -the party were, and in view of his knowledge of civil engineering he was -considered a valuable man to us. - -The sun shines in Coconino. It hangs day after day above Lava Butte, the -Painted Desert, Shinumo Altar, and the Black Falls, as if it were a -destroying angel, not the kindly orb that flashes in the northern belt, -but a consuming, terrifying demon of the desert wastes from which there -is no escape. Those who toil in the city's ways think the sun is hot, -that the humidity is deadly, that pain such as theirs is unknown. They -have never looked up to the solar star from the buttes of Coconino. -There, blazing through the century-dried air all that is inhuman in -stellar heat feeds upon the brain, the senses of man, until he staggers -over the sands and falls to death. - -Our party had made its way north of Mesa Butte, carrying provisions and -water, making slow progress, enduring extraordinary discomforts. It was -after we had camped at the Little Colorado on the south bank, that -Bowden and I, acting upon the advice of Captain Watt, made some advance -explorations to determine how best we should approach Lava Butte, which, -according to Baker's map, was the key to the route to the lost mine. - -We left one morning before sunrise and headed due north for the Painted -Desert. We carried with our horses a two days' supply of water and -provisions. It was impossible after ten o'clock in the morning to -advance farther in the heat. We camped in the swale of a dry arroya, -making such shade as we could, and waited for the coming of the late -afternoon, when we might press on a little more. Bowden attempted some -observations, but found that his sight was affected and that he must -rest. In the evening and before we halted for the night, Lava Butte was -in sight. After supper, Bowden said he would walk a distance under the -stars; and that he would return to the camp within an hour. - -He had not returned by midnight, and I dared not leave the horses and -search for him, but I fired my rifle as a signal at short intervals -throughout the night. The next day I tried to find him, firing my rifle -now and then, until I had burned the last cartridge, and then I made a -fire of dried cactus stalks, in hopes that the smoke would attract his -attention, but all this failed. The water supply began to run short, the -horses were suffering, and Bowden did not appear. I then headed back for -camp on the Little Colorado, intending to follow our trail in the sands, -but the hot winds had swept over the desert and obliterated most of -them. I had depended upon Bowden's qualities as an engineer and had not -taken as close an observation as I would otherwise. However, I -remembered my experience in the Palm Desert of years before, and so -urged my horse along through the torrid heat, always heading for a -jutting butte where I thought our camp to be. At noon my horse died, and -I lay in the shade of some rocks, giving myself up for lost, when, as -the sun was going down and the shadows were creeping over the desert, I -descried the relief party from our camp that was searching for us. - -Bowden's body was found five miles from the camp he and I had made. He -had walked in the night through the dead land, where, in starlight or -sunlight, all things look alike. But there is so much white and so much -grey, that to distinguish one object from another, to remember it, to -say, "I will come back to this," is not possible. So when Bowden started -to retrace his steps, he did not know where he was. The plain was all -north, south, east and west. - -He quite evidently had sat down and tried to collect his thoughts, for -there were marks in the waste indicating the various positions he had -taken. He had a small bottle of water with him, but no food. - -No sound swept the plain. Bowden may have thought he was entombed in -some vast charnel-house of the ages to which Time had brought Nature's -remains and left them without burial. He was on the crest of one-time -vast lava beds, a spot where fearful fires once raged beneath his feet. -Here the last great battle of the peaks of the continent had probably -been fought with thunderbolt and flame hurled from the bowels of the -earth. And he was alone. Not even the wretched lizards of the lava -region were moving. He called. No voice answered. He walked, but it was -in a circle, and he came back time and time again to his starting point. -He waited for the dawn--one hope that the sun's light might give him a -trace of the camp. He saw the shade of the night grow deeper and deeper, -and then the driving of this blackness back from the east and the coming -there of a cold line of grey and then an insolent one of red and a -savage yellow with that, and then, with one leap, the sun. - -He must have scanned the plain, but there was no sight of camp. He -called, he laughed, he cried. He drank his water to the last drop in the -little bottle. He walked and ran. He returned to the spot where he had -first become bewildered. He was hot and then cold, and the sun rose -higher and higher; grew more pitiless with every advance. The white heat -beat down on him; it rose in sheets before him. Now the lizards and the -mean, creeping things came out, but they passed him by. They could wait. -Others had preceded him. After a long time, Bowden threw his hands high -in the air, far up to the sun god that was calling to him, although -beating him down. He fell flat on his face, and there he slept his last -sleep in the land where the sun shines forever and forever. - -A week later and Captain Watt died of gastritis, and our party returned -to Flagstaff and abandoned the search for the lost mine. - - - - -XIV. - -THE LAND OF THE FAIR GOD. - - -Captain David L. Payne was a born frontiersman. He left his home in -Grant County, Indiana, in 1856, at the age of 20 years. He started west -to fight the Mormons, and got as far as Doniphan County, Kansas. Here he -found plenty of excitement and joined the Free Soil party. Five years -later, when the border was aflame with fire and steel, he was among the -first to enlist in the Union army. He served with distinction throughout -the war. In 1865 he was honorably discharged at Ft. Leavenworth, with -the rank of major. After this he went to Pueblo de Taos, New Mexico, and -joined a party under Kit Carson, in an expedition against the Apaches. -And after this he was known as the "Cimarron Scout." - -I first met him in the Black Hills in 1876. He was then talking of -Oklahoma, called by the Indians The Land of the Fair God. He claimed -that the government had no title to the land. The next I noticed of him -was in 1880, when he organized a band of raiders to invade Oklahoma and -open it for settlement. His first company was thirteen strong. They went -as far south as Fort Russell, on the Cimarron, leaving Arkansas City, -April 30. They were captured and taken out by United States soldiers. -But the brave pioneer was not to be daunted. His followers increased and -they hovered upon the banks of the Arkansas River, awaiting the action -of a dilatory congress at Washington until the country was thrown open -to settlement, April 22, 1889. - -Payne was like many other pioneers. He saw the land of promise, but -dared not enter therein and live. Fate reserved this boon for others, -while death decreed the brave soul should explore another bourne than -this. While sitting at a breakfast table in Wellington, Kansas, -December, 1884, he suddenly expired. Others may have felt as much -interest in the opening of Oklahoma as Payne, but certainly none others -devoted so much time and energy to the accomplishment of this work as -he. He began the movement at a time when it was very unpopular, hence -was the object of much unfavorable criticism and abuse, but he did not -allow this to daunt him, and continued to surround himself with a class -of followers who had the nerve to stand for the right. - -On the opening day the people came. They represented every part of the -Union--from the granite hills of Maine to the flowery borders of -California, and from the northern lakes to the gulf. They formed one of -the most cosmopolitan communities ever assembled in the United States, -and as if by common consent all sectional prejudices were laid aside in -one common interest of beginning life anew. When the shadows of night -fell around and about them on that memorable day, Guthrie, the -territorial capital, was a tented city. The rush for lands and lots was -over; and men sat quietly about their bivouac fires discussing the -exciting events of the day. It was a triumph for American manhood and -education; that the day passed off peaceably, and a triumph for which -Oklahomans may well feel proud when the turbulence of the times are -considered. Practically there was no law save that administered by the -United States military, until the organic act was effected, May 2, 1890, -when Geo. W. Steele was appointed governor. - -At the first session of the Territorial Legislature, a bill was -introduced to remove the capital to Oklahoma City. When it was about to -be placed upon its passage Arthur Daniels, the Speaker of the House, -seized the bill and started on a run for the Santa Fe depot, where a -special engine was waiting. Nearly all the members of the legislature -started in pursuit, firing their revolvers at the fleeing speaker. He -safely eluded them; and as the term of the legislature expired by law -that night, the capital was saved to Guthrie. - -Hammers and saws could be heard night and day. Men were building a city. -In an incredible short space of time, palatial residences, business -blocks and church spires rose upon what, a short time since, had been a -barren plain. They had added another dot on the map. - -The administration of Governor Steele was soon followed by the -appointment of Governor A. J. Seay, an heroic figure on the federal side -during the war of the rebellion, an able and kindly man whom history -will revere. He was just the man for the times, for he always had a -pleasant word or sound advice when occasion offered. He had the happy -faculty of always looking at the bright side of life, and when speaking -invariably put his audience in a good humor, as at the close of his term -of office, in an address he said he always took an interest in the -scriptural saying, "If a man die, shall he live again?" The crowd saw -the point and gave a cheer for the retiring old hero so beloved by all. - -About this time E. D. Nix was appointed United States marshal of the -Territory. To Marshal Nix and his faithful deputies belong the credit of -the suppression of outlawry in Oklahoma. At the time he was appointed in -May, 1903, the country was overrun by a banditti that rivaled the noted -James and Younger brothers, in Missouri. There was no safety for life or -property outside the larger towns. Trains were held up, banks were -looted, stores robbed, and travelers were murdered upon the highway. - -To the young marshal, then only thirty years of age, it meant a long and -bitter fight ahead, costing the lives of ninety-one deputy marshals, -and over one and one-half million dollars to the government. - -It was a fight to the death, but the young marshal was equal to the -emergency, and the emergency confronted him. One by one the desperate -bands were either captured or went down beneath the unerring aim of the -faithful deputies; who were all skilled frontiersmen. - -These men were inured to hardships, many had been on the cattle trails, -and had burned cartridges in more than one Indian fight, some had been -marshals of Abilene, Dodge City and other frontier towns in their days -of lawlessness. - -The time will come when men will paint them, write verses about them, as -they deserve to be written about. These men who bared their breasts to -outlaw's bullets, as did deputies Bill Tighlman, W. W. Painter, John -Hixon, Heck Thomas, Ed Kelley, Chris Madson, Wm. Banks, Frank Canton, -John Hale, Frank Rhinehart and many others and to the heroic dead, such -as Tom Houston, Lafe Shadley, Dick Speed, Jim Masterson and nearly a -hundred others who fell as nobly as any soldier upon the battlefield in -country's cause, for it was in country's cause in which they fell. -The graves of these dead heroes should be decorated, as they will be in -time when Oklahomans stop long enough in their monied pursuits to give -thought to services rendered by these noble lives. - -[Illustration: Chief Big Foot (page 91).] - -A bushwhacking war was waged by the outlaws for more than three years. -As soon as one leader bit the dust there was another to take his place. -They were in bands of from ten to twenty and had their rendezvous in the -dark forests of the Chickasaw Indian nation, the Grand River hills of -the Osage Indian country or the Glass Mountains in the extreme west of -Oklahoma. Often they would meet at a given point, do some daring act of -train robbery, then scatter like quails with an agreed place of meeting; -perhaps a hundred and fifty miles away. They were like the Insurgents of -Cuba. No organized force could reach them. They knew every bridle path -in the woods, or trail on the plains. Nothing prevailed but an Indian -mode of warfare; but by long perseverance Marshal Nix's force conquered. - -Bill Dalton was killed, Bill Doolin, Arkansan Tom, Tulsa Jack, George -Newcomb, and Buck Weightman, alias, "Red Rock," all noted outlaw -leaders in time bit the dust, while Bill Raidler fell "bleeding at every -pore" from a shotgun in the hands of Marshal Heck Thomas. - -Tearing open his shirt and looking at his bleeding breast as full of -small holes as the lid of a pepper box, Raidler exclaimed, "Heck you -damned scoundrel, haven't you any more respect for me; than to shoot me -with bird shot," "Only used them for packing, my dear boy, only packing, -you will find plenty of buck shot among them," said Heck, as he slipped -the cold steel cuffs on Raidler's wrists. - - - - -XV. - -OUTLAWRY IN OKLAHOMA. - - -Bill Doolin, noted outlaw, was in the United States jail in Guthrie, -Oklahoma. A chill, drizzling rain was falling and the night was dark. -The half breed Indians and white border ruffians who had been his -companions in the jail for the last two months, had grown tired of their -card playing and had sullenly slunk off to their dirty bunks. Doolin had -a cell of his own, but it had not yet been locked for the night and he -had the freedom of the "bull pen." Near the front of the large room was -a partition of steel bars. Outside this partition was a stove, near -which a deputy marshal sat reading a novel. Another deputy was pacing -the floor. Doolin was thinking of a night like this when he and his men -lay in waiting at Red Rock for the Santa Fe express. How the chill -rain dripped from their broad hats as they held a final whispered -conversation just before the glaring eye of the headlight of the -express flashed on them for an instant as the train rounded a curve, -then the shrill whistle. How he blessed the dark night, and how he -cursed the mud, for it would leave a trail, easy for the deputy marshals -to follow. - -It was action now, the panting engine had stopped at the water tank, the -fireman had drawn down the great nozzle of the water pipe and was -filling his tender. He struck the signal match across the butt of his -revolver. Another instant and his men was swarming over the tender with -revolvers at the heads of engineer and fireman. No time to lose. -Uncouple the express car. All aboard, and the frightened engineer is -compelled to run his engine five miles farther on and slow up at a creek -crossing, where there are other men and horses. A demand is made of the -express messenger to open his car, his answer is a bullet through the -door. Then Raidler crawls under the car and begins sending Winchester -bullets through the bottom of the car at random. One of the bullets -strikes the brave messenger in the head. They hear him fall with a -groan. Quick, the dynamite, an explosion and the door of the express -car is blown open. The pockets of the dead messenger are rifled, the key -to the Wells-Fargo express box is found and next the iron chest is open. -No time to count the big packages of currency and sealed bags of gold -now. To the horses, and then to the Glass Mountains. For this and other -crimes, death or imprisonment for life now awaited him. Oh, why did he -let Bill Tighlman take him single handed at Eureka Springs where he -thought he was safe in masquerading as an honest farmer from Texas. - -A sudden pause in his thoughts, an idea struck Doolin, people knew they -had gotten over $100,000 from the express company, and that money ought -to be somewhere. - -Doolin took a card from his pocket and a pencil and drew a map. Walking -over to the iron grating he motioned to the guard. - -"My heart hurts me tonight," he said, "and I am afraid I am going to -die. I wouldn't mind all this so much if it wasn't for my boy with his -mother over in the Osage nation, but I hate to see that boy go the way I -have. If I could find a good man I'd make him my boys' guardian and fix -him for life." - -The guard stopped and came over to the iron grating. - -"It is like this," continued Doolin. "I have got $30,000 in gold for -some good man who will bring that boy up in the way he should go and be -a father to him, get him interested in some profession, and make a man -of him. I am done for sure and I believe I am going to die tonight, oh, -how my heart hurts, why not you get my money and be a father to my boy, -I believe you would do the honest thing by him, then I could die -easier." - -The guard looked over at his companion to see if he had heard. No, he -was still reading the novel. He looked at Doolin and nodded. Then he -drew close to the iron bars. - -Doolin whispered, "I will trust you," and drew from his pocket the card -on which he had drawn a map. - -"Now stand close," he said, "and see if you can understand this,--here -is the Bear Creek road in Pawnee county, here the ford, here a rock, ten -feet to the south of this rock dig three feet and there is $30,000." - -The guard did not quite understand and drew closer to the bars and took -the card. - -While he was waiting, a long thin hand reached through the grating to -the handle of his six shooter and in a second he was peering down the -muzzle of his own revolver in the hands of Bill Doolin. - -"Keep perfectly quiet," said the outlaw, "you know me, open that bull -pen door very quietly." - -The guard silently obeyed. "Step in," said Doolin, the guard stepped -inside. The next thing and he with the novel was staring into the quick -blue eye of Doolin and the ugly thing he held cocked in his hand. - -"This way boys," said Doolin, and the two guards followed him to his -cell. When they were inside he locked the door, then he called for their -cartridge belts and the revolver, which he with the novel still had -about him. - -In five minutes he was inside a heavy rain coat, had the guards' -midnight lunches stored in its pockets, a heavy Winchester in his hands -and a hundred rounds of ammunition belted about him. Out into the night, -and on to the street where some belated revelers' horses were tied. He -gathered up the reins of a fleet mustang and mounting into the -saddle--"Richard was himself again." - - * * * * * - -For two years, I had been in the government secret service. I had no -visible means of support except that of a newspaper correspondent. My -reports for Marshal Nix's office always went by a circuitous route, lest -I be discovered, to have had my business known would have meant death. -Even Marshal Nix never knew the real source of much information which -reached his office. - -I thought the outlaws were making a rendezvous at the little town of -Ingrim, and I determined to see for myself. Going to the office of the -Daily Leader, I secured a job at very poor pay to write up some towns in -Oklahoma. Suddenly, under pretext of an affection in the head I became -quite deaf. I knew better than go to the town of Ingrim first, lest I -might excite suspicion. So I began at Tecumseh some thirty miles from -Ingrim. I stayed in the town a week, solicited subscriptions and wrote -up the prospects of the place, said many flattering things of the -business men in my write-up, and when the papers came, I distributed -them. The people were pleased with my work, but some complained at -having to talk so loud to make me understand. - -When I finished