Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-02-02
WHOLE NO. l47l

+ did, and he had worked up the incidents
into a wonderful romance of which he
!, was the principal hero, and never tired
e of telling No one about the camp knew
! aught to the contrary, and the story, for
; want Of contradiction, became one of
i the acknowledged and respected legends
G OF the Fork. But for an unfortunate
incident, which | shall presently relate,
/ it would have passed into history, and
q been handed down to posterity with all
] the claim to reverence and credence
which attaches to that Of William Tell,
t or the infant GrW., and his hatchet
, and his fathers cherry trees. One day,
JUS as the sun was going down in the
orange-huel western sky, aud the sweat
ing cook was calling the toilers at the
, mine to dinner with the 'elcome clan
; gor on his bell, game-looking young
frontiersman, in buckskin garments
and broad Pike County hat, rode down
the steep decliyity of the Red Noun
tain and made his way into camp. He
was made free of the camp, and turned
in with the rest on the veranda at night.
Stories came on in due course, and, at a
hint from some one of the crowd, Con
catenation Bill started in with the true
and romantic history of the "Grcat
Indian Fight on the ella" Thus went
he on:
SWELL you see, boys, the old chiefs
Of the Pimas and Maricopqs found
things was going agin 'em after the
first fight, and they looked about en-
for u leader who knew how to put up
the pins for victory. They pitched
on me, and | drawed up the plan of the
campaign right away The next night
| laid for the Mojayes, and got EN-
They came up the river, yelling like
devils, and drove our picket guard be
fore em like chatf'; but when | got
EN- just in the right spot, | gave the
word, and we riz on EN- never did
feel guilty at taking human life before,
but, the fact is, that slaughter was
fr1ghtlu, and it came to be perfect
butchcry before we got through /
swear to man that the Gila riz over q
foot, but don't say it was all owing to
the blood which run into it. There
was about 1000 dead Mojaves floating
down the stream, and they probably
choked it up a some pint where it was
narrcr like, and 50 sot the water back
more or less. Right in the thickest of
the fight, when it seemed for a few
moments as if the Mojaves-who was
game to the last-was goin' to get the
best of us, went for their chief, and
downed him with Il blow from my
revolver, and was cooking my weapon
to give him 4 settler, when old Ichther
mirec his second in command, and
about half u dozen Lieutenants made
for me, and we all cinched and went
down. | got one arm loose, and pull
inc my bowie knife, commenced slash.
inc right and left, when"
Confederation Bill never told us
what happened after that. When he
commenced the story the stranger, who
was lying some feet away listened at.
tentively for few minutes, and then
slowl y rose to q sitting position, and
then to his feet. AS the story progress
ed, he moved quietly toward the spot
where Bill was lying, and startled that
worthy by suddenly appearing over
him, towering up like a giant in the
moonlight, and every features convuls-
ed with excitement.
"Iou did that stranger?' he exclaim-
ed, with stentorian lungs, and accents
indicative of rage repressed until it was
at the point Of bursting him.
YES, me" was Bills reply, deliver
ed in Ia slightly less confident tone.
The stranger Jumped about four feet
into the air, cracked his heels togather
so that the report sounded like the firing
Of a muskct swinging his revolver
around to the front SO as to be ready
for instant use, and as he came down
fairly yelled:
"Wcll, by the great horn spoon, stran
ger that is singular! | hope | may be
sunk in-ths minute, if there was but
one white man thar an I'm the man! |!
This camp was as still as death in an
instant. Every man expected to hear
the report of a revolver, and waited in
breathless silence for the crowning cat
astrophe
You the man."
Yes; by the bloody jumping tom
cats of Jerusalem, ME- Take good
look at me. can just eat any ten men
that dare say anything to the contrary"
The silence grew deeper. Concate
nation Bill lay motioness for moment,
looking up at his opponent in the moon
light then, apparently satisfied that he
was man of his word, and was able to
carry it OUT slowly turned over on his
side, and drawing the corner Of his
blanket over his head, remarked, with
a voice as free from excitement as that
Of an infant quietly resting in its moth
er's arms. -44