The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-23
AN ADVENTURE IN COLORADO.

AN ADVENTURE IN COLORADO.
/ AM dweller i'm towns, and a lover OF
them. To me. meaningless are the rapso
dies of those who delight in the majestic
so..aude OF nature. and the wild glorious
freedom Of the untrOdden desert. Central
Park. and that portion of New York living
within a mile of it, was always wild enough
and varied enough for my taste; the Jer
sey City or Staten Island ferries were ma
rine enough for me. As for the tales OF
adventure from the frontier, only shud
dered at them, and held the whole race oi
gold-miners, above all, i'm something like
terror. Yet it was fated that [ should be.
come gold digger. by proxy at any rate
and most successful one too, and this is
how it come to pass.
It is not so many years back since nv
wife's brother died m Colorado. He had
always been a wild sort of fellow, fit only
for life among miners. vet we liked him
much, for he had many good qualities.
He was injured by the falling of sOmerock
and the nearest doctor-they had one not
more than sixty miles away-Said that al
though he might linger a good while, even
months, PEE hapS, he must die from the ac-
cident. So Dick got cumrade. who was
going eastward. to send me telegram as
soon as he got where telegraphs existed,
detailing what had happened, and begging
me to go to him. need scarcely say how
little this was TO my taste. but we did not
hesitate moment; we liked poor Dick.
and | thought it very probable that he was
lying on a bed of pain without a friend,
and without dollar. Nv wife was nat
urally even more sOlicitOuS about him than
myself.
The trip westward has been told too of
ten to need any description from me:
journeyed through what seemed almost
interminable space, and at last reached
that gathering of Chem mean habitations.
called Denver. Il was there again last
year, and found it slightly changed.) The
place where Dick lay was. found. about
a hundred miles from Denver; and found
alSL, that the best. if not the only, way to
get there was on horseback: and now the
real horrors of my journey began. trav-
eled by myself, or, if by chance had COM
panions for a few miles, these were so
rough, wild, and uncOuth. that [ was al
ways heartily glad TO be rid of them; and
the same when the mOnOtony of theWOun-
tain track was broken by descending teams.
or parties of horSemen their presence
frightened me a great deal more than their
absence, yet | cannot recall single in
stance of even ru'ieneSs on their part but
l was scared generally.
had, of course. taken care to ascertain
before starting on my lonely ride, that
there was no fear of Indians. who had, all.
it seemed, temporarily left the district: so
one great cause of fear was removed.
Briefly, then. | reached Inauguration
Town. so called because of the dty when
the first tent was pitched there and found
1t miserable place. \ dozen log hutS.
five Of them being saloons. and about forty
tents formed the ''city," as it not unfre-
quently styled itself. In a wretched room.
at the back of the largest saloon, found
poor Dick, in a sad state. He was very
glad to see me. but it was plain he was not
long for this world; he knew this well
enough. and talked of his death as calmly
as though he had been speaking of some
one else. On one point | was quite sur
priSed-SO far from needing any help i'm
money matters, he was really rich man.
and handed me deposit notes amounting
TO some thousands of dollars, and made
over to me the gold and valuableS which
were lying TO his credit at the Bank"
Everything was done in most Informal
way; but complete answer to all nv
doubts and queries was given. by saying
that such was miners Law :" and any,
how had the proceeds OF the gold duly /
handed to me the day after Dicks death.
When the poor fellow was gone, had
nothing TO detain nae at Inauguration |
Town, and so left it. as | had approached |
1t, on-hOrSeSack. | could have had COM |
pany, as the landlord of the saloon told me |
there was an ''outtitn starting for Denver |
on the next morning; and taking it for |
granted that should embrace the OppOr- |
tunity. he introduced several ofthe "bOyS" |
TO me at once; but such a wild, deSper- |
set | never saw. and would |
not have travelled with them for the |
world. Very greatly to my hosts aston |
ishment called for my horse, and rode !
off at mid day, more nervous on the score
of my possible companions than of any
roadside enemies.
got on very well that day, and slept at
a house where | had stopped on nv up |
ward journey. The citizen who dwelt |
there seemed glad to see me. after the apa- |
thetic fashion of those Western people, |
but seemed astOniShed too. | thought |
and when was going away, he in his rude |
way. cOmplimented me on my courage; he /
said had more grit than any dOwn-easter |
he had ever seen. 'ln fact. boss, there's /
many Western man would be skearv at |
riding alone through this locality, now the |
Utes i back so thick. and so nasty as they |
are, too: but" ne went on. "you have the |
real grit. | can see" | rode off complete |
" staggered by his speech: and doubt if |
any man in the world was ever so utterly |
sOwed by a compliment on his courage. | |
resolved to ride very slowly. and allow the |
Wild outfit - from Inauguration to over
a. m tr,l fata
had not ridden half dozen miles before |
saw winding up hill. TO the brow of |
which had Just climbed. at least a score
Of Indians. They were. luckily, at least a
couple of miles from Rle, and so there was
every opportunity for me to avoid them.
dld not like the idea of riding directly
back, so determined to take advantage of a
raVlne which ran parallel to the road was
pursuing, and which latter was little bet
Ter tllan a raVlne itself, especially as. from
my elevated position, | thought could see
where II issued into the plain below. |
heSitated no longer. but turned into the
ravine, and was glad to find traces of A
road and of travellers there: so. Judging
Dne way was used about as much as the
other, logged cheerfully on.
| saw no house at Which TO get nv mid
Law meal, but did not mind that, as from
he rate at which had been descending, /
/ should soon strike the plain. l |
lismounted by the side of little spring. I
md, with my flask and some crackers and
managed pretty well. had just
lighted my cigar, and was living under the /
shelter of a solitary tree, when suddenly a
mounted figure came over little stony |
-idge just behind me. | started up and he 4
tarted back. A more suspicious looking /
it would be difficult to imagine. /
lie was a tall man. wearing felt or leath- |
,rn har, squeezed into no shape at all; his /
black hair had probably not been cut for
welvemOnth; he was clad in buckskin |
rom neck to ankle; a buffalo robe covered /
lls saddle, by the side of which hung an
lghteen-shot repeating rifle; on each hip
ne carried a large revolver; and a straight
lhhe III leathern sheath hung in his belt.
At the sight of me. he recoiled. as have
aid, and half drew one of his revolvers.
)ut seeing that | was alone. and ouite in