with Tecumseh, I rode with the mail carrier over to -Ingrim. Sure enough here were my outlaws. They loafed about the only -hotel and saloon, but were always on the alert. I appeared to take no -notice of anything, but kept boreing people to subscribe for my paper, -interviewing merchants and writing up the town. The merchants, I -discovered were glad to have the outlaws there, for they spent money -like water, they paid big prices for their cartridges and bought heavy -supplies of canned goods, which they sent away to be cached in the woods -and hills for a time of need. - -One day I was sitting alone on the hotel veranda reading, when I heard a -man say to another, "I am going to see if that dam cuss is deaf or not." -I heard his cat like step approaching, and then, click, click, he cocked -his revolver at the back of my head. - -It was a trying moment, but I did not move, I did not dare to, for had I -quickly turned my head, I would have betrayed myself and lost my life. - -When he was satisfied that I was deaf as a door nail, he invited me to -drink. I excused myself, and I heard him tell the other man that I did -not have the sense of a muskrat. - -When I left town I owed the hotel man for my last days board, which I -promised to send to him, I did this for effect, and went in an opposite -direction from Guthrie. - -Three days later and two emigrant wagons with farmer like men driving -the teams came down the long red road that leads from the north into -Ingrim. - -An outlaw outrider saw them and rode casually down the road. He engaged -the driver of the first wagon in conversation a moment, and riding to -the side of the wagon he lifted the edge of the cover with his rifle, -and there saw six armed deputy marshals on the hay inside. The outlaw -wheeled his horse and rode furiously back to the village, waving his -broad white hat as a signal. - -The marshals hurried from the wagons and the battle was on. - -Twenty minutes of sharp fighting and the outlaws were fleeing from the -town on swift horses leaving one of their wounded behind, while the -wagons that brought the marshals, carried four of their number back to -Guthrie dead. - -Almost at the same hour that afternoon, another tragedy was being -enacted in the dark forests of the Osage Indian Nation. Deputy Heck -Thomas had tracked Bill Doolin to his lair. He was sleeping under a rude -shelter of branches in the forest, when the breaking of a twig awoke -him. He saw Heck Thomas alone; not fifty feet away, and knew it was a -duel to the death. - -Leaping behind a barricade of logs he opened fire on Thomas who had -sought the shelter of a tree. The duel lasted an hour, each jeering the -other. Thomas held his hat to one side of the tree and when Doolin sent -a bullet through it, he sank apparently helpless to the ground. A long -silence followed. Doolin again jeered the marshal. There was no answer. -He came from behind his barricade to see the effect of his shot, and -received a bullet through the brain. - -It is worthy of mention here that when a company of Rough Riders for the -Spanish war was organized in Oklahoma, a son of Marshal Tighlman and a -son of Heck Thomas were among the first to enlist, and afterwards -stormed the heights of San Juan hill with Colonel Roosevelt. - - - - -XVI. - -A NEW LAND OF CANAAN. - - -It was September of 1893. The Cherokee Strip, a large area of country in -the Indian Territory, was about to be offered for settlement. - -Guthrie, Oklahoma, was at this time filled with homeseekers who were -camped about on vacant lots, in their wagons. They were men of good -intentions. There was also a horde of gamblers and petty thieves who -swarmed like ravening wolves scenting their prey. Saloons and gambling -houses were open day and night, and many a poor fellow fell into the -hands of these legalized bandits--to awaken from the effects of drugged -liquor and find themselves robbed of every dollar they possessed, and -their families without a day's provisions ahead. - -Never was there an American town where morals were at a lower ebb than -Guthrie was at that time. Street quarrels were frequent, and men shot -each other down in cold blood for trivial offenses. There were contests -over claims in Oklahoma proper, and it was no uncommon thing for a -witness to be shot down after he had finished testifying in the land -office. Or perhaps he was called to his door at midnight to stop a -bullet, or was shot through a window while sitting at home with his -family. - -Highway robbery, burglary, thieving, perjury, gambling and -whisky-drinking ran riot. Courtesans and harlots, with painted faces and -tinseled dresses, plied their arts of conquest in open day; while city -officials, not to be outdone in the practices of the hour, took all -manner of bribes from all manner of men. This state of immorality -generated a stench over the town that all the perfume of Arabia the -Blest could not sweeten. - -The Dalton gang of bandits was robbing Santa Fe trains in the Cherokee -Strip, while more than one hundred and fifty United States marshals were -searching for outlaws. When one was found, however, he was usually shot -first and the warrant for his arrest read to the corpse. - -The men assembled at Guthrie at this time were from all quarters of the -United States, and represented almost every nationality. As one rider -dashed up the street on a very fine horse, a gust of wind lifted his -sombrero and landed it near where I stood. I picked it up and was in the -act of handing it to him when he exclaimed: "Hello, Bob, you here!" - -"Yes," I replied, scanning his face for an instant before recognizing -him. Then the face came back to me with pleasant memories. He was my old -friend--Mark Witherspoon. The reunion was, indeed, pleasant to both of -us, and it was late that night before we retired to our respective -abodes. - -Mark had jostled about from pillar to post, in all parts of the world; -he had been in the mining camps of Australia and on the Rand in South -Africa; he had grown rich several times and lost all again and again, -and now he wanted an Oklahoma farm where, he concluded, he would settle -down and live quietly. Just as though wild and impulsive natures like -his could ever be content with a simple farming life. We agreed to make -the run together and, if possible locate our farms beside each other. - -When the opening day came, a blazing southern sun beat down upon the -heads of more than one hundred thousand men drawn upon the line that -marked the border of the new El Dorado. Most of the country on the -southern border lay in high ridges, or in valleys and deep ravines, -which, in some places, were 100 feet in depth, with precipitous ledges -of rock on either side. The country was but sparsely covered with timber -and nearly void of water at this season of the year. The few streams -were impregnated with a mineral poison which had an evil effect for -a long time on the systems of those who drank the water. Yet these -men--many of whom had pioneered the plains of Nebraska and Kansas--were -forced, by the conditions of the times, to seek new homes in this wild -waste. For more than a year, more than 20,000 families had lived like -rats in dugouts along the banks of the Arkansas River, to the north. -To say they lived is a mistake--they only existed. Parched corn and -potatoes comprised the daily diet of hundreds. The winter of 1892 had -been unusually severe for that section, and scant clothing and a lack of -fuel added to the bitter suffering, while innumerable mounds of yellow -earth stood silent monuments to those who braved the vicissitudes of -the frontier in the hope of gaining homes. - -In this new promised land there were some seventy Indian allotments to -be made. These were located by government officials near townsites, for -personal selfish purposes. - -Then came an order from the Secretary of the Interior that all who would -file on lands must register. That caused men to form in ranks miles -long, to await their turn to register. It caused delay, and filled the -pockets of government officials who, for pay, gave preference to the men -of money. For days these men stood in line--a blazing sun above, and -treeless, waterless plains about. Many sickened and were carried away to -die, and, when the merciful night came, the others lay down on the bare, -hard ground, to dream of happy homes--and shiver in the chill autumn -darkness. The towns were platted by government employees. These plats -contained false reservations for parks, and were sold to the men in line -at a dollar each. - -When we reached the line, a mighty caravan was there waiting, stretching -as far as the eye could see, east and west, to the dim horizon on -either side. Men were there with their families; in white covered -wagons, in light running rigs and on horseback. Among them were the -broad-hatted, swarthy fellows from the pampas and chaparalls of Texas. -They were there from the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona. Old soldiers -in the tattered blue of the Grand Army of the Republic were among the -strugglers for homes. Just in front of all was another line, composed of -the troops who were there to see that all kept back of the starting mark -until the signal should be given. The gleam of the rifle could be seen -in both lines. It was a thrilling scene; one upon which no man could -look without mingled feelings of admiration and pity. - -The signal for many to start to the eternal promised land came as the -weary hours wore along. Worn with fatigue and exposure, and fainting -from sunstroke and thirst, many fell from frantic horses that went -dashing riderless over the plains. An officer rode down the line and -halted near the railroad tracks. It was near noon, and an eager man took -the action as a signal. There was a flash, a report. The man lay still -in the sun-baked dust; a drunken soldier had taken a life and desolated -a home. Some revolvers gleamed in the hands of angry Texans and in -another moment the soldier lay writhing in the dust. - -Just then an officer waved his sabre and the signal guns boomed down the -line. Like a mighty tidal wave the dense mass of men, horses and wagons -swayed for an instant and then went on with a rush. There were cries and -shouts--and oaths and blasphemy from the drunken soldiers. The noise of -rumbling wagons and the clatter of horses' hoofs sounded like the -distant roar of cannonading. On surged the swaying line, horsemen -dashing out in front here and there. Every little distance was to be -found the wreck of a wagon that had been crushed in the rush. Other -wagons were stalled in ravines, horses dropped from exhaustion, throwing -their riders, who lay in gullies or on the rocky sides of the mountain -ridges, with mangled limbs, begging for a drop of water. But the mad -fever of the rush was on all and little heed was paid to suffering. - -Our horses were in fine condition and were fleet of foot and ere long we -were in the lead, in a wild race with the wind. We sighted a stream of -clear running water, whose banks were fringed with trees, and a valley -which stretched out for miles to the north. We reached a grove and found -the cornerstone that marked the dividing line of two sections. We fired -our Winchesters as a signal to the others that those claims were taken, -and immediately commenced throwing up earth to show that improvements -were under way. Then, tired out with the excitement of the day, we sat -down under the trees to rest and talk it all over, and, in the late -afternoon, fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. - -It was dark when Mark suddenly awoke and aroused me with the shout: "Get -up, for your life, get up! The plains are on fire!" - -I was on my feet in an instant. The southern sky was aglow. Great -tongues of flame were leaping through the inky blackness of the night, -with a hiss and roar that sounded like the coming of a storm. We -hurriedly mounted our frantic horses and rode swiftly into the northern -darkness--whither, we knew not; our only thought was to distance the -fire far enough to give us a chance to burn a space about us and thus -find safety. - -Suddenly I felt a falling sensation. Then there were pains in my head -and mysterious, dreadful aches in my legs. Visions flitted before -apparently unseeing eyes and at last I came to realize that I was lying -on a cot in a tent. Mark came in and I asked him where I was. - -"Never mind now," he said gently. Tomorrow came, and the next day, and -still another, but Mark remained silent. Gradually my mind became normal -and I distinctly recalled the last moments of consciousness; the prairie -fire, the wild ride to safety. Mark then added the closing chapter. My -horse had plunged into a rocky canon, fully 20 feet in depth. His horse -had scented the danger and had reared, saving him from my fate. He -back-fired the grass, and, in its light, saw me lying at the bottom of -the canon. Tenderly he cared for me during the night and in the morning -got a doctor, who set the broken limb, and here I was convalescing. - - - - -XVII. - -TOLD AROUND THE CAMPFIRE. - - -"You knew Cora Belle Fellows, that white girl at Cheyenne Agency, South -Dakota, who married a buck Indian, eh, Bill?" - -"Yep," Bill Hawkins answered, "and I know what the results were, too. - -"About a year after she had left a fashionable seminary in New York -state and came among the redskins to teach them manners and the like, -she surprised and shocked everybody by announcing her marriage to -Chaska, a full blood Sioux, twenty-one years of age. Then her troubles -began. She was frowned upon by both whites and Indians. She went with -Chaska to his tepee and lived upon the coarse chuck furnished by Uncle -Sam. - -"Her escapade was commented upon by all the newspapers of the country at -the time, and a museum man of Chicago induced her and Chaska to place -themselves upon exhibition. For two years she was inspected by the -public, which in the meantime had made her presents until she had a -carload of furniture. - -"Then she concluded to go back to the Agency and make a farmer out of -Chaska, and so with the money earned in the museum, she and her Indian -lord returned. She purchased land some miles from the Agency and built a -house. - -"The agent and myself rode out there about six months after they had -gone to housekeeping. We were both curious to know how they were getting -along. - -"It was a sight for your whiskers. Outside sat nearly all her furniture. -The covers of plush had been ripped off for Indian horse trappings, the -wood was stained and weather cracked. - -"The house was without doors, worn blankets being hung instead. The -floors were cold and bare. In a corner upon an old mattress lay Cora -Belle Fellows or Mrs. Chaska. An old squaw sat by her side, crooning -some lingo over her new born kid. She did not want to talk and we went -away. Chaska soon after left her and took a wife from his own tribe, -leaving her to live in a tepee about the Agency like any other squaw, -feeding on Uncle Sam's grub. - -"You might as well have tried to shove butter down a wildcat's neck with -a hot awl as to have tried to talk that gal out of marrying the buck." - -"Marrying is bad business, anyway, unless they are both hooked up -right," observed the cook. "There is old Ben Berkley living over on the -Cottonwood. He was pretty well fixed before he married that widder. She -was a spiritualist or something of the sort, and used to go off in -trances and have white lights coming around until she scared old Ben -nearly to death. She was always running over the country telling -people's future and leaving Ben at home to cook. He took to drinking and -one day got the D. T.'s and thought a freight engine was chasing him up -and down the alleys of the town, and he finally crawled under a barn to -keep out of its way, when the boys rescued him. After that he would not -drink any more, but poured the licker in his boots and would get as full -as a tick by absorption. - -"His wife had brought to the ranch a measley water Spaniel, which Ben -used to amuse himself with by throwing cobs and sticks into the river -and teaching the dog to swim in and get them and bring them back to him, -not thinking of the great blessing it was finally to be to him. - -"Ben had been blasting out a hole for a cyclone cellar with sticks of -gun-cotton, when his wife took it into her head that she wanted a mess -of fish. - -"'No time to fish,' said Ben. 'Take a stick of that dynamite and go down -to the creek where the water is still and blow out a mess for yourself.' - -"His wife took the cartridge and lit the fuse, then gave the thing a -toss into the creek. The dog was there and thinking she was playing with -him, swam in and got the cartridge and came running up the bank to give -it to her. Then she started to run over the plowed ground, yelling at -the top of her voice, 'Drap it, Tige! Drap it!' There was an explosion -and a hole in the ground big enough to bury a horse. The dog had gone up -higher than Elijah, while Mrs. Berkley was laying in a furrow with one -leg injured by the cartridge. In a day or two the leg swelled up and old -Ben sent for the cross-roads doctor, who decided that the injured leg -would have to come off. - -"The doctor went to town the next day to get some tools, and was so glad -over getting a job that he filled up on cactus whiskey and came back and -cut off the wrong leg. The sore leg got well afterwards, but, Gee-whiz! -It tickled old Ben nearly to death, for she has to stay at home now." - -"Story sounds fishy to me," remarked Ned Antler. - -"Billy Bolton nearly lost his life for using that word," said Hank Pool. -"You all know Billy runs a paper over at Woodward, on the Panhandle -trail. - -"There had been a hold-up in town, and Jim Belden was accused of it. -After the trial before a justice of the peace, Belden was acquitted. In -commenting on the affair in his paper the next day, Billy said Belden's -story which secured his release sounded fishy. Belden was a bad man. He -saddled his broncho, filled his saddle pockets with grub, and his skin -full of whiskey and went over to Billy's printing office. He hitched the -broncho in front, and with the paper in one hand and his Winchester in -the other he went in and asked Billy what he meant by saying his story -was fishy. Billy was taken by surprise, for he saw that Belden meant to -kill him, as he was all ready to hit the trail. - -"'Fishy,' says Billy. 