Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-10
THE SHEEP-HERDER'S STORY.

SOMETIMES / think men are born with
q kind Of mental lOadstone in their brains
which makes each individual seek out his
own particular destiny without his hav-
ing a great deal to do with the matter
himself. He thinks he is engineering his
craft in the most Independent manner
possible, when in reality he may be
likened to a toy swan in the hands of
Fate, bobbing hither and thither as his
mistress presents the positive or negative
end of her magic rod Ny own particU-
lar loadstone always impelled me to the
frontier; and it alone, [ am very sure,
was the cause Of my being found aWayOff
in the wilds of Arizona in the summer OF
1S6-. | had fought everything on the
Plains, from a daredevil Comanche
down to cOWardly Ute, and thought
there was no red deviltry on the face of
the earth that / was not up to; and so,
when ! landed at Prescott, dead broke,
after an extended tramp through South
ern Colorado and New Mexico, / was
perfectly willing to take a little job of
strengthening in order to get a stake for
the next spin around. 1t did not ruffie
my equanimity in the least when my en-
plOyer informed me that his ranch was
but Il short distance from the somewhat
noted Hell Canon and Devils CCdarS-in
fact, the most exposed of some dozen lit
tie ranches which formed the settlement
of Pheno Valley He saw that this in
formation produced ovisible effect uDon
me, and so he incidentally remarked that
his last herder had Just been killed by
the Indians, but cheertully assured me
that he had lasted for two months, which
was something unusual for a herder:
for" said he, they all become used to
tile Indians, and careless, by three or
four weeks, and get picked off when
there is no need Of it."
/ assured him that | had no desire to
become familiar with my socially in
clined neighbors at all, and that | did
not doubt but that three months would
still find me n vigIlant pastor of his
flock. He was evidently relieved at this,
and gave me his best wishes for my sue
cess, as he said it was such bore to be
running to Prescott SO often in search of
new shepherd
Well, pretty soon we arrived at his
ranch, and was duly presented to a few
other laborers as the "ncw herder" They
received me in much the same manner as
they would have greeted missionary on
his way to a tribe of cannibals among
WYNN NliOASAtN FtNS l'AS't tAAiAlo' iiiN
FASTENED to cheer me up by imparting
the intelligence that strengthening was
by far the most dangerous employment
in that deathstricken country; for the
herder himself afforded the Apaches fine
sport to hunt down, while the sheep they
could secure from his flock offered an
additional inducement in the way of
furnishing the most toothsOme repaSt
they knew, except mule meat-the latter
article of food appearing to fill the same
void in the gastric region of these dainty
cpicures that acknowledged pullet does
in the yearning bowels of an itinerant
pedagogue.
soon began to feel rs though l was
chief mourner at my own funeral, and,
but for the name Of the thing, would have
meandered back to town and left my en-
ployer in the lurch. 1t was shearing
time, and the flock was dividCd the IN
shcared being under the supervision of
IN assistant, while / was assigned to the
sheared, which, in the course of two
weeks clipping, was expected to comprise
the whole flock, and the transient hand
would then be discharged.
That evening | put my repeating rifle
q trusty Henry-and my revOlvers and
knife in the best possible condition, and
in the morning, with canteen for water
and a small lunch. sailed out to spend
the day among the knobs and hills about
three miles from the settlement, where
the grass grew thiclly enough to afford
paSturage for my flock, and where they
would be out of the way of the unfenced
fields 1t was as dangerous a locality
for 4 solitary man to &" stand of"
rowing bands of Indians in rs
could well be fixed up. The whole coun-
try in that part Of Arizona seems to be
composed of mountain tops. from which
the valleys have been omitted in the
hurry Of completing the job Between the
hills ut the bottom Of where the valleys
ought to be, arc vacant spaces of varia-
ble sizes, with an occasional bare peak,
but usually these grassy spots are
fringed with an underground thick
enough to conceal = man at a few PAGES,
while here and there stunted cedar, or
juniper, rises above the tangle of few
feet, and comprises all the timber to be
found for miles. Great powders form
the tops of the hills and are scattered
promiscuously over the sides SO, YOU
see, 1t was a comparatively easy matter
for an Apache to creep upon YOU at his
leisure, and wait for 4 favorable oppor-
tunity to stick an arrow through your ribs.
' a L..
that was the irregularity Of this under
growth. 1t had spots where it was al
most impossible to crawl without being
discovered by an acute eve, and which
rendered It very difficult to pass from
point To point, while making an attack
or retreat, without exposing the person.
So it was, as ! soon learned, the habit of
the Indians TO select Il spot which they
thought most favorable to their purpose
and lay for the expected victims
| took q good survey Of the situation,
and ut once saw that my Comanche
tactics would not do to rely upon here,
and al that would carry me through was
extreme watchfulnesS, and a careful
avoidance Of the chaparral rs much as
was in ny power / also made up my
mind to fight it cut on that line if |
should be jumped" as the expression
for being attacked is rendered in front
Ter parlance. for was convinced that to
attempt a retreat over such a route as
would be compelled to take would be
worse than folly.
Well, the first day wore slowly away
and saw no signs Of Indians, either in
that or several succeeding ones. l did
not relax my vigilance, however, and as
my work was light and lasted only tol
the daytime, and my evenings were soor
oegulled with a quiet Irritation that
sprung up between myself and brown
HAIRED IaEm-Iass, who regarded me, from