Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-02-10


the fellers IS wrote it never was In Arizo-
ma, and often thought a. how God left
that country out Of his day-book, - bein'
o no account-leastwise. p'r'aps that was
the place where the devil squatted when
ne was jerked out O. the gardin, - gran
'ther used to tell on.
II guess I'll lie up little; It runs ray
ther heavy tonight" said he, - he filled
another glass, and continued:
I'VE camped ont ono night ct the Jaw
of canon, ate our suppers, and Canvas
and me- was on guard together, in the
early watch. Weused TO meet st the end
Of the walk, and stop bit and talk. But
we had good look out oil the while.
1t was very dark, and every one was
asleep. Bye and bye, Canvas. says he
Center, I'm going up to the spring TO get
. drink. The spring was about . hun
dred yards up the gulch, among. the
bushes. 'Well,' says l, don't be long,
and if you see anything, yell And of
he went, whistlin' softly like to hisself
and stepped away again. He was gone
q long time-longer than he had any ought
to, and though l hadn't heerd any noise, I
was kind o narvous, as we never knowed
how many InJins might be doggin' US.
At last, l couldn't stand it no longer, and
l put for the wagons, and walked up Jim
Bruce, which was outside, and Bill West,
and says to 'em as how Canvas had been
gone too long, and would they 60 along O
me to look arter him; which they did
bein' good fellers and never hard to do
good turn, particly, for me and Canvas,
which had often helped them shoe their
team when the blacksmith was sick !; and
we went up to the spring together. You
couldn't see wink, and we darsent take
a light for them thieves to shoot us by,
and we softly crawled up to the spring.
There was big cottonwood CROWN just
aside of it, and we ran agin' this, and hit
something sittin' like, leanin' against the
trunk. Canvas, says |, Canvas, my
boy, is that your And he never made
me no reply, but kept as quiet as skull
on tombstone. Jim Bruce says l,
lust scratch for lantern; there's some
thin wrong l felt of the body, and
there was wet, sticky stream upon it.
Canvas say I, what is the matter ? and
no word. Jim soon fetched light, and
there was Canvas, stone dead, pinned to
the tree by seven arrows. And the
thieves had cut off his hands and put
them in his pockets, and cut off his ears
and fastened them on his torehead!"
Oh! what vengeful glitter shone In
his eye
"Young man, they say when woman
loses her first young un, it breaks her,
and as how lion robbed Of her cubs is
crazy ; but may you never feel as did
when saw Canvas-him as had been my
pard; had sot by the same fire, and drank
out Of the same dipper, and shared his
last terbacker with me-when saw old
Canvas, cut up like sheep, and dead tor.
ever from me. Ten thousand devils was
tuggin' at my heart, and sank, with q
yell, down BY his dead side"
The emotion of the stranger almost
overpowered him, as he recalled these
agony-dsys of the past.
They told me aterward that my yell
reused the camp and they came rushing
out to the spring; but didn't know 1t
then. l was stunned like, md never knew
what happened. When morning came,
they buried Canvas near where he died.
They didn't leave no mound to draw the
Iniuns; but on that ground I knelt and
cried. Idon't look as If could cry, but !
did then. Canvas says l, old pard,
you're gonel You was thirty.four years
old. So help me God, I'll kill an 1njun
for every year of yours, till l wipe out the
score! They took me away, and for four
weeks ! was laid in fever, which mighty
made me pass in my checks but didn't
for couldt die until I'd kept my word
with Canvas.
"Young man." he continued, after a
pause, II left that train at Tucson; and
sence that time I've been roamin.' have
come in this trip to get little money,
and I'm goin' back. Dye see this knife!"
He pulled out from his belt huge,
broad knife, with wide handle, and
handed it to me. In the wood saw
thirteen holes as If bored with gimlets.
"You seee them holess Every one is q
'Pache. It's my account book, and every
Injun kill, in goes hole. I've got q
good many more to make fore do as
said to Canvas; but I'm goin' back, and
p'r'aps may meet Canvas some day, if l
keep my word, which the preacher says is
the right way"
What room there was here for homily
on human vengeancei But l could not
give it.
"Well, you've kindly heard my story,
and you're from Maine: thank ye for
both. I'm going to turn in"
AuQ VIII WILD AOu6A AO
rolled himself in his blankets, and the reg
ular breathings soon showed him to be
asleep. l had but fitful slumbers until
early morning, when the teamster reused
me to take his leave, and he disappeared.
Nearly year after my connection with
the mines took me to Tucson; and while l
was there, scouting party came in with
badly wounded man who was with
them-not q soldier, but one who wds
always eager for an Indian fght-and fur
ther than this, nothing was known Of
him.
Out Of curiosity, I went in with the sur.
geon to see him; and there lay Centrepole
Bill. He recognized no one, but kept in q
deep stupor, bleeding from internal
wounds that could not be stanched.
He was an awful fighter" said the
Doctor, "and he has done nothing but
follow the scouts"
Doctor" said I, II know that man"
And - he watched, ! told his story.
We sat there several hours, and at last
the struggle came. The dying msn raising
himself on the pallet, looked hxsdly ct the
ceiling, and in hoarse voice, said:
"ThAre's 4 nhOW-A CanYaa-" and ha