'Aha, fishy, fishy. Why that's a compliment, my -dear boy. Saint Peter used to fish and said so many good things that -people used to call his sayings fishy. It was a favorite expression with -Aristotle and Socrates, when they addressed Napoleon the Great, to say, -'I hope your royal majesty will speak some imperial fishy things today.' -It is--ah, ahah, sort of an international e pluribus unum expression, a -general sort of a non compos mentis, as it were, you understand.' - -"'Oh, well, if that's all,' said Belden, 'it's all right, but I wouldn't -use the word often if I were you, for some of the boys might not be as -well posted as I am. Much obliged, Billy. I was just passing and thought -I would subscribe for the paper for a year. Here is $2.00. Mail it to me -at Lampassas." - -"Bolton got off light," said Tom Tyler. "Over at Las Vegas two years ago -a sheep man called 'Doc' Kinnie a liar and before the fellow could think -twice Doc had his ear sliced off, and he went around afterwards using -it for a beer check. He would call up the house and pay for the drinks -with the sheepman's ear; he always redeemed it, though, for fear the -owner would buy it back." "Cut it out, boys, cut it out, get to roost in -your blankets," said the boss. "We hit the trail at 5 o'clock in the -morning and make the drive to Cimarron by noon." - -An hour later, the fire had smouldered to embers, the stars twinkled in -the great dark blue dome of the sky, a soft south breeze fanned the -Oklahoma plains and all was silent, save the tramp of horses' hoofs as -the outriders circled the herd of bedded cattle. - - - - -XVIII. - -THE LONE GRAVE ON THE MESA. - - -High upon the mesa northwest of Colorado City, Colo., and near the old -cemetery used by the pioneers of the early sixties, there is a lonely -grave, around which clings a romance of the early days, which is -recalled by the phenomena which many persons say they have witnessed -when passing at night. - -As the story goes, Marie Tinville, the beautiful daughter of Victor -Tinville lived with her parents in a cabin near Colorado City, in 1863. -About that time Leon Murat, a dashing young fellow of about 20 years -came out from St. Louis and found employment on her father's ranch. It -was a case of love at first sight, intensified by isolated conditions -and an almost constant companionship. - -The cabin stood near the now famous Garden of the Gods, and many were -the evenings the young people wandered among the towering rocks in the -wondrous bright moonlight of that region, and talked of love, while the -shadows of Pike's Peak shrouded the dreamy valley. - -Love's young dream was rudely awakened one day in the autumn of 1864, by -the call to arms to join Colonel Chivington in his campaign against the -hostile Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians, who were then murdering the -settlers of Colorado. - -Men were needed, and Leon was brave. He kissed his sweetheart good-bye -and rode away with that avenging column of horsemen who fought the -battle of Sand Creek in Colorado, November 29, 1864. - -Murat's command did nearly three months' campaigning over the dry, -heated plains before any effective work was accomplished. - -Early in November a mounted column of 650 Colorado volunteers of Colonel -Shoup's Third Regiment, 175 of the First Regiment and a few mounted -Mexicans, formed the fighting force under Colonel Chivington. A large -band of Indians was located on the banks of Sand Creek, about forty -miles north of where Ft. Lyons now stands and near the village of Kit -Carson. - -Bent's Fort, a rude frontier structure of palisades, stood some miles -below Ft. Lyons. It was to this point that Colonel Chivington led his -men when he learned that Black Kettle and White Antelope with some three -thousand braves, were encamped upon the banks of Sand Creek. - -The column made prisoners of all whom they met, lest word should reach -the Indians that they were pushing forward to the attack. At Bent's Fort -a halt was made to rest riders and horses. On the night of the 28th the -column headed for the encampment on Sand Creek, taking as a guide, a -half breed son of Colonel Bent, and carrying in their rear a small brass -cannon and ammunition wagon. - -The night was cold and a bleak wind blew from the north. With jingle of -spur and clank of sabre the column rode fours abreast through the -darkness. The Indian guide led them through a shallow lake in the hope -that the ammunition might become wet. When about half way through the -lake Murat's horse floundered and wet him completely in the icy waters. -The column rode on while Anthony Bott remained to assist him. After -dividing his own dry clothing with Murat the two started to find the -trail of the flying column in the darkness. They were favored both by -their knowledge of the plains and the instinct of their horses, but for -five hours they were alone in the darkness of a hostile country. - -They came up with their command in the grey dawn of the morning as they -were forming for battle behind a ridge that overlooked the Indian camp. -Here Colonel Chivington divided his men, sending a column of twos in -opposite directions so as to surround the camp. The Indians were in -their tepees when the cannon sent a crash of iron into their midst. The -battle was on. Chief White Antelope came rushing from his tepee -brandishing a rifle, urging on his followers. The encircling horsemen -closing in on them emptied their rifles and revolvers into the confused -mass of Indians. - -Indian depredations had been so numerous in Colorado and the atrocities -so cruel, that the men, many of whom had been victims of Indian raids -and had lost their all, their families or friends being butchered, gave -no quarter, and when the battle ended they felt even more justified when -there was found within the tepees a number of scalps recently torn from -the heads of white women and children. Nearly 1,000 Indians were killed -when the firing ceased, and a crimson tide ebbed into the creek and -reddened its waters with blood. - -A squaw and a boy were found hiding in the tall grass. Murat shot the -squaw and captured the boy. Bott bought the young Indian, intending to -bring him up in civilization. The boy was standing by his side when, an -hour later a pistol shot rang out from a group of men some yards away -and the young Indian fell dead. Bott was angered, and drawing his own -revolver, offered one hundred dollars to anyone who would point out the -man who fired the shot. No one would tell. - -Murat with a companion was trying to capture some of the Indians' horses -far out on the plain, when one of Black Kettle's fleeing Indians rose -from behind a hillock and shot him dead. White Antelope was killed, -while a large number of Indians under Black Kettle escaped by scattering -like quail over the plain and hiding in the grass. - -While the battle was raging the families of many of the soldiers from -Colorado City had gathered in the Anway Fort at that place, and a -telepathic wave of horror spread over all. Many were praying and -weeping, and all seemed to feel that a dreadful thing was being enacted -in which their loved ones were taking part. - -When the news of the battle reached the fort and the death of young -Murat was announced, Marie Tinville fell in a swoon, after which her -mind was a blank. From that time on her decline was rapid and in a few -months she was laid in the lonely grave upon the mesa. - -After that stories were told of strange things. A white light was seen -about the grave, which vanished on close approach. Once old Ben Jordan -an antelope hunter, came to town at night, his long hair fairly on end, -saying that a white light had risen in front of him near the grave, out -of which protruded a naked arm. The incredulous asked him what he had -been drinking, but he stuck to the story as long as he lived. - -George Birdsall, a young man of Colorado City, had heard the story and -thought it all a joke. He recently went out one night to investigate. -He saw no white light, but felt a peculiar rush of cold air and a touch -upon the cheek as soft as if some one had gently kissed him. - - - - -XIX. - -UNDER THE BLACK FLAG. - - -As the sun went down below the rolling glassy waters of the gulf of -Mexico, I sat on the hatchway steps of the little steamer Dauntless, -fully realizing for the first time that perhaps before morning I would -be swinging to the yard-arm of a Spanish man-of-war. - -I was sick, anyway, and the abominable mixture of whiskey and garlic -which Mark Witherspoon had given me as a preventive against yellow -fever, had made the contemplation worse. - -The Dauntless was loaded with arms and munitions of war for the Cuban -Insurgents and if the Spaniards caught us we would doubtless share the -fate of the crew of the Virginius at Santiago de Cuba in 1873. - -I had credentials as a newspaper correspondent, but Mark Witherspoon and -I had duly enlisted at Tampa, Florida, in the cause of Cuban liberty, -and we were assigned to the third division of Garcia's army under -command of General Ruloff. - -Our little vessel hugged the Florida Keys for more than a week. Meantime -we were reinforced by small parties of twos and threes, who came in open -boats by night. The stores of rifles, ammunition and dynamite came by -small sailing craft. We now numbered thirty-seven men. Eight of us were -Americans, two were Germans and the others were Cubans from Tampa and -Key West. - -On the night we were ready to start the distinguishing lights of a -revenue cutter were seen, so we lay close in a little cove and banked -the fires in our furnace until four o'clock the next afternoon, when we -slipped out and put for the high seas, headed straight for the coast of -Cuba. When night fairly set in, there came small squalls and a drizzling -rain. We had no signal lights out and every sound was muffled, even the -funnel was so protected that not a spark could escape. All night long -everybody was most keenly alert, and it was towards daylight that the -irregular mountain lines of Cuba could be discerned, standing in shadowy -relief against a darkened sky. On entering a little landlocked harbor -we signaled with flash lanterns and were soon answered from the shore. -Nearly a hundred insurgents met us, and the work of unloading quickly -began. During the morning we were reinforced by nearly a hundred more -Cubans who brought ponies and pack mules. As soon as we were unloaded -our vessel hoisted the Danish flag and with all possible speed put out -for the high seas. Her hull was well down on the horizon when we took up -our march inland. Our route lay over tortuous mountain trails over which -our ponies climbed with the agility of goats. The trail was often -dangerous in the extreme, for the slip of a pony's hoof would have sent -both horse and rider hundreds of feet below. We had taken trails unknown -to the Spanish soldiery. - -When about fifty miles in the interior, we reached a plateau and here -found encamped some eight hundred men under General Ruloff. From the -very first I had but little confidence in him. He was a Polish Jew, well -educated in military tactics, but unfitted to conduct a guerrilla -warfare with men like us who were virtually fighting under the black -flag. - -Subsequent events proved this, for at the fight of Santo Esperitu we -left our improvised hospital unguarded, and Captain Sandoval cut to our -rear and captured it and after destroying much of our valuable stores, -put every sick man to death. - -Our rendezvous lay in the province of Puerto Principe and our line of -action westward. After the fight at Santo Esperitu we never massed in -action, but divided into companies of about one hundred, free to run or -fight as our commander ordered. - -Our detachment captured Captain Sandoval and a party of his men, and in -view of his inhuman treatment of our prisoners, he was promptly shot. -Sandoval went to his death as all other cowardly butchers do, trembling -like a leaf in the wind. - -We were ordered by Ruloff to burn all azucaderos (sugar mills) and to -blow up with dynamite all railroad culverts and bridges and to destroy -all telegraph lines. Our division frequently made rapid raids, always -gaining ground westward. The division to which we were attached raided -the town of San Lazaro which was defended by a small body of Spaniards. -We routed them and captured some two hundred Mauser rifles and a large -quantity of ammunition and other military stores. Our commander then -ordered the execution of the alcalde (mayor) for having betrayed a -number of insurgent sympathizers, causing them to be shot, and their -families to be driven through the streets, beaten with sticks. - -Early in November we were encamped near Nuevitas where we had lain -inactive for several days. One afternoon scouts had reported an -advancing column and we had chosen for our ambuscade the ruins of a -stone building, now overgrown with vines and nearly hidden from view by -a cactus thicket. - -There was a hushed stillness in the dark forest that lay beyond the long -yellow road, and in the cane fields that stretched away for leagues to -our right. To the left the San de Cubitas mountains, with their covering -of dense tropical vegetation, rose dark and silent. A lookout had -climbed a tall cebra tree and was watching with a field glass. He -suddenly gave the signal. Then the men were told in whispers each to -select a man and to fire at a given order. The Cuban sun blazed hotly -down that day. The air was close and stifling in our position behind the -cactus thicket and our hearts beat quick and fast in those moments of -waiting. There was the low rumble of horses hoofs, a cloud of yellow -dust arose from down the road, and soon the Spanish column was almost -abreast the 150 rifles that pointed from behind the stone wall. I peered -over the sights of my Winchester and drew a bead on the breast of a -young officer. He was chatting gaily with a companion and as he turned -his face revealed a handsome countenance. It was a boyish face with the -dawn of manhood just settling upon the brow. Thoughts crowded each other -in my mind just then: Perhaps the young man was a conscript, not here by -his own choice to imperil his young life, and I, whom he had never -wronged, an unsuspected foe, safely hid in the cactus thicket behind the -stone wall, about to send his soul into eternity. I lowered my aim from -his breast to his horse just behind the shoulder. The order came to -fire. The trigger that would have pulled like a ton weight a second -before pulled easily now. And so all through those dreadful volleys that -we poured into the struggling ranks. For firing into a mass of men is a -different thing from that of firing upon one man singly. When the smoke -of battle cleared away more than forty of the routed Spanish column lay -dead or wounded in the road. I went to the place where the young -trooper's horse had fallen and there lay the young officer pinioned -underneath with a broken leg. I felt that I wanted to help him. I knew -from the look on his manly face that in private life he would have been -my friend, but to show a kindly feeling at that time would have made me -a suspect among my comrades in arms. Their machetes flashed in the -sunlight and their strokes falling swift and fast reddened the soil of -Puerto Principe. Mark and I stood silent, helpless spectators of the -horrors of war and revenge, wreaked by men, who in the remembrance of -wrongs and outrage, were lost to any feeling of common humanity. There -was only one act of kindness which I dared perform. In the pocket of his -blood-stained blouse I found a letter. It was from his mother in -Seville, and bore a mother's love and sister's prayer for his safe -return. When I afterwards landed at Galveston, I sent it to his home, -with an account of how he died upon the battlefield. - -The blazing sun was yet high when we were in our saddles and moving -away. I saw a vulture circling above the battlefield, one, two, then a -dozen, then a score. These black-winged scavengers had scented death, -and there let contemplation end. Night comes suddenly in the tropics, -when the sun dips beyond the sea, but here and there in the valley were -lights, lantern like at first, spreading soon like a long prairie fire. -They were in the cane fields which our men were firing, and as the -flames swept on, the bursting stalks sounded like a battle with light -revolvers. It lit the night, and its glare and gloom added mystery to -the dark forest beyond the road. Morning came and we were safely -encamped amid the hills. The birds sang merrily and the sun dried the -dew upon the tall, rank grass, and when it came roll call, two names -were stricken off. They had reported the day before to the Great -Commander of the great beyond. - - - - -XX. - -IN CUBAN JUNGLES. - - -Spies brought news of an encampment of Spanish infantry a day's march -ahead. All was hustle in the Cuban insurgent camp. Twenty-eight Texans -who had recently joined our command were allowed the privilege of -leading our column to the attack. That day we followed circuitous -mountain trails and encamped at night in the heart of a dense forest -through whose trailing vines we made our way along the bridle paths. By -4 o'clock in the morning we were again in the saddle. There was no blare -of trumpet or beat of drums to announce our coming as our column of -horsemen stole from out the silent forest and wound along the road like -a great creeping serpent to strike death. - -The Spanish camp was beyond a small stream through which we were to -charge. Halting a mile beyond their picket lines, saddle girths were -tightened, weapons were looked to, and we formed in a column of fours. -Americans to the front, and ready for the charge. Ten stalwart Cubans -were selected to form the skirmish line two hundred yards in advance and -engage the enemy when they reached the banks of the stream. The column -was then to charge at a gallop and use the revolver and machete. - -The first rays of the sun were gilding the mountain crests and awakening -the flamingoes around the lagoons when a Spanish sentry's rifle told the -moment of action had come. - -On pressed our column at double quick, while the increased firing ahead -warned us that the Spanish camp was aroused. There was the heavy rattle -of Mauser rifles, followed by the sharper report of Winchesters as our -advance guard reached the stream and drew aside to let our column pass. - -The little river flowed from the mountains and plunged over rock and -cliff in wild tumult. Below the ford which we were crossing there were -falls and as the Spaniards fired a volley that struck our column midway -in the stream, they emptied many saddles, while wounded men were -carried down to watery graves. - -The Spaniards threw a double cordon of infantry at bayonet charge -against our cavalry, but the Texans' revolvers opened a gap and the -column rode through the demoralized camp, doing its fearful work. On the -column plunged, fire leaping from the deadly revolvers on either side. -When beyond the Spanish camp, the bugle sounded wheel, and back we rode -among the panic stricken soldiers, dealing death until they broke in -confusion, and gained the cover of the forest. We halted long enough to -gather up our wounded and burn the supply train. An hour later and we -were in full retreat to our rendezvous in the San de Cubitas mountains. -One evening Mark and I started for the vicinity of an azucadero, where -we knew there was a patch of sweet potatoes. The night was dark, damp -and chilly, and the road lay through a clearing of tall palms whose -white trunks stood like ghostly sentinels. The silence was unbroken save -by the sound of horses' hoofs, the croaking of frogs and the distant -baying of dogs about some negro casa. We did not suppose there was a -Spaniard within fifty miles of us, and as we rode our ponies silently -along a horseman suddenly appeared in front of us, and in clear -Castilian tones shouted: "Quien vive!" "Cuba Libre!" cried Mark, drawing -his machete and spurring his horse forward. At the same instant I -discharged my revolver full in the sentinel's face. We wheeled our -horses and rode quickly into the clearing, knowing better than to -retreat by the road we came. It was well we did not, for soon a body of -Spanish cavalry came tearing down the road, firing a volley ahead at -random. We rode on through the clearing, being now cut off from our -command. At length we came to a creek whose banks were steep and fringed -on either side by trees, from whose branches hung a network of tangled -vines and creepers. The water flowed sluggishly, as most streams in Cuba -do. We determined to cross the creek at once, knowing that with the -first streak of dawn we would be tracked, for we had left an easy trail -in the soft soil. We used our machetes with great difficulty to cut a -path through the vines, and when we reached the water's edge swam our -ponies across and cut our way through on the opposite bank where we lay -down to await developments of the morning. Both of us must have fallen -asleep, for we were startled by a loud grito alto from the other side of -the creek. Peering through the bushes we saw a Spanish trooper -gesticulating to a party of cavalry in the rear. In another second there -was the simultaneous report of our two Winchesters and the trooper -rolled from his horse. We hurriedly mounted our ponies amid the -fusillade of bullets from the approaching squad of cavalry, and spurring -our horses toward a cane field, we were soon hidden. A little later we -abandoned our horses and started them off in another direction with a -lashing, thinking thereby to gain time and elude our pursuers. Then we -started for the azucadero. It was our first intention to fire it, -thinking its flames would attract the attention of our command and bring -us relief. But as we came out of the cane field we saw a body of -troopers crossing a bridge which spanned the creek. We did not think -they saw us, and in our haste to find a hiding place we ran around the -building to a well which supplied the boilers. Leaping on a platform we -found a lot of empty sugar hogsheads standing on end near a lot of -filled ones. We quickly rolled an empty beside them and turned the open -end down, getting under it. The troopers had seen us and tracked us -straight to the well. They supposed