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

the fellers IS wrote it never was ID Arizo-
ma, and often thought e 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
he was jerked out o. the gardin, - gram
'ther used to tell ON.
II guess I'll lie up . little; il runs ray
Their heavy tonight" said he, - he filled
himself another glass, and continued:
We camped out one night at the jaw
of canon, ate our suppers, and Canvas
and me- was on guard together, in the
early watch We used e meet at 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 70 the spring 70 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 Ike to hisself
and I stepped away again. He was gone
q long time-longer than he had any ought
TO. and though l hadn't heerd any noise, !
was kind o narvous, as we never knowed
how many InJins might be doggin' Us.
At last, couldn't stand it no longer, and
/ 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 a tomb stone. Jim Bruce says /,
Just scratch for q lantern; there's some.
thin wrong I felt of the body, and
there was a 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 forehead!"
Oh! what vengefal glitter shone In
his eye!
"Young man, they say when woman
loses her first young un, it breaks her,
and as how a lion robbed of her cubs is
crazy; but may you never feel as did
when I 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 l 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-days of the past.
They told me afterward that my yell
reused the camp and they came rushing
out to the spring but l didn't know It
then. 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 knelt and
cried. Idont look as If I 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 fnjun
for every year of yours, till l wipe out the
scorer They took me away, and for four
weeks was laid in fever, which mighty
made me pass in my checks but didn't
for / could't die until I'd kept my word
with Canvas.
"Young man." he continued, after q
pause, II left that train at Tucson and
sence that time I've been roamin.' have
come in this trip to get a little money,
and I'm goin' back. Dye see this knife!"
He pulled out from his belt a huge,
broad knife, with q wide handle, and
handed it to me. In the wood I saw
thirteen holes as II bored with gimlets.
"You seee them holes? Every one is q
'Pache. It's my account. book, and every
Injun kill, in goes hole. I've got
good many more to make fore do as l
said to Canvas but I'm goin' back, and
p'r'aps may meet Canvas some day, If
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.
"We'll, you've kindly heard my story,
and you're from Maine: thank ye for
both. I'm going TO turn in"
And with this rough goodnight, he
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 /
was there, scouting party came in with
. badly wounded man who was with
soldier, but one who wis
always eager for an Indian fight-and fur.
ther than this, nothing was known Of
him.
Out Of curiosity, went in with the sur.
geon to see him; and there lay Centrepole
Bill. He recognized no one, but kept in a
deep stupor, bleeding from internal
wounds that could not be stanched.
He was IN awful fighter" said the
Doctor, "and he has done nothing but
follow the scouts"
doctor" said I, ~ know that man"
And - he watched, told his story.
We sat there several hours, and ut last
the struggle came. The dying man raising
himself on the pallet, looked hxedly ct the
ceiling, and in . hoarss voice, said:
"There's Q ShOW-s Canvas" and he