we had descended by means of the -pump pipe and hidden our bodies in the water, for they began hurling -stones in the water and with a mixture of Spanish oaths called us "Perro -Americano" (dog American). Satisfied with their work of exterminating us -in the well, they rode away. - -Meanwhile we were couched in close quarters, with our revolvers tightly -clenched, determined to sell out as dearly as possible. When they had -gone, Mark whispered, "I am badly shot," indicating the spot by placing -his hand upon his abdomen. The morning wore away and our situation was -becoming unbearable. We were cramped and almost suffocated. Mark had -swooned away twice in the agony of pain. Fortunately we had filled our -canteens from the brackish waters of the creek, which alleviated our -sufferings some. Yet it was past noon before we ventured out. I helped -Mark inside the azucadero, where he laid down upon a pile of cane -refuse, while I examined his wound. One look was enough. The contents -of the abdomen were oozing out through the wound, and I knew that was a -fatal sign. I carried a pocket case containing a few medicines for an -emergency, among which was some morphine. I gave him an eighth grain -tablet which relieved him some, but at times his pain grew so great that -he begged me to shoot him. - -We could hear distant firing during the afternoon, but the sounds were -growing fainter and we knew our command was retreating. When night came -on I gave Mark another tablet of morphine and lay down for some rest. -The dreadful chill that always follows a gunshot wound had set in, but I -had no blankets or other coverings with which to lessen his sufferings. -Thoroughly exhausted myself, I soon fell asleep, and when I awoke late -in the night, I was alone with the dead. For me to bury him was -impossible, and I could not think of leaving him there a prey to the -vultures. So I did what I should have wanted him to do for me had our -places been reversed. Sorrowfully I left him alone in the now burning -azucadero and while the flames of his funeral pyre were lighting the -night, I started for the sea. - -That day I fell in with a party of insurgents who were on their way to -the coast to meet another filibustering vessel. As malaria and the -effects of climate were telling heavily upon me, they kindly gave me aid -in boarding the craft, by which I afterwards landed at the docks at New -Orleans, feeling that I had done my share in the cause of Cuban -liberty. - - - - -XXI. - -EMULOUS OF WASHINGTON. - - -"I don't know that I can tell you fellows about the first dollar I ever -earned," said W. P. Epperson, the pioneer editor of the Colorado -City--------, "but I do know the first and last lie I ever told." - -"You ought to remember, seeing that it has not been over twenty -minutes," said George Geiger. - -"Twenty minutes be smashed!" yelled Epperson, reaching for his gun, -"it's been twenty years this summer. My first lie was a trivial one -about fishing, and the last happened in this way." - -"Twenty years, did you say?" interrupted the hired man with an -incredulous look. - -"That's what I mean," and the veteran editor took another chew of Battle -Ax, while a halo of white settled down about his head. - -"In the autumn of 1885," he continued, "I stepped off a Union Pacific -train at Silver Creek, Nebraska, and after a good supper I determined -to drive across the country to Osceola, a distance of thirty miles. The -driver of the livery rig was about the most handsomely attired imitation -of a cow boy I had ever seen. He wore a new suit of corduroy with a -broad sombrero and high-heeled boots with ornamented red tops, also a -bright blue shirt and a rattlesnake skin necktie. I had him sized up for -a green country boy from Indiana or Illinois who had seen but little of -frontier life, and he confirmed my suspicions a little later as we were -crossing the Platte River bridge by saying, 'I suppose if you knew what -my business had been you would hesitate to ride with me alone on the -plains at night.' - -"It was getting dark and we were crossing a wide stretch of the then -desolate plain that lay between the Platte River and Osceola. I was -enjoying a cigar and felt at peace with all the world, when a devilish -thought struck me, and I asked, 'What has been your business?' - -"'Well, sir,' he replied, 'I have been a cow boy.' - -"'The deuce you have,' said I, 'Shake, old man, you are a fellow after -my own heart, and since you have been so kind to tell me your business, -I will let you know who I am. I, sir, am Doc Middleton.' - -"The fellow almost fell from his seat in surprise. Doc Middleton was the -notorious outlaw whose depredations had become so terrorizing to the -settlers of Nebraska that the State had offered a reward of $5,000 for -his capture, dead or alive. I enjoyed the joke I was playing all the -more when I saw the effect of my speech. - -"'Just now,' I continued, 'I am trying to get away from a sheriff's -posse; that is why I am making the cut across the country. They may -overtake us, and if they do, there will be some heavy shooting.' - -"'With this I drew a big Colt revolver from my overcoat pocket and I -said I had two more like it in my valise. I also told him if they -overtook us he must get down by the dashboard and drive for dear life, -that he might get shot in the back, but that would be cow boy's luck. - -By this time he was nervous and began looking backwards as he whipped -the ponies up at a lively gait. I did not pretend to notice it and so -kept up my lying. - -"'The first man I ever killed,' I told him, 'was a one-eyed man in Utah, -who called me a liar, and I threw his body over a cliff, and my -conscience hurt me for full half an hour afterwards. After that I soon -got so I loved to blow a man's head off just to see his brains fly.' - -"It had grown quite dark, and having nothing better to do, I told him -all the bloody stories I could think of and claimed them as my own -experience until I became tired of the foolishness and lapsed into -silence. We had made about half our journey and were passing a farm -house set in a dense grove of trees. There were lights in the house and -the young man broke the silence by asking, 'Please, dear Mister Doc -Middleton, may I go in and get a drink of water? I think I have got a -fever in my throat.' - -"'Certainly, my boy, certainly,' I replied taking the lines. He slid off -the rig and ran to the house, while I sat there like a fool holding the -horses. About twenty minutes passed and he did not return. Then I -noticed the lights in the house had been extinguished. I called loudly -for the young man to return, and when it flashed over my mind that to -him I was the outlaw Doc Middleton, and he might warn the farmer of my -presence, who might even then be waiting to get a shot at me, I yelled -again for him in fear, louder than before, but there was no response. -The more I thought of my predicament, the more nervous I became, until -the cold sweat stood out like beads on my face. - -"I could stand it no longer, and seizing the whip, I cut the horses a -lash and crouched down by the dashboard just as I had been instructing -the young man to do. In the sudden dash, the horses broke one of the -buggy springs, and I wandered on the plains until morning, for I had -missed the Osceola road. It cost me $2 to have the spring mended and $5 -to send a man back to Silver Creek with the rig, to say nothing of being -scared within an inch of my life." - - - - -XXII. - -ON THE ROUND UP. - - -The round-up of today differs in no essential particular from that of -former years, excepting in the number of cattle rounded up and the -number of men and horses required in its working. - -In 1900 I spent some months on a ranch in northern Colorado, where there -are still large bunches of cattle. - -For some days prior to the start the foreman had been busy preparing the -wagon, rounding up saddle horses, hiring men and making final -arrangements for the start. - -When the day arrived everything was in a state of activity and as -evening approached the corral was filled with horses. Each "waddie" was -tolled off his string of mounts. Ten to each man, and after the summer -on rich buffalo grass every horse was in a state that boded no good for -the unaccustomed rider. - -That night we ate our suppers at the chuck wagon at the round-up camp, -after which the boys sat around a chip fire, telling stories and -smoking. - -The cowboy story differs from any I have ever heard, both in -extravagance of statement and manner of telling. They relate to anything -and everything that has ever come under his acute observation. - -"I always had an especial desire to make governors my associates," said -"Beaut" Bowers, "so with a view to a pleasant acquaintance I once called -upon Governor Waite, presenting the compliments of Governor Rentfrow of -Oklahoma and several other governors, none of whom had sent any -compliments, but then they are so cheap I thought I could give him a few -without their missing them. - -"I had heard that he wanted to ride to his bridle bits in blood and I -wanted to get into the swim, although I would rather it was beer. - -"It was the governor's day to be out of sorts, and he did not seem -inclined to talk. I wanted to talk and resolved to break the ice of his -reserve in some manner. So when he asked how the people of Oklahoma -stood the panic, I told him we had not felt it in the least. He seemed -surprised at this and asked, "Why not!" I replied we were all too poor -to own anything and had got beyond expecting it. "Well, poor people have -to live; how do they manage for some money?" I told him when silver was -demonetized we took to catching Keeley graduates and scraping the -chloride of gold off them with a case-knife and had done fairly well. - -"The old man stared at me and asked me if I had wheels in my head too. -Everybody had been saying the old governor had wheels in his head until -I believe he was afraid to pick his ears lest a cog clip the end of his -finger off. - -"I had recently been on Zack Mulhall's ranch in Oklahoma, where the -Reverend Buchanan used to come and talk Populism to the boys until I got -tired of it one night and stole his false teeth where he put them to -soak in a tin cup. There was a lot of socialism too, in his talk that -didn't go down, for on that ranch the first fellow up of a morning got -the best socks, and that made me fall out with the idea of community of -interests. But to humor the governor I spoke of the widespreading -revolutionary sentiment in Texas and Oklahoma and hinted that they had -their eyes turned eagerly on his movements, as it was their hope he -might devise some way to lead the country out of the silver difficulty. -He then showed me a letter from President Diaz, of Mexico. It suggested -another pan-American congress in the interests of silver. "It's no use, -though," he said, "the last assembly of the kind amounted to nothing. -Eastern influences would soon retard any movement of the sort.' - -"'If we are to continually be the back dooryard of the east,' I replied, -'the sooner we secede from it the better.' - -"Here was a long pause, the old man looking at me intently to see if the -wheels in my head were working, and I tried at the same time to discover -if the machinery in his was all right. - -"Seeing the point of vantage I continued: 'Divide the country from the -Mississippi River, establish a new republic with our own capital, make -Galveston our New York, with a national railroad to that point; coin our -gold and silver, make banks a public trust, with any betrayal of it -punishable as high treason. If we are going into revolution we must -have something like this for our object, otherwise we will only -terminate in anarchy. As governor of Colorado call for a delegation of -representative citizens from other states to meet here in convention and -start the ball rolling.' - -"I delivered this sentiment in round, strong terms, while the governor -listened, apparently pleased. - -"You will see all you want to of revolution before two years,' he -quietly said, 'it is coming sure as fate and were I your age I would win -fame and fortune by--' - -"At this moment an unfortunate affair happened. An Indian had given me a -white bulldog. That dog had more sense than half the people and I loved -him like a brother. One day the dog got too close to the heels of a -heifer and she kicked one eye out. He felt so bad over it that I wrote -to an eye doctor to send me a glass eye for my dog. He wrote back that -he did not deal in dogs' eyes, but sent me a bright blue human eye. One -of the boys and I managed to fix it in and the dog was very proud of it, -only it fit so tight he could not wink. He would lay for hours asleep -with the glass eye staring with an expression of strangled innocence -confronting the murderer. Where I went that dog went also, and all -through the conversation with Governor Waite my dog lay on the floor -asleep, but that glass eye kept staring at the governor's dog until he -took it for an insult and came over to our part of the room for a scrap. - -"In the melee of separating the dogs the governor jabbed his thumb in -that glass eye and nearly cut it off. That made him so mad he would not -talk any more and I may have to wander on through eternity guessing what -he would have said. My dog felt so humiliated that he went home by the -back alleys." - -Other stories followed, relating to horses and daring deeds of their -riders. It seemed like we had only slept a few moments when we were -awakened by the call of the boss, "roll out," "roll out." In a short -time every man of the twenty-five was on his feet, rolling up his bed -and throwing it in a pile ready to be loaded on the wagon. All gladly -answered to the call, "Chuck's ready!" - -Each man took a plate and tin cup, knife, fork and spoon, and went to -the Dutch ovens, where everything was cooked and helped himself. The -breakfast consisted of bacon, potatoes, warm bread and black coffee. -Seated on the ground Turk fashion, with plate on knees and cup by side, -we ate our hearty meal. - -After breakfast the bed wagon was loaded with its freight. The chuck -wagon which was driven by the cook and drawn by six horses, pulled out -for the next camp, followed by the wrangler with the bunch of unused -saddle horses. Orders were given to the riders, the place of the next -camp appointed. The range was divided into circles, beginning at the old -camp and ending at the new. Riding the outside is the hardest of all. -The boys took turns at this as each must use his best horse, start first -and get in last. It is his business to round up all the cattle on the -limits of the range and throw them toward the center, where they will be -taken up by the next man and so on until the whole is bunched together -and driven to camp. Here they were held in a bunch until the foreman -with his chosen riding men and trained cut horses went into the bunch -and cut out the beef cattle and calves that had escaped branding and ear -marking. - -The beef cattle were then cut into a bunch by themselves and held by -some of the men. After the beeves were out the calves were branded. The -calves were roped from horseback, generally by both hind feet, then -another rope was thrown over the head and the calf stretched out. Thus -held by two horses the hot branding iron was applied. This required only -a moment and "doggy" was on his feet making for the main bunch. So the -work proceeded until the whole bunch had been worked. - -The beef cattle were driven along with the wagons and night herded until -five train loads had been gathered. - -The unused saddle horses were herded and kept with the camp. They were -brought to the wagons each morning by the wrangler. For a corral to -catch the horses in, two long ropes were stretched out in the form of a -triangle, using the wagon as one side, into which the bunch was driven. -Each man then roped his horse for the day. A different horse is used -each day, so that one horse is used only once in about eight or ten -days, according to the number of horses a man has on his string. - -I rode the outside one day with "Beaut" Bowers. We chose our stoutest -horses, cinched on our hulls and rode in a steady lope from 5 o'clock -in the morning until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. - -[Illustration: Pueblo de Taos (page 181).] - -When a bunch of cattle was found we started them in toward the center on -a full run. We took our slickers from behind our saddles and waved the -cattle into a run, which carried them within the next rider's circle. - -The cowboys are master hands at yelling, and cattle run at sight of a -man on horseback much faster when he begins to yell. - -Two or more men went on watch at sundown to keep the cattle from -straying. Later in the evening the cattle become quiet and bed down. If -the night is still and nothing happens to disturb them, they will remain -quiet all night. The stampede is one of the worst things that can -happen, even now in these days of wire fences. - -If the cattle are only a little scared they may be easily quieted, -though sometimes they break away and the men on guard have to ride at -break-neck speed through the night, over ground that is dangerous even -in the day time. More than one fellow has met with a broken limb or ribs -from such a mad ride. - -When the cattle break away in this manner the men ride alongside of the -bunch and gradually work up the leaders and sometimes even throw their -horses over against them in an attempt to get them to "milling"--that -is, get them to running in a circle. Once this is accomplished, the -rest is more easy. The bunch is kept milling until exhausted, when they -gradually slow down, and at last, after perhaps hours of hard riding, -quiet down. Through the rest of the night they need close watching; they -are nervous and may break away again. When the cattle become restless at -night the boys sing and whistle and walk slowly around and around the -bunch. The sound of the human voice seems to have a soothing effect on -them. - -When we had gathered five train loads of beef they were driven to the -railroad station, where car after car was loaded. - - - - -XXIII. - -THE EGYPT OF AMERICA. - - -Once I made a horseback ride from Trinidad, Colorado, to El Paso, -following the old trail over the Glorietta mountains to Pueblo de Taos -and thence by easy stages to El Paso, Texas, my object being to prospect -for placer mines. - -It is a wild, weird scene, when after crossing the Glorietta range, one -finds himself in this storied valley of the Rio Grande, New Mexico, that -mysterious land of sunshine, of eternal silence and (may I say) eternal -sadness. Sunlight paints the landscapes in rarest tints of blues and -greys, heightened by vermillion and bright ochre colorings on cliff and -crag, whose silence of ages is broken only by the rumble of the train, -to relapse again into its wonted quietude. The land has been asleep for -over three hundred years, while the world's progress has been going on -about her. Once she was aroused when the cattle men came from over the -range and stocked her valleys, but the cattle did not do well. Then she -laid down for another nap. These valleys are those of sadness like unto -fabled regions of the hereafter, wherein ungodly spirits are destined to -roam forever in isolation from kindred beings. Sad-eyed Mexicans lean -against the sunny side of their adobe huts--they are always leaning -against something, as though their weak anatomies would not stand alone. -They are poor, very poor, but proud. Let a stranger go to their casas -and their hospitality is never wanting. A frugal meal of corn, beans and -chile is divided with as free a hand as a minister's benediction. -Sad-eyed sheep graze upon the scant vegetation of hill and valley, while -the mournful, philosophic donkey does the work of the land,--and perhaps -the thinking, too. When the shadows of night fall and the mountain range -stands in dark relief against the sky the eye can trace the outlines of -grotesque faces formed by irregular peaks and curves. Many of them have -traditions old as the Sphinx, for the semi-civilization of the Aztecs -that once inhabited this land dates hundreds of years before Cabeza de -Vaca explored these valleys of the Pecos and Rio Grande. The sacred -fires of the Aztecs have died out in the ashes of the past, yet there -are those living who still look for the coming of Montezuma. It seems -that every race of people in their decline look for the coming of a -redeemer. This belief is kept alive by the Pueblo Indians of these -valleys, who bow to the sun from their housetops as he shines from over -the mountain range at early morn. Like the men of Mars Hill, they -believe in "the unknown God," whose name is too holy to be spoken. They -hold sacred all animals living in or near water, which in this dry -climate is the greatest blessing. - -At Taos they have a tradition that at the flood a few faithful Pueblos -gathered upon a mountain top and waited long and in vain for the waters -to subside. At last a youth of royal blood and a beautiful virgin -decorated with brilliant feathers, were let down from the cliff as an -offering to the angry Deity. The waters soon fell, and the youth and -maiden were transformed into statues of stone. With all the silence and -sadness of this region, contentment seems to reign supreme, and if some -genius with the pen of Washington Irving will study the simple ways of -these Mexican people and write of their traditions he will do mankind a -service and make himself famous. - -Swiftly flows the Rio Grande along its shallow banks, from whence here -and there runs an irrigating ditch which waters a patch of corn or -vineyard, near the adobe houses which are scattered thickly along the -banks of the river, from the Sangre de Christo mountains to the Mexican -sea. Here for over three hundred years a semi-Spanish civilization has -existed in a sweet contentment to which the Anglo-Saxon race was born a -stranger. Here is the Egypt of America, teeming with the traditions of a -simple people, content almost with breath alone. - -The old mission of Las Cruces was among the first built by the Jesuits -in this valley. Behind its altar were two crude paintings of Santo -Domingo and Santa Rita, and between them the statuettes of the Virgin -and St. Joseph. Beneath the whole was a painting, the scene of which the -artist had located somewhere on the borderland between heaven and hell. -Gilded saints were flying off in one direction while great horned toads -and scorpions were pulling dark browed Mexicans and Indians into a sea -of flames. At this mission was held the first Auto de Fa in New Mexico. -An Apache chief had been made a prisoner and was set to work herding -sheep. One day he lost one and the holy father said: "Son of the -infidel, what did you do with that sheep?" - -"I lost it," replied the Apache, "but you may take it out of my pay." - -"Pay! what pay, you sacrilegious toad?" - -"Why, out of my daily lashes." - -"Holy saints protect us!" exclaimed the padre. "Theft, disbelief and the -church itself defied! We will have Judaism here next. Away with him to -the faggot fires." - -Then, as the flames crept around the Apache chained to a stone post, he -repented and the father baptised him and agreed to meet him up yonder, -but did not offer to put out the fire. As about two hundred and fifty -years have passed since then, they have perhaps met and adjusted their -differences by this time. - -Cruel as these old religious zealots may have been at times, they did a -world of good, for they semi-civilized the natives. - -Beside the yellow waters of the Rio Grande and near the Sierra Blanco -range, lies El Paso. Its streets were busy with traffic, and tall -buildings rose majestically on either side. But the wind sweeps through -the mountain pass and the dust storms darken the sky for days at a time. -Like all other desert regions the chief boast of its inhabitants is -climate and "this exceptionally bad weather only known heretofore to the -oldest settler" grows irksome when one has heard it five hundred times -in like regions. Around and about El Paso for three hundred miles north, -south, east, and west, is desert, and to those who have never seen a -desert country it is surprising how all conditions of life are changed. -These conditions are harder than in humid countries. In our northern -land between Canada and the Gulf, that which sustains life grows in -abundance and few people there are who know what it is to be hungry. But -here in El Paso there are many of the poorer classes who actually suffer -for something to eat. - -Within thirty minutes the entire scene had changed. I had crossed the -river and was in El Paso del Norte, on the Mexican side of the Rio -Grande. Narrow lane-like streets, white adobe buildings with heavily -grated windows make the stranger feel that he has intruded on a -convention of county jails. In half an hour I had gone backward three -centuries. Silent, dark-browed figures walked the streets with Spanish -cloak or serape wound majestically around them, donkeys laden with wood, -peddlers with hogskins filled with pulque, strangely attired Mexicans, -all formed a weird street scene not soon to be forgotten. - -[Illustration: We Saw Smoke Signals (page 187).] - -It was on the plaza here that General Bonito Juarez camped his little -force of 150 men while he went to Washington to appeal to this -government to enforce the Monroe doctrine in the midst of our own -rebellion. When the American ultimatum went forth to France, Napoleon -III withdrew his French troops. Then Juarez marched on to the City of -Mexico gathering strength as he went. The unfortunate Maximilian fell -into his hands and was executed on the "Cerra de las Campus" (The Hill -of the Bells), near Queretaro on the 19th of June, 1867. General Bonito -Juarez was a full blooded Aztec whom Fate seems to have ordained to -bring about the political regeneration of his country. - -It was a gala day in El Paso del Norte. A company of Rurales from the -interior was to contest in a shooting match with the Carbine Rifles and -bets were running high. Both sides did some good shooting at 500 yards -and the Carbine Rifles won. Bets were paid freely and everybody was in a -good humor. - -I had formed the acquaintance of Captain Esperanza Provincio and at his -invitation I fired a few shots, hitting the bull's eye each time with -one of the Mexican carbines. - -This excited everybody's attention and soon some Americans offered to -bet that I could beat any man they had in their company shooting at 500 -yards. The bets were taken and I was pitted against six crack shots -belonging to the Carbine Rifles. I won in every instance and received a -neat sum for my skill from my American friends who had won the Mexicans' -money. Captain Provincio, not to be outdone in generosity, caused a -handsome silver medal to be made which he afterwards presented to me -with the compliments of his company. - -The Military Band from Chihuahua discoursed sweet music in the plaza -that night to a large crowd of citizens from both towns. - -The Mexican plaza is the national chimney corner, where at evening a -band plays wild, weird strains of martial music, and the young gather -about the old to hear tales of daring and valor. It is the plaza where -the traditions are kept alive and where the young are taught that the -very acme of glory in life is the battlefield. - -The soft effects of moonlight, the plaza with its green trees, -fountains, and sauntering of senors and senoritas in the presence of the -silvertoned bells of an old cathedral and the weird strains of martial -music, form the pleasant remembrances of El Paso del Norte, since named -Juarez. - -In company with a Mexican miner named Martenez I rode westward along the -Mexican border for two days, and thence toward the northwest to Gila -River, when one morning we saw to the southward a column of smoke -ascending. We knew it to be Indian signals and so rode our bronchos into -a clump of bushes on the river banks in order to be out of sight. - -On scanning the plain with my field glass I saw a column of dust rising -far to the north like a pillar of smoke and rightly guessed it to be -caused by a body of horsemen. From the speed they were making, I judged -they were either pursuers or being pursued. In either event, we felt -fairly safe, as our bronchos were in good condition, were splendid -animals, and as we had used them well of late, we believed we could -outdistance them if they proved to be hostile Indians. Nearer the cloud -of dust approached and the closer I looked with my field glass until I -discovered they were Apaches making all haste to reach the mountains. -They crossed the Gila River, which was at flood tide, five hundred yards -from where we were concealed and disappeared in the direction from -whence we saw the smoke signals. We had made up our minds to remain in -our hiding places until night, when I saw another dust cloud in the same -direction as the first, and in a little while I made out that the dust -was raised by a party of scouts and rode out to meet them. They were led -by Captain Jack Crawford and were in pursuit of the murderous band of -Apaches who had been killing ranchmen in the upper country. - -The scouts continued on the pursuit, while we rode away in the direction -of Silver City. - -It was that band of marauding Apaches which we saw crossing the Gila -River that furnished the cause for the Geronimo war, which broke out -soon afterwards. It was not until March, in 1886, that General Crook -captured Geronimo and his band of Chiricahua Apaches, who escaped from -him while they were being taken to Ft. Bowie. The chief and band were -recaptured by General Nelson A. Miles in Mexico some months afterwards -and sent to Fort Pickens, Florida. Geronimo and fourteen of his band -were afterwards taken to Ft. Sill, Indian Territory. Here the cunning -old Chief spent most of his time playing monte with the soldiers. - - - - -XXIV. - -IN THE DOME OF THE SKY. - - -There are three ways of reaching the summit of Pike's Peak--walking, -riding a burro, or seated comfortably in one of the coaches of the Cog -Road. - -It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the car was pulled out of the -yards at the foot of the Peak. The strongly-built little engine puffed -like a living thing, obedient to the task of drawing its heavy load. The -wheels moved rapidly, and we ascended the steepest mountain railroad in -the world. It wound about the mountain sides in little curves, climbing, -always climbing higher and higher, until we shuddered at the dizzy -heights as we looked down into the great yawning chasms thousands of -feet below. - -The air grew cooler in the deep mountain defiles densely wooded with -fir, pine, cedar and quaking asp. A great fire once swept up these -gorges and burned away the fir and pine in patches; in their place came -the quaking asp, growing here and there in thickets. - -Along the slopes and in the dells, wild flowers grew with the luxuriant -profusion of a semi-tropical clime. There were columbines and tiger -lilies growing at an altitude of ten thousand feet. - -Nature has done some queer things in the mighty rocks which stand -sentinel guard along the route. - -One great boulder is named the Hooded Monk, because of its resemblance -to the human head in a monk's cowl. There is a Gog and Magog. The -Sphynx, the Lone Fisherman, and many other images of man, bird and -beast, wrought by nature's hand in stone. - -We glided by one of the loveliest glens in all the mountains; it was -called Shady Springs. Here the oriole, the raven and the big blue jay of -the mountains have builded their nests and take their morning baths in -waters clear as crystal from a spring that gushed from fern and moss -covered banks. - -Farther on to the right a stream plunges in wild, mad swirl of clear -waters and dashing from rock to rock in foamy white, forms Echo Falls. -An elephant's head in bass relief was here to be seen wrought in stone. - -We rounded Cameron's Cone and Sheep Mountain and soon began the ascent -of the "Big Hill," which has a rise of 1,300 feet to the mile. - -Nearing timber line, the road ahead appears to be almost at an angle of -45 degrees. - -Higher and higher; the great chasm below grew almost a mile deeper. On -one side there were masses of square rock which looked like they were -broken by human hands. Here, far above timber line, a variety of wild -flowers blossomed, while among the rocks lived some of the strangest -little animals, the whistling marmot, a fur animal about the size of an -overgrown cat, and the peka, which has the legs of a rabbit and the head -of a mountain rat; there were also minks, weasels, porcupines and -mountain rats. - -At the summit was where the magnificence of the great panorama burst -upon our view. Northward, away down on the bluish haze of the horizon, -rose the Arapahoe peaks--Long and Grey's Peak, with their white summits -glistening in the setting sun. Northwest, Mt. Massive and Mt. Sheridan -were outlined against the clear blue sky, while the green sward of the -famous South Park, a hundred miles distant, lay between. College Range, -Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, Mt. Ouray and Cavenaugh reared their rugged -heads far to the west, while green mountain ranges of lesser note lay -half way between them. - -Far to the southwest, far as the eye could reach, faintly outlined -against the sky, rose the snowy peaks of the Sangre de Christo and -Sierra Blanco Mountains on the other side of the grand San Luis Valley. - -Looking to the south, were the Spanish Peaks and range of Greenhorn -Mountains, and a little to the southeast rose the snow-capped Gloriettas -on the borders of New Mexico. - -To the east, lay the mighty plains, stretching away to where the blue of -the sky blended in coppery tones with the billowy green. - -There were dark spots here and there that were dense forests of pine. -The cloud banners hung above, in all the gorgeous colors of sunset in -crimson, purple and gold. - -A dark shadow crept out upon the plain toward the east, like the finger -of a mighty giant. It moved rapidly along, covering the yellow sand -lines that mark the course of old river beds, and finally, this shadow -of Pike's Peak was covered by the shadows of other mountains lower down, -until the plain was shrouded in the sable garb of eventide. - -But westward, the gold and crimson of the sky lingered long above the -distant peak of Mt. Ouray. The purple haze grew denser, and the silence -of the hour was made more solemn by the mountains standing out in dark -silhouette as the shadows of the night grew deeper and denser. - -At such a time as this, one feels as though he stood upon the boundary -of another world, while all about the wide white waste and hush of -space, eternity and the infinite were calling to other glories, too -great for the understanding of the human mind. - -Here, in the very dome of the skies, in this clear air, the bright -worlds seem to hover over, while the vault is strewn with stars, like -isles of light in the misty sea above our heads. The purity of the -heavenly prospect awakens that eternal predisposition to melancholy, -which dwells in the depth of the soul, and soon the spectacle absorbs us -in a vague and indefinable reverie. It is then that thousands of -questions spring up in our mind, and a thousand points of interrogation -rise to our sight--the great enigma of creation. - -The harvest moon shed her yellow light over the distant plain, and -gilded with a phosphorescent light the rocks and crags of the almost -bottomless chasm below. The rocks took on fantastic shapes, while -distant mountains rose in spectral form. - -I sat throughout the night, watching the ever changing panorama, the -most wondrous ever spread out to the gaze of man. - -The moon and stars were bright above, while far down below storm clouds -had formed where within their inky blackness the forked lightning played -like so many fiery serpents. - -There were thunderous crashes in the wild rocky pit below, where huge -rocks were shivered by lightning bolts, while echo, echoing back the -thunders of heaven's artillery, would seem as though a legion of -imprisoned Joshuas were reaching upward again for that sun which would -stand still no more over the plains of Agalon. - -The shades of night grew deeper and then the blackness was driven back -from the east by a flush of grey, gradually changing to a deep scarlet -tinged with yellow and the sun burst above a dashing sea of clouds. -There were purple and crimson waves below rising and falling in mighty -billows. A shipless and shoreless ocean whose raging bosom claims no -living thing. - -An hour more and this purple sea of clouds has drifted on forever from -the sight of human eyes. - -The summer sun beamed once more upon the vast panorama. Far down upon -the green mesa lay Lake Moraine, glistening in the morning light like a -molten mass of silver. - -Smoke was seen to rise from Denver and Pueblo, both fully sixty miles -away. Some smelters in Cripple Creek and Victor could be seen with the -naked eye, while the streets of Colorado Springs were but sandy marks -like a checkerboard upon the plain. - -I descended the peak on foot amid the beauteous scenes of green mountain -defiles, where dashing waters sing eternal symphonies amid ferns and -flowers, and the song of birds gladden the heart in their sweet echoes -from rock to rock. - - - - -XXV. - -WHERE NATURE IS AT HER BEST. - - -If one would view the wondrous surroundings of Manitou, in all their -grandeur, let him some bright morning stroll up the long yellow road -that winds its serpentine course through Williams Canon. A little brook -with waters cold and clear as crystal, dashes along its pebbly bed -beside the road, murmuring as it were, a song of regret at leaving its -enchanted home on its journey to the sea. The road is known as Temple -Drive, named so because many towering rocks look, at first glance, like -ruined temples of India or of Egypt along the Nile. - -At times the road narrows to barely carriage room between great high -cliffs, and again abruptly brings the majestic panorama of the canon -into view. High above, among the mountain crags is the Cathedral of St. -Peter, like a massive ruin whose cornice, column and frescoed walls had -fallen with decay ages past. A little farther and the Amphitheatre -rises against the cliffs in hues of brown and yellow, with brighter -streaks of golden ochre here and there, which fairly gleam and glisten -in the morning sun. High above and in the background on either side are -hills of emerald green, studded with cedar and pine, and dotted with -flowers of gorgeous color and of form, found elsewhere only in Alpine -lands. There are towering rocks that rise a thousand feet above the -road, which resemble the ruins of a Moorish citadel. There are towers, -mosques and temples, with turrets and battlements, needing only the -white-robed figure of the Arab in turban to make one fancy himself -suddenly transported to that enchanting and mysterious land of Sultan -and slave. No sky of Tangiers was ever deeper, clearer or bluer, and no -air of Geneva was ever purer or sweeter. - -The road makes a sharp turn and traverses backward nearly half a mile, -then turns again and runs in its original direction, climbing the -mountain side like a great yellow serpent resting its head a thousand -feet among the crags, where eagles build their nests; the white and red -painted building that marks the entrance to the Cave of the Winds, does -duty as the serpent's head. From this dizzy point of sight, the great -mountain gorge with its grey and brown rocks, and the sloping foothills -of green that stretch away to where fair Manitou lies cradled in the -valley, form a wondrous panorama. - -Eastward, down on the horizon, far as the eye can reach, stretch the -mighty plains, westward the higher range of the eternal Rockies, and -above all rises the snow-capped summit of Pike's Peak, about whose -whitened crest float the fleecy clouds of the soft, still summer -morning. - -At the entrance of the Cave of the Winds one follows the guide into the -dark pathway that leads into the subterranean chambers, where at some -remote period a wild mountain cataract has whirled and plunged its -maddening waters, in swirl and maelstrom into the black abyss of -the earth. One is so suddenly transported from the gladsome and -awe-inspiring scenes without, that the lamp and figure of the guide -become spectral, his voice sounds in hollow tones and is echoed back -from cavernous depths as though titanic monsters were repeating his -words. - -Knowing the cause, one bursts into a laugh, then the monsters laugh, -too, long and loud, and still others take up the laugh, way down the -black corridors, and high above in domes, as though all the imps of -darkness were there to laugh at one in revenge for intrusion. - -The guide flashes a magnesium light and the pilgrim beholds the wonders -of Curtain Hall, which nature has ornamented with strangely colored -stalactites glistening here and there on the cavern walls, and again -where they form a curtain of an intricate work and beauty as though -wrought by maiden hands, amid scenes of love and apple blossoms. Mutely -you follow the flaring lamp of the guide into the blackness of winding -passages and across bridges that span bottomless pits opening into the -very breast of the mountain, and when the magnesium light is again -flashed, one sees the arching dome of the great canopy hall, its -stalactite nymphs, Bed of Cauliflowers, Frescoed Ceiling, Lake Basin, -Grandmother's Skillet, Bat's Wing, Prairie Dog Village and Fairy Scene; -all presenting a picture weird and ghost-like in the moment of -stillness, and heightened by the demoniacal, fiendish voices that -repeat your every word. - -On through other crooked subterranean passages where other demons mock -the sound of your footsteps, through what the guide calls Boston Avenue, -one enters Diamond Hall. The lofty ceiling is decorated its entire -length by graceful festoons and wreaths of coral and flowering -alabaster. The walls sparkle and scintillate with the rainbow shades, -thrown back from the myriad brilliants that stud these walls like -diamonds set by hand in some antique mosaic work. - -In these regions of darkness you are led by the guide until the Hall of -Beauty is lit up to your astonished gaze. Crystal flowers of the most -delicate design and exquisite workmanship hang in festoons from every -nook and corner. Sparkling incrustations that rival the beauty of Arctic -frosts and glitter in the bright light are sparkling on every side. Most -wondrous of all there are a million stalactite figures in miniature that -appear to be in a pandemonium of outlandish contortions. Maybe, who -knows, but what the goblin spirits once lived here and worked out -curious things in translucent stone, further down the black passages of -earth and caught a glimpse of our ancestors in some of the great halls -of torture way down below, and so reproduced the scene as Jack Frost has -been wont to paint the leaves of summer on our frosted window panes. - -The Magi of this dark abode, the guide in wide sombrero, black eyed and -wearing a mustache fierce as a bandit of the Corsican isle, though -harmless as a Kansas Populist, beckons on and leads the way. Here the -Bridal Chamber, and there writhing reptiles, dancing devils, monkeys, -beasts, birds in every form and riotous posture. Then as the weird -wilderness is shut out in semi-darkness, one is inclined to ask of him -with lamp and sombrero, "Mister, have I got 'em, or have you?" - -The light flashes on Crystal Palace, where gems and jewels bedeck the -walls, where huge chrysanthemums or chestnut burrs stand out in bold -relief in fadeless crystal flowers moulded from tinted rock, and all -seem to mutely plead for recognition as we pass. These silent beauties -hidden away under the mountain slopes, where the rays of sun can never -reach, speak with the beauty of their creation, to the soul with as -great a love and power as the violet in the sequestered glens. - -It is mysterious. It is strange. It is one of those unaccountable things -in nature which no man can explain that here in the very bowels of the -earth, human scenes have been reproduced and human passions portrayed. - -Here perhaps centuries before man's eyes gazed upon the scene, we find -in moulded stone, the head of a buffalo, the skeleton of a mastodon, the -drapery of a palace, the bride at the altar, the face of sorrow, the -Nymphs of Love, War and Poetry are depicted upon these stones. - -Once more the light of day, the great chasm beneath, the turquoise skies -above, and mighty plains beyond, brings one to the realm of the outer -world. - -The spectral figure of an hour ago is a pleasant faced young man, who -bids you follow the winding path that leads around the mountain side -some three hundred yards and which ends at the entrance to the Grand -Caverns. - -Desiring to see all, you meekly follow another guide through a dark -labyrinth and find yourself in the mighty Rotunda of the Caverns. Here -loyal hands have raised monuments to Lee, Grant and McKinley. They are -built of fragments of stone cast by visitors to the memory of these -heroes. The Imp, the guide, motions on; you are next within a mighty -auditorium and as there comes upon you the awful silence and stillness -of the hour, you hear musical notes, swelling and cadencing louder and -louder until they break in thunderous tones within the cavernous depths, -"Nearer, Nearer, My God to Thee." High above, mid the domes of the -cavern, the light shows the organist to be playing upon the stalactites -which Nature has attuned to the same chords as instruments made by human -hands. These stalactites are of crystal, and have the same resonant -sound as though they were of finely tempered glass. Up and down the -corridors of the cave, through winding passages and circling galleries -above, come echoes of "Nearer, My God to Thee," in waves and billows of -sound, such as is only heard by artificial means in the Notre Dame of -Paris. - -Round about somewhere, in one of the chambers, near the entrance, the -visitor is shown a human skeleton, as it was found at the time of the -discovery of the cave. It belonged perhaps to that race of men known as -the Cliff Dwellers, who once upon a time, when the world was new, lived, -loved and reared a race of men in this fair region of the west whom -Saxby, a western poet, touches with his magic pen, and beautifies the -tradition of them when he says, - - "Dismantled towers and turrets broken, - Like grim war-worn braves who keep - A silent guard with grief unspoken - Watch o'er the graves, by the canon weep, - The nameless graves of a race forgotten - Whose deeds, whose words, whose fate are one - With the mist, long ages past, begotten of the sun." - -The sun is now casting his shadows toward the east. From this point of -sight we see the Midland trains creeping from tunnels like monster -creatures of the Azotic period crawling from their lair. There are green -valleys below, and there is also a long serpentine road leading to this -side of the mountain by which visitors again reach the pleasant shades -of Manitou. Silence, and even sadness, abound in the green-clad -mountains beyond. They speak in whispers to themselves and you can -understand them if you will. They tell you in sweet, soft voices of the -song of birds, the lullaby of mountain brooks, and by gentle winds that -sing a song of peace through cedar, fir and pine, that the love of -nature, is the love of nature's God. - - - - -XXVI. - -WHEN THE WEST WAS NEW. - - -Thirty years have passed since I first crossed the plains. The buffalo -and antelope have disappeared and in their stead herds of cattle and -sheep graze in countless thousands. Farms are tilled where raging fires -swept the mighty plains in ungoverned fury; cities and towns rear -their spires where once stood Indian tepees. The westward march of -civilization has stretched across the continent and redeemed the desert. -The soil has been made to yield its harvest and the eternal hills to -give up their buried treasure. For the men who made the trails by which -these things were done, life's shadows are falling toward the east. -They braved the vicissitudes of the western wilderness as heroic as any -soldier faced the battlefield; and the trails over which the pioneers -slowly made their way across the desert wastes, were blazed with blood -and fire. Women, too, on the frontier, volumes might be written of her -sacrifices--Indians, poverty, years of patient toil, far from former -home and friends, the luxuries of organized society denied, all for the -purpose of earning a home and a competence for declining years. - -It was my good fortune to become personally acquainted with many early -pioneers of the west and number them among my warmest friends, and as I -recall to mind some of their heroic deeds I feel that these chapters -would be incomplete without a personal mention of a few of them. - - * * * * * - -Captain Jack Crawford, the poet scout, is one of those noble characters -whose memory will live so long as records exist of the pioneers who -braved the vicissitudes of the frontier and made possible our Western -civilization of today. A man of broad mind, daring and brave and yet -with all the sweet tenderness of a child of nature, he became great by -achievements alone. Others have gained a temporary fame by dime novel -writers. Captain Jack, in comparison with others, stands out as a -diamond of the first water. He has helped to make more trails than any -scout unless it was Kit Carson. That was before the war. During that -struggle he was wounded three times in the service of his country. When -the war closed he was for many years chief of scouts under General -Custer. He laid out Leedville in the Black Hills in 1876, and was of -great service to the government in the settlement of the Indian troubles -which succeeded the Custer massacre. - -[Illustration: Captain Jack Crawford (page 208).] - -Captain Jack is one of the very few thrown together with the wild, rough -element of the frontier who maintained a strictly moral character. I -knew him in the "Hills" in 1876 and have known him ever since, and have -always found him to be the same genial, whole-souled, brave Captain -Jack. - - * * * * * - -John McCoach, a pioneer of the sixties, was a among a party near the -headwaters of Wind River, Wyoming, in August, 1866, who defeated a -thousand warriors with the first Henri rifles used on the plains. The -story is best told in Mr. McCoach's own language. - -"Our mule trains consisting of thirty-eight wagons and forty-two men, -left Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in April, 1866, for Virginia City, -Montana. We were all old soldiers and most of us had seen four years of -war and, inured as we were to dangers, we cared but little for the -hostile Indians of the plains. - -"When we reached Fort Laramie, a big council of Indians was in progress, -Chiefs Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, American Horse and others of lesser note -were there to demand guns and ammunition from the government, saying -they needed them with which to hunt game. Officials of high rank from -Washington were there to listen to them and among the newspaper -correspondents was Henry M. Stanley, who had been sent out by the New -York Herald. - -"After days of deliberation the Indians were refused the arms and they -broke camp in bad humor. - -"Before allowing our party to proceed the commander of the fort had us -lined up for an inspection of our arms which were a miscellaneous -collection all the way from an old muzzle-loading rifle to a modern -musket. He told us we were too poorly armed to proceed, when the wagon -boss took him to some of the wagons and showed him 200 Henri rifles and -abundant ammunition which we were freighting to gun dealers in Virginia -City. He then allowed us to go. - -"I was herding the mules one afternoon near the headwaters of Wind -River, when a party of Sioux Indians, led by Little Thunder, made a -dash, intending to stampede the animals. One of them carried a rawhide -bag containing some pebbles, which made a hideous noise. Despite their -efforts, the mules broke for our camp of circled wagons. I tried to -shoot the Indian with the rattle bag but missed. Then I dismounted and -the next shot I cut the quiver of arrows from his back when he gave a -long yell and throwing himself on the side of his pony, got away. - -"When I reached camp the rifles had been distributed. We were called -from our slumbers the next morning at four o'clock and told to keep -quiet and hold our fire. - -"With the first gray streak of dawn about one thousand warriors began to -encircle us, riding at full speed and like a great serpent, drawing the -coil closer about us with each revolution of the circle. Then the order -came and forty-two blazing rifles with eighteen shots to each one dealt -out death. Four years of war had taught the men the value of a steady -nerve and deliberate aim and before the astonished Indians could retreat -the plain was strewn with their dead and wounded. - -"These Indians had been at the Fort Laramie council and had seen us -drawn up in line with our old assortment of guns for inspection and had -counted on us being easy prey. They were the first Henri rifles used on -the plains and caused the Indians to speak of us in whispers, as the -white men who could load a gun once and then shoot all day. That morning -we built our fires with arrows and cooked our breakfast. After that the -Indians avoided us as though we were devouring monsters." - - * * * * * - -The experience of John McCoach's party in surprising Little Thunder's -braves with their Henri rifles, calls to mind a story often told in -Fort Laramie of how General W. S. Harney fooled these same Sioux Indians -under Little Thunder a few years previous to their attack on the McCoach -outfit. Jake Smith, a soldier with General Harney in the 60's thus -relates the story: - -"General Harney established his headquarters in Leavenworth, Kansas. -Little Thunder was at the head of the Sioux and sent word that he was -willing either to fight or shake hands with the white soldier. Harney -replied that if the Indian was without choice in the matter it might as -well be fight; besides, as he remembered his orders, he was to whip some -one. So Harney met Little Thunder and about a thousand war men on the -North Platte in Nebraska. He whipped them good and some of the Indians' -friends back East tried to make trouble for Harney because he had not -had a long preliminary confab with Little Thunder. That Sioux band was a -mild-mannered set long after Harney went back to Leavenworth. - -"It was after this fight that Harney threw the Society for the -Protection of Western Savages into a particular frenzy. The wagon trail -for Oregon and California led from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Kearney, -Neb., then to Julesburg, in Colorado, from there to Fort Laramie, -through old South Pass to Badger and then to Salt Lake. The trip by ox -train took about one hundred days with good luck. I know of a party that -was on the road 300 days, delayed by Indians and then snowbound. That -wasn't a pleasant winter for a boy of 16. - -"Every now and then a band of Sioux would ride up to an ox train, kill -if they felt like it and always drive away the stock. Soldiers would be -sent out and have the pleasure of following the Indians' trail until the -weather would make winter quarters necessary. Harney started from -Leavenworth after one band, taking about 400 cavalrymen, or dragoons. -The Indians loafed along ahead of him till they reached the mountains, -and then Harney turned back. It was the old story, the Sioux said, and -their scouts followed the soldiers until they were well into Kansas. -Then the Sioux knew the country was clear for new operations. - -"Harney stopped on the Blue River in Northern Kansas near where -Marysville now stands. A wagon train reached there from Leavenworth and -Harney had all the freight unloaded--simply seized the train--then he -put 400 soldiers into those wagons and in two were mountain guns. The -great covers were pulled close and leaving a guard over the abandoned -freight and horses, Harney started on his journey as a bull-whacker. Not -a soldier or officer was permitted to put his head from under a cover in -the day time, and only at night a few got leave to stretch their legs. -All day they sat in those wagon beds, hot and dusty, playing cards, -fighting and chewing tobacco for pastime. - -"There were twenty-six of those wagons and they trailed along as if they -were carrying dead freight; no faster nor slower than the ordinary -freighters, and making camp at the usual places, forming the usual -corral of wagons and herding stock at night. The train reached Fort -Kearny and slowly went across the South Platte to Julesburg. Occasional -Indian signs made Harney have hope. - -"The outfit was seventy miles on the way to Laramie when the big day -came, and it came quick. Behind them on the trail the men on the outside -saw a war party--some say there were five hundred Indians in it. Even if -they hadn't been painted the fact that they were without women -or children would have told the story. The train made the usual -preparations for an Indian attack, throwing the wagons into a circle, or -more of an ellipse, and unhooking the five lead yokes to each wagon. A -front wheel of each wagon touched a hind wheel of the one in front and -the tongues were turned to the outside. At the front end of the corral -an opening about fifteen feet wide was left, but at the rear the opening -into the corral was about fifty feet wide. That, also, was according to -the freighters' methods; after a night camp the cattle would be driven -into the corral through the big end to be yoked for the day. - -"Harney didn't have time to drive his oxen into the corral, or else he -didn't want to. Only the five yoke of leaders were unhooked and they -were then chained to the front wheel of their wagon. The space in the -corral was all clear for the Indians, whose method of attacking a wagon -train was to rush into the corral and do their shooting. They were a -happy lot of braves this day; the war band started for the train when -the corral was forming; they spread out like a fan and then came -together again and started for the big opening as hard as their war -ponies could carry them. A whooping, variegated mob with no more clothes -than the paint gave it fell into the corral and then real fun began. - -"Those soldiers, who had been sweating under canvas for a few weeks -wanted excitement and revenge. The tarpaulins went up and they shot down -into that mess of braves as fast as they could load. The two mountain -guns completed the surprise and the bucks hardly fired a shot before -their ponies were climbing over one another to get out the way they -came. It was the only real Indian panic. When the last Sioux brave able -to ride disappeared across the prairie there was a big mess to clean up. -In those days the Indians needed school all the year around. However, -one old buck, a little chief, seemed to be impressed. He was near a -mountain gun when the fire opened. 'Harney is the man who shot wagons at -us,' is the way he told about it years later. - - * * * * * - -Charles S. Stroble, "Mountain Charley," known as the cowboy painter, was -adopted by the Ute Indians at the age of nineteen. I have often heard -him tell the following experience: - -"It was the most marvelous instance of daredevil bravery I ever -witnessed. It happened in 1866 when I was living with the Utes west of -the range in Middle Park, Colorado. They had adopted me a year or so -before when I was twenty years of age. My name in Ute was Paghaghet, -which means 'long-haired.' - -"It was at this time that the old feud between the Utes and Arapahoes -was at its height. Our scouts found the Arapahoes coming in from North -Park in the endeavor to surprise some of the Utes' hunting parties. Our -runners having come in and informed us, we soon collected a war party -and started north to intercept our enemies. - -"I was with the scouting party which went in advance, and I was the only -white man in the entire tribe. We found the sign left by their scouts, -and then concealed ourselves until our war party could come up. As soon -as reinforcements arrived we deployed on either side of a gulch or -canon, with our horses hidden away among the rocks and timber in charge -of horse-holders. - -"We had not waited long when we sighted the advance of the Arapahoes -down below us in the gulch. We were unnoticed, because we left no tracks -in the gulch and had deployed some distance below. - -"When the main body of the enemy had passed our place of concealment we -opened fire on them from each side of the gulch, and they, not knowing -our numbers, were panic-stricken. They wheeled and came tumbling back up -the gulch in great confusion, and all the time subjected to our fire. To -be sure, they were returning the fire wherever they caught sight of us, -but we had by far the best of them and peppered them hotly. - -"The Utes got about eight scalps, as the Arapahoes, although they -carried their wounded with them in their flight, were in too big a hurry -to look after the dead. - -"My Indian brother, Paah, or 'Black Tailed Deer," and Wangbich, the -'Antelope,' were with me behind some sheltering rocks, and on each side -of me. As the Arapahoes were scurrying away through the canon below we -noticed particularly one fine-looking young buck, wearing a splendid -war bonnet, which flaunted bravely in the breeze. This fellow was -singled out by Paah. At the crack of his rifle the Arapahoe threw out -his arms and fell backward from his pony and the pony galloped away. - -"Paah, elated at the success of his shot, dropped his rifle and plunged -down the steep side of the canon, which ran up here at an angle of about -forty-five degrees, the other Indians passing all the time and letting -loose at him a fusillade of rifle shots and flights of arrows. At length -Paah got to his dead Arapahoe, planted his foot on the back of the man's -neck, grasped both scalplock and side braids, gave them a turn on his -wrist and with the aid of his knife secured the full scalp. - -"Then seizing the war bonnet, he came tearing up the side of the gulch, -his trophies in one hand and his knife held dagger wise in the other, to -assist him in making the steep ascent. - -"The arrows and bullets flew thickly about him, but, marvelous to tell, -he arrived on the little flat space back of us without a scratch. Waving -his bloody spoils above his head he essayed to give the Ute yell of -victory, but he was so exhausted that he was only able to let out a -funny squeak as he fell prostrate to avoid the shots that were now -pouring in our direction. Wangbich and I covered him the best we could -by emptying our six-shooters at the Arapahoes, and he finally succeeded -in crawling to shelter. - -"On the return of our war expedition to the principal village we -celebrated our victory in royal style. The Utes from other villages kept -pouring in, and there was dancing afternoon and night for many days. -This chief village was located under some high rocks on the Grand river, -near a hot spring. The principal feature of the celebration was a scalp -parade, a gorgeous affair in which all kinds of silvered ornaments, -feathered and beaded costumes were worn. I afterward painted this -splendid scene as it appeared to me and the picture is now hanging in -the Iroquois club in Chicago." - - * * * * * - -"Possibly my experience in the bullwhacking days across the plains," -says George P. Marvin, "does not materially differ from that of other -men who piloted six yoke of cattle hitched to eighty hundred of freight -across the desert. Yet there were many incidents connected with life -upon the plains that have never been written. - -"There was scarcely a day passed but something occurred that would -furnish material upon which the writer of romance could build an -interesting book of adventures. - -"In the freighting days of the early '60's, the overland trail up the -Platte River was a broad road 200 or more feet in width. This was -reached from various Missouri River points, as a great trunk line of -railroad is now supplied by feeders. From Leavenworth, Atchison and St. -Joe, those freighters who went the northern route crossed the Blue River -at Marysville, Kansas, Oketo and other points, and traveled up the -Little Blue, crossing over the divide and striking the big road at -Dogtown, ten miles east of Fort Kearney. From Nebraska City, which was -the principal freighting point upon the river from '64 until the -construction of the Union Pacific railroad. What was known as the Steam -Wagon road was the great trail. This feeder struck the Platte at a point -about forty miles east of Kearney. It derived its name from an attempt -to draw freight wagons over it by the use of steam, after the manner of -the traction engine of today. - -"My first trip across the plains was over this route, which crossed the -Big Blue a few miles above the present town of Crete, Nebraska. At the -Blue crossing we were 'organized,' a detachment of soldiers being there -for that purpose, and no party of less than thirty men was permitted to -pass. Under this organization, which was military in its character, we -were required to remain together, to obey the orders of our 'captain,' -and to use all possible precaution against the loss of our scalps and -the freight and cattle in our care. - -"The daily routine of the freighter's life was to get up at the first -peep of dawn, yoke up and if possible get 'strung out' ahead of other -trains, for there was a continuous stretch of white covered wagons as -far as the eye could reach. - -"With the first approach of day, the night herder would come to camp and -call the wagon boss. He would get up, pound upon each wagon and call the -men to 'turn out,' and would then mount his saddle mule and go out and -assist in driving in the cattle. - -"The corral was made by arranging the wagons in a circular form, the -front wheel of one wagon interlocking with the hind wheel of the one in -front of it. Thus two half circles were formed with a gap at either end. -Into this corral the cattle were driven and the night herder watched one -gap and the wagon boss the other, while the men yoked up. - -"The first step in the direction of yoking up was to take your lead yoke -upon your shoulder and hunt up your off leader. Having found your steer -you put the bow around his neck and with the yoke fastened to him, lead -him to the wagon, where he was fastened to the wheel by a chain. You -then took the other bow and led your near leader with it to his place -under the yoke. Your lead chain was then hooked to the yoke and laid -over the back of the near leader, and the other cattle were hunted up -and yoked in the same manner until the wheelers were reached. Having the -cattle all yoked, you drove them all out, chained together, and hitched -them to the wagon. - -"The first drive in the morning would probably be to 10 o'clock, or -later, owing to the weather and distance between favorable camping -grounds. Cattle were then unyoked and the men got their first meal of -the day. The cattle were driven in and yoked for the second drive any -time from 2 to 4 o'clock, the time of starting being governed by the -heat, two drives of about five to seven hours each being made each day. -The rate of travel was about two miles an hour, or from 20 to 25 miles a -day, the condition of the roads and the heat governing. - -"This, then, was the regular daily routine, though the yoking up of -cattle was often attended with difficulty. Many freighting trains -started from the Missouri river with not more than two yoke of cattle in -the six that comprised each team, that had ever worn a yoke before. Many -had to be 'roped,' and not a few of the wildest, as the Texas and -Cherokee varieties, were permitted to wear their yokes continually, for -weeks. - -"While the bull-whacker's life was full of that adventure and romance -that possessed its fascination, there were some very rough sides to it, -though taking it all in all, it afforded an experience that few indeed -would part with, and in after years there is nothing that I recall with -more genuine pleasure than life in the camps upon the plains during the -freighting days. - -"In an aggregation of men such as manned the prairie schooners of thirty -odd years ago there were some very peculiar characters. This was -especially true of those old 'Desert Tars,' who for the time made -bullwacking a profession and who were never so happy as when swinging a -twenty-foot whip over a string of steers. - -"These droll people bore nicknames suggested by characteristics or -conditions, and there were few indeed who responded to any other name, -in fact, I have been intimately associated with men about the camp fire -for months and never knew their real name. - -"A tall, slender person might be known as 'Lengthy' or 'Slim'; a short, -stout one as 'Shorty' or 'Stub-and-Twist.' We had in one of our trains -'Kentuck,' who happened to hail from the Blue Grass State, also 'Sucker -Ike,' who was from Illinois; 'Buckeye Bill' was from Ohio, while -'Hawkeye Hank' was from Iowa. 'Hoosier Dave' was from Posey County, -while 'Yank' hailed from the far east; 'Mormon Jack' was an old-time -bullwhacker who used to pass himself off for a Mormon when it suited his -convenience; 'Bishop Lee' also played Mormon when we were over in the -Salt Lake Valley; the man with red or auburn hair was invariably called -'Reddy,' 'Sandy' or 'Pinky,' while another whose facial architecture was -of the Romanesque style would be called 'Nosey.' - -"These quaint characters would place a 'Wild West' comedy upon the -boards without much acting. The costumes varied as much as their names. -Some wore flannel shirts, some cotton of any and all colors, while -others dressed in drilling jumpers. Their pants or overalls were held up -by a belt, as suspenders were unknown. One character that was with us -for a year or more, was a man called 'Scotty,' a native of Scotland, and -a sailmaker by trade. He used to mend and patch his clothes and the -clothes of the other boys, until it was difficult to tell the original -goods. His strong point was 'foxing' clothes with canvas which he always -carried for that purpose. He would take a new pair of pants and 'fox' -them with white canvas, putting large patches over the knees, around -the knees, around the pockets, in the seat and crotch, until they -looked real artistic. He usually 'pinked' the edges of his patches or -'foxing,' and I have known the boys to pay his as much as $5 for -'foxing' a pair of heavy wool pants with duck. - -"By way of entertainment, every man could play a part. One could tell a -good yarn, while another could sing a song, and all could play -'freeze-out.' - -"The songs sang about the campfires were not such as are rendered by -opera companies of the present day. In fact, they have gone into disuse -since the men who sang them and the occasion that gave them birth, have -passed into history. - -"Among the popular melodies of the time was 'Betsey from Pike.' The -first verse ran like this: - - "'Oh, do you remember sweet Betsey, from Pike, - Who traveled the mountains with her lover, Ike; - With one yoke of cattle, a large yellow dog, - One full shanghai rooster and one spotted hog.' - -Chorus-- - - "'Sing a Tu-ral Li-ural, Li-ural Li-a, - Sing a Tu-ral Li-ural, Li-ural, Li-a, - Sing a Tu-ral Li-ural, Li-ural, Li-a, - Why don't you sing Tu-ral, Li-ural Li-a.' - -"The chorus, when joined by twenty or more bullwhackers who always -carried their lungs with them, was indeed thrilling, as was the last -stanza, in fact every stanza from the first to the last. - -"The last verse ran like this: - - "'The wagon broke down and the cattle all died, - That morning the last piece of bacon was fried. - Ike looked discouraged, and Betsey was mad, - The dog dropped his tail and looked wonderfully sad.' - -"Another popular air of the day was: - - "'My name is Joe Bowers, - I had a brother Ike; - We came from old Missouri, - All the way from Pike, - Etc., Etc.' - -"A song sang by a California miner who went by the euphonious sobriquet -of "Sluice Box," never failed to elicit encore. It was descriptive of -his adversities and trials through the sluice mining country, and the -last lines that I remember were: - - "'I stole a dog, got whipped like hell, - And away I went for Marysville. - Then leave, ye miners, leave, - Oh, leave, ye miners, leave.' - -"Then the boys used to sandwich in Irish, German and negro melodies, -besides drawing upon national and war songs. Among the latter, 'John -Brown' and 'Dixie' were quite popular, but any song with a good, stiff -chorus was the proper thing. - -"A parody on the 'Texas Ranger' was also a popular song, though not so -lively and inspiring as the others, being lacking in a chorus. It was a -sort of lament of a boy who at the age of eighteen ran away, 'joined Old -Major's train,' and started for Laramie. They had a fight at Plum Creek, -in which six of their men were killed by the Indians and buried in one -grave. In his description of the fight he says: - - "'We saw the Indians coming, - They came up with a yell, - My feeling that moment - No human tongue can tell. - - "'I thought of my old mother, - In tears she said to me: - "To you they're all strangers; - You'd better stay with me." - - "'I thought her old and childish, - Perhaps she did not know - My mind was fixed on driving, - And I was bound to go.' - - "'We fought them full one hour - Before the fight was o'er, - And the like of dead Indians - I never saw before;' - - "'And six as brave fellows - As ever came out West, - Were buried up at Plum-Creek, - Their souls in peace to rest." - -"In this connection I may say that less than thirty rods from the place -where those six brave bullwhackers are buried, eleven others lie in one -grave, killed by Indians. - -"The last time that I passed over the road at Plum Creek was in the -spring of 1867. The railroad had been built beyond that point on the -north side of the river, and the stage line had just been pulled off. - -"Bands of Indians were quite troublesome and as the little troop of -soldiers stationed at Plum Creek had been removed, the station keeper -had been frightened away, and the sole occupant of the place was a -telegraph operator. I talked with him as we watched the Indians over on -the hill and there was a picture of despair written upon his every -feature. We told him that he ought not to stay and insisted upon his -taking his traps and going with us. He wanted to, but felt it his duty -to remain in charge of the telegraph office. I will never forget the -parting with that man. He was a perfect stranger. I never saw him -before, didn't even know his name, and our acquaintance only covered a -few hours, but there was something terrible in the look of anxiety that -he gave us as he refused to leave his post. - -"We were the last white men that that poor fellow ever looked upon. Even -as our train pulled out the Indians were in sight upon the hills south -of the station, and that evening they burned the station, and nothing -was ever heard of the Plum Creek operator, who, knowing the fate that -awaited him, remained at his post and was massacred by the merciless -Sioux." - - * * * * * - -The frontier preacher had his share alike with others in hardship and -adventure, as will be seen by the experience of the Rev. H. T. Davis. - -"We said to the authorities of our church: 'We would like to go west and -spend our lives in laying the foundations and building up the church on -the frontier.' The way was at once opened, and in July, 1858, we landed -at Bellevue, Nebraska. This was our first field of labor. We had no -church organization here at that time, so everything had to be made from -the raw material. Notwithstanding this was the case, we really enjoyed -the work. - -"We shall never forget the first Nebraska blizzard we encountered. The -day before was beautiful almost like a summer day. Mrs. Davis had washed -and hung out her clothes. We retired to rest, the soft balmy air, like a -zephyr, was blowing from the south. About midnight the wind shifted to -the north and it began to snow. In the morning the weather was freezing -cold and the snow was piled in drifts many feet high around the house. -We looked out and saw the clothes line but no clothes. We tried to find -them, but in vain. They were gone. Not a shred was left save one or two -small pieces. And we never saw or heard of them again. Our neighbors who -were acquainted with Nebraska blizzards said: 'Your clothes were in -Kansas long before morning.' Our wardrobe was not the most extensive, -and we felt keenly the loss. Since then we have encountered many a -blizzard, and we are never surprised at the awful havoc and devastation -that follow in their wake. - -"Another thing that occurred that same winter we shall never forget. -Although forty-one years have passed away since it took place, it stands -out as vividly before us now as though it had happened but yesterday. -The thought of that thrilling event even now causes our blood to tingle, -our nerves to quiver, our heart to throb, and a lump to come into our -throat, that produces anything but a pleasing sensation. - -"It was a race for life. We had friends in Omaha and we determined to -go to visit them. The Missouri river is frozen over in the winter, and -of course, is unnavigable. The whistle of the locomotive had never been -heard on the prairies of Nebraska. The only way left for us to reach -Omaha was by private conveyance. We procured a horse and sleigh for the -purpose. After visiting a few days in Omaha we started home. - -"The day selected for our return was bright and clear. The snow was -deep, and the weather bitter cold. The brilliant rays of the sun caused -the snow in the road, on plain and hillside, to sparkle and glitter, and -the whole country as far as the eye could extend shone like burnished -silver. By my side, in the sleigh, sat my wife. It was our first winter -in the territory. Everything was new and strange and wild, altogether -different from anything we had ever seen before. The absence of timber -made the snow-covered hills and plains appear dreary in the extreme, and -created a feeling of loneliness that cannot be easily described. - -"After we had gone a few miles, looking back, my wife saw away in the -distance an animal. - -"'What is that?' said she, somewhat agitated. I turned and looked. It -was so far away I could not for the life of me distinguish just what it -was. I replied: 'Oh, nothing but a dog from one of the farms by the -wayside.' - -"But if it were only a dog I feared it. I never had any particular love -for the canine race. And if that were only a dog my wife saw away in the -distance I was extremely anxious to keep out of his way. So I urged my -horse a little. - -"Reaching the top of the next hill my wife again looked back. Then she -tucked the robe more closely about her. I looked into her face. She -looked troubled and seemed quite nervous, but said nothing. I turned my -head, and there in the road, away in the distance, I saw the same -object. It seemed to be gaining on us. Again I urged my horse, -encouraging him all I possibly could. A peculiar feeling instantly crept -all over me. It was a strange sensation. My hand trembled and the whip -quivered as I held it. - -"The fact had flashed over me that the object seen in the road behind us -was not a dog but a buffalo wolf. The buffalo wolf of Nebraska was the -same as the giant wolf of Oregon. It was the largest species of the gray -wolf, and often attacked and killed buffaloes and on that account was -called by trappers, Indian traders and the early pioneers of the west -the 'buffalo wolf.' These wolves, when hungry, did not hesitate to -attack man. They were large, strong, savage and dangerous in the -extreme. I knew very well if it were one of these that had scented us -out, and was on our trail, and should overtake us, there would be no -hope whatever for our escape. The only hope of saving our lives was to -reach the village before we were overtaken. Knowing how fleet of foot -the wolf was, the hope seemed a forlorn one. I knew that not one -moment's time could be lost--that my horse must be pushed to the last -extremity of his strength. I tried to keep cool and not become -frightened, but in vain. No one under such circumstances can keep from -being frightened. - -"Silently we breathed a prayer to God for help. How natural it is to -pray when in danger. Under such circumstances all men pray, believers in -the Christian religion and unbelievers. All alike at times feel the -need of supernatural help, and at such times call upon God for -assistance. If at no other time, when in great danger, we pray--pray -earnestly. - -"Seeing the wolf was rapidly gaining on us, I spoke sharply to my horse, -and plied the whip anew. Faster and faster he flew over the hardened -snow, and faster and faster our hearts beat with fear. The snow clods -flew thick and fast from the hoofs of our flying steed. To these, -however, we paid but little attention. Reaching the next rise, again we -looked back, and to our surprise the wolf was nearer than ever. I felt -that the only thing to do was to urge the horse until every nerve and -muscle were taxed to their utmost tension. Our panting steed seemed to -take in the situation, and if ever an animal made fast time it was our -noble horse on that cold December day. Again my wife turned her anxious -eyes toward our rapidly approaching foe and every time she looked back -the trouble on her face deepened. She said nothing. Not a word was -spoken. Her look, however, spoke volumes. My heart leaped into my -throat, and I was too much frightened to speak. - -"Up one hill and down, then up another and down our galloping horse -carried us. Again we turned our faces to the rear, and again were -thrilled anew with fear. The wolf was only a short distance behind. The -time had come when it seemed there must be a hand to hand grapple with -the savage beast of prey. The top of the next hill was reached, and in -full view, only a few rods away, rose the beautiful village of Bellevue. -Descending the slope we looked back. The wolf had just reached the brow -of the hill, and seeing the village, stopped for a moment, then turned -aside. A moment afterwards our panting horse drove up to the parsonage -and we were safe. A prayer of thanksgiving went up to God for -deliverance. - -"Forty-one years have passed away since that eventful ride on the bleak -prairies of Nebraska, but that race for life is as fresh on memory's -page as if it had taken place but yesterday. - -"We have seen with our own eyes the buffalo path transformed into the -public highway and the Indian trail to the railroad, with its fiery -steed snuffing the breeze and sweeping with lightning speed from the -Missouri River to the gold-washed shores of the Pacific." - - * * * * * - -One of the hottest, bloodiest little fights on American soil occurred at -Beecher Island, seventeen miles south of Wray, Colorado, September 17, -1868, which Thomas Murphy, of Corbin, Kansas, had the honor of selecting -as the place of defense. - -Forsyth's Rough Riders, numbering fifty-four men, made as heroic a stand -as the defenders of the Alamo, and from their rifle pits on the "Island -of Death," in the Arickaree fork of the Republican River, defeated 1,000 -Cheyenne Indians, in which their chief, Roman Nose, was killed. - -At that time the Cheyennes were a devastating horde that swept over the -plains of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Major George A. Forsyth, who -was with Sheridan on his ride from Winchester, and who has since become -a general, was given permission by that general to organize a force -against the marauding Indians. This he did, choosing a small body of -picked men from plainsmen, hunters and ex-soldiers from Ft. Harker and -Ft. Hayes. - -Mr. Murphy recently gave me the following account of the fight. - -On the 15th of September our little band of troopers arrived in the -valley of the Arickaree and on the following morning at daybreak we were -attacked by a rifle fire from the Indians, who had us almost surrounded. -There was only one way out for retreat, but Major Forsyth shrewdly -decided that it was done for the purpose of ambush, and instead of -falling into the trap, took position on the small island in the river. -We used our tin cups and plates to dig rifle pits in the sand. Our -horses were hitched to the young cottonwoods on the island. - -Roman Nose apparently had us in a trap. His riflemen were posted on the -banks on either side of the island and poured a galling fire into the -rifle pits all that day. Lieutenant Frederick H. Beecher, a nephew of -the illustrious Henry Ward Beecher, was killed at the side of Major -Forsyth. Dr. Mooers was hit in the forehead and mortally wounded. -Several of the most valuable scouts also fell and many were wounded. -Toward the close of the day Major Forsyth was wounded near unto death, -but when merciful night came he rallied the men and gave directions for -the fight the next morning. - -At daybreak the second day Roman Nose led in person fully one thousand -warriors on horseback, who rode up the shallow waters of the stream to -attack the rifle pits. The charge was a magnificent one, but we poured -volley after volley into their midst until Roman Nose fell and they -retreated in confusion. - -A second charge was made at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, but there was no -longer a great war chief in command and the Indians broke within two -hundred yards of the rifle pits. At 6 o'clock at night they made another -charge from all sides, but our men deliberately picked them off before -they set foot on the island, until the waters of the river were red with -blood. The place was a very hornet's nest to the Indians and they -withdrew baffled. - -The casualties now amounted to twenty-three killed and wounded out -of fifty-four men. Ammunition was running low and we were out of -provisions, but there was plenty of horse meat, for our mounts had -nearly all been killed. When darkness had settled down volunteers were -called for to carry the news of our predicament to Fort Wallace. Peter -Trudeau and Jack Stillwell volunteered. They skilfully ran the enemy's -lines and brought relief seven days later. - -Meanwhile the sufferings of the men were terrible. The horse meat had -become putrid and unfit to eat. The days were hot and the nights were -cold, and there was no surgeon to alleviate the sufferings of the sick -and wounded. - -Major Forsyth had given up hope of relief and begged us to leave him and -cut our way out, but we said, "No, we have fought together, and if need -be, we will die together." When relief came some of the men wept for -joy. - -It was I who suggested the island as a place of defense at the first -attack. It was seconded by Jack Stillwell. - -A reunion of Forsyth's men was held on the historic island September 17, -1905, when a monument given by the state of Colorado and the state of -Kansas was unveiled, bearing the names of all who participated in that -famous fight. - - * * * * * - -"It seems to me people were happier in Colorado City in early days than -now," said J. B. Sims, a pioneer of the sixties. - -"At Christmas times we had shooting matches, a horse race or two, plenty -of Tom and Jerry, and usually wound up the day with a dance at the Anway -Fort and a supper at Smith and Baird's hotel. Often half a dozen -families would arrange a friendly dinner at some neighbor's house, and -the hotel men would make a big dinner and invite the ranchmen to come in -and enjoy the festivities. - -"The pious people who were averse to horse-racing would generally pitch -horseshoes and sometimes end the day in a big game of draw poker. There -was not much money in circulation, and the betting on a horse race was -commonly a sack of flour, a side of bacon or a shotgun. - -"No, we never hung the horsethieves on Christmas. Those festivities were -held until the new year, so as to start the community off with good -resolutions. - -"A premonition of danger warned me once of lurking hostile Indians on -Cottonwood Creek on the morning of December 26, 1868, resulting in a -preparation for battle that probably saved my life. - -"It was the day after Christmas. I was in the employ of the Beatty -Brothers Cattle Company and was looking up some stray cattle near the -head of the Cottonwood Creek, twenty miles north of Colorado City. - -"I had been riding through the timber and was about to emerge into the -open when a premonition of danger came over me. The feeling was so -strong that I loosened my Henri rifle from the saddle holster and looked -to the two heavy Colt revolvers I carried about me. - -"Half an hour passed and while I had not yet seen anything, I could not -shake off the feeling of approaching danger. Twenty minutes more and -sure enough, from out of a ravine came about sixty Cheyenne and Arapahoe -Indians in their war paint, riding rapidly toward me. - -"I instantly wheeled my horse and rode for a rocky butte about half a -mile distant. My horse climbed the butte almost with the agility of a -goat. As the bullets tore up the ground about us I led him behind some -big rocks and then paid my respects to the advancing war party. - -"My Henri rifle carried eighteen shots. The repeating rifle being then -unheard of by these Indians, was the greatest surprise they ever met. My -first shot emptied a saddle, and then when they thought to rush me, two -or three more went down. They could not understand the rapidity of my -fire, and by the time I had emptied my rifle I had them on the run and -out of range. - -"They advanced two or three times during the day and I became amused and -allowed them to come within easy range, when I would turn loose as fast -as I could work the rifle, and scatter them. - -"Late in the afternoon they gave me up as bad medicine and rode away -toward Gomer's hill, where they killed a Mexican boy. They then swung -back toward Palmer Lake and killed Mrs. Teeterman, who chanced to be -alone on a ranch near the headwaters of Plumb Creek. - -"From that day I have never doubted the existence of an unseen power -which may warn us of approaching danger." - - * * * * * - -Antelope Jack, bronzed and grey, a grim warrior of the early frontier -days, who made his home in Colorado City off and on for many years, -would respond to no other name, whatever it may have been. - -No one appeared to care much for old Jack, but Jack had a history that -would have made him an idol in certain circles, for in 1874 he was one -of the fourteen men who fought the Battle of Adobe Walls in northwest -Texas, one of the fiercest fought on the plains. - -Long before Napoleon signed the Louisiana purchase treaty, and while all -the vast territory lying south of it belonged to Mexico, a party of -traders from Santa Fe established a fort in northwest Texas. It was of -adobe or sun dried brick and had stood deserted in that arid region, -almost intact, for perhaps more than one hundred years. - -In 1874, when the extermination of the buffalo had become a military -necessity in order to deprive the Indian of his commissary on his -marauding expeditions, a party of buffalo hunters took up headquarters -in the adobe walls and it being in the heart of the buffalo country, -others came, and it was soon made a trading post. - -The Comanches, Arapahoes and Apaches, ever jealous of their domain, -formed a federation and proceeded against the settlements of northwest -Texas and Kansas. A raid was planned on Adobe Walls. The time set for -the attack was early dawn, when it was expected the men would be asleep. - -The men, not apprehensive of danger, were asleep with the doors open, -but "Bat" Masterson rose early that morning and upon going to the stream -for water, caught sight of the advancing horde. - -The men were quickly alarmed and the doors fastened. Two men asleep on -the outside in wagons were killed. - -The Indians rode their ponies up to the heavy doors and threw them on -their haunches against them. The men inside barricaded the doors with -sacks of flour and fired through loopholes in the faces of the savages, -who numbered about five hundred. - -The battle raged all day and dead Indians and ponies were piled up to -within a few feet of the doors. - -One young brave, painted and bedecked with feathers, gained the roof and -tore away the adobe covering until he could reach through with his -revolver, which he fired at random below, filling the room with smoke. -He was killed before he emptied his weapon. There were only fourteen -guns of the defenders and at times every one had to be brought into -action to resist the renewed attack against the doors. - -Finally the doors parted until there was a wide aperture on both sides -through which the Indians fired as they rode past, or hurled their -arrows and lances. - -Fixed ammunition was running low, but there was an abundance of powder, -bullets and primers for reloading shells. Men were detailed for this -work so that there was a volcano of fire belching from the fort all day. - -Meanwhile, Minimic, the medicine man of the tribes, who had planned the -fight, rode at a safe distance, urging on the Indians, saying the -medicine he had made was good and they could not fail. - -Finally, late in the day, his horse was hit by a sharpshooter and with -this the Indians lost faith and withdrew. - -"I was only busy like the rest," was all Antelope Jack would say of his -courage on that day. - - * * * * * - -The massacre at the White River Indian agency in Colorado, and the -ambuscade of Major Thornburg's command by Utes in 1879, was the last of -the serious troubles with the Indians in Colorado. - -It was the cause, however, of a reign of terror on the plains, as it was -thought to be the signal for a general uprising. - -When the news reached the C. C. Ranch on the Cimarron River, I was -especially interested in the fate of E. W. Eskridge, an employe of the -White River agency, who I would have joined within a short time, had the -terrible affair resulting in his death not occurred. - -I have never met any of the soldiers under Major Thornburg's command, -nor any settlers who were in the vicinity at the time, and the best -account I have been able to get of the massacre is the following by an -unknown writer: - -"The White River Utes had been ugly for some time, and had prepared for -an outbreak. They committed many depredations among the settlers and -cherished resentment against the agent, Mr. Meeker. Only an hour before -the attack upon the agency by Chief Douglass and twenty braves Meeker -dispatched a message to Major Thornburg, known to be en route, in which -he said: - -"'Everything is quiet here and Douglass is flying the United States -flag.' - -"At that hour Thornburg lay dead in Milk River canon, on the -reservation. The writer was cruelly slain and mutilated within an hour, -and the messenger, E. W. Eskridge, who carried the note, was shot down -before he had proceeded two miles from the agency. - -"The attack on Thornburg was made at 10 o'clock on the morning of -September 29. When the news reached Chief Douglass by courier he at once -proceeded to execute his portion of the plot. He and his men went to -the agency and began firing upon the employes, continuing until all were -killed. The women, who were Mrs. Meeker, her daughter Josephine, Mrs. -Price, wife of the agency blacksmith, and her little girl three years -old, ran to the milkhouse and shut themselves in while the massacre went -on. After the bloody work was completed the building was fired and they -were forced out, to be taken captives. - -"Meeker's body was found a week later 200 yards from his house, with a -logchain about his neck, one side of his head mashed and a barrel stave -driven through his body. Eight other bodies were found near by and four -more on the road to the agency. The Indians stole all movable goods and -packing the plunder on ponies fled, taking with them the captives. -Through the influence and peremptory intervention of Ouray, head chief -of the Ute nation, and after troublesome negotiations, Chief Douglass -surrendered the captives, who were taken to Ouray's home, on the -Southern Ute reservation, and reached Denver in November. - -"Major Thornburg's command, consisting of one company of the Fourth -Infantry, Troop E, Third Cavalry, and Troops D and F, Fifth Cavalry, -left Fort Steele, Wyoming, on the Union Pacific railroad, and marched -over the mountains toward the agency to aid in quelling the threatened -outbreak, but the Utes struck before the troops reached their -destination and also intercepted and ambushed the command. - -"When the troops reached Bear River, sixty-five miles from the agency, -they were visited in camp by Chief Captain Jack and several braves, who -were most friendly, and were entertained at supper by Major Thornburg. -The object of this call was to size up the force and to learn the route -to be taken by the troops the next day. They offered to guide the troops -to the agency, but this was declined. - -"The next morning about 10 o'clock, while the troops were in a narrow -canon at the crossing of Milk River, fire suddenly opened upon them from -the bluffs on all sides. No Indians could be seen, but bullets poured -and smoke puffed from behind the rocks. Major Thornburg was killed while -in front of his men. - -"Troop D was half a mile in the rear of the other troops with the wagon -train at the time of the attack, and Lieutenant J. V. S. Paddock, in -command, at once formed his wagons into a barricade and the other troops -fell back to the improvised breastworks, where for six days the soldiers -were besieged and nearly all their animals killed. On the morning of -October 2 Captain Dodge, with a troop of the Ninth Cavalry, colored, who -had been on his way to the agency, reinforced the beleaguered men, but -his force was not large enough to aid in repulsing the Utes. The first -night Private Murphy of D troop volunteered to go through the lines for -assistance. The heroic trooper made the ride to Rawlins, Wyo., a -distance of 170 miles, in 24 hours, and telegraphed for help. - -"News of the plight of the Thornburg command reached Fort Russell on the -morning of October 1, and General Wesley Merritt immediately ordered a -relief expedition. Four troops of the Fifth Cavalry started at once to -Rawlins by train, reaching there at 1 o'clock the next morning, where -they were joined by four companies of the Fourth Infantry, and the -troops began their long march to the relief of their comrades. - -"At dawn on the third day, with General Merritt ahead with the cavalry, -the troops entered the valley of death and were greeted with cheers by -the exhausted victims of treachery. The cowardly Utes withdrew when -reinforcements arrived, and the troops were unable to follow them -through the mountain trails. - -"On the road to Milk River the relief party came upon the remains of a -wagon train which had been bound for the agency with supplies. All the -men were murdered, stripped and partly burned. After General Merritt -reached the agency Lieutenant W. B. Weir, of the ordnance department, -while out on a scouting expedition, was surrounded by Utes and killed. - -"Of Major Thornburg's command thirteen were killed and forty-eight -wounded. - -"Although the government made a long investigation of the Meeker and -Thornburg massacres none of the leaders was ever punished. The only -action taken was the removal of the White River Utes to a new -reservation in Utah by an act of congress." - - * * * * * - -In conclusion, we do not have to go to the annals of the past, nor to -distant shores to find heroes and heroines. They are in our midst today. -A nobler band of men and women never graced this planet than many of the -men and women who laid the foundations of the state and the church on -the frontier of the west. - -Some of them lived in sod houses and dugouts, with barely enough to keep -soul and body together, and for years had hard work to keep the wolf -from the door. But they toiled on, undismayed by their hardships, and we -today are reaping the reward of their toils and sufferings. - - -THE END. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES - -Where the original work uses text in italics or bold face, this e-text -uses _text_ and =text=, respectively. Small caps in the original work -are represented here in all capitals. - -Illustrations that were located mid-paragraph in the original work were -moved below the including paragraph. - -Page numbers in the illustration captions and table of contents are page -numbers in the original work. - -This text has been preserved as in the original work, including archaic -and inconsistent spelling, punctuation and grammar, except as noted -below. All quotation marks are preserved as printed. - -Obvious printer's errors have been silently corrected. - -Page 130: 'chapparalls' changed to 'chaparalls'. - -Page 136: 'measley' changed to 'measly'. - -Page 165: 'devlish' changed to 'devilish'. - -Page 192: 'peka' possibly a coined word. - -Page 205: 'Azotic' not known in this context. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Thirty Years on the Frontier, by Robert McReynolds - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THIRTY YEARS ON THE FRONTIER *** - -***** This file should be named 44032.txt or 44032.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/0/3/44032/ - -Produced by Fred Salzer, Greg Bergquist and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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