The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-03-26
AN UNKNOWN FRIEND.

Half Moon was a new mining camp II
a deep canon at the head waters of tn
Gunnison. One of that ad%vcnturou
class known as "prospcctors" had, i
the fall of 1881, wandered through Ina
country, following a burro which Dor
upon its back all his worldly wealth
and had brought into winter quarters Il
the valley of the Arkansas such promis
ing specimens of brittle and ruby silve
that many, seeing them, were induced t
90 in the spring to spy out the land
And so it happened, on a March night /
1882, that a dozen camp-tires wer
brightly burning, a dozen tents wcr
dimly outlined in the shadows and open
ings of the stuntcd pines, and forty o
fifty men, in groups of from three to six
were gathered around the fires smokin!
their evening pipes and relating their OK
periences and wonderful finds of the yea
before.
Among fifty men brought togethe
from every part of the world, in II wll'
country, by q purpose born, to some OK
tent at least, Of Sclfshhcss and greed
some are likely to be found in whom
brutishncss p%redominatcs. There wer
several such in the camp at llalf-Moon
Bill Lewis had seen nature in all he
majesty, moods and aspects for NOR
than thirty years: had travcrscd tn
country from the Missouri to the Paciti
shore; lunchcd on the highest summit
and camped in the deepest gorgcs. Ant
yet his ~depravity was immense! lie hat
been convicted of a dozen crimes, ant
committed an hundred others withou
conviction.
There was another manor rather DO.
in that camp; but he could not be scel
that evening around any of the fires. Eli
had come into the gulch in a crowd o
seven, who had been on the. trail SOM
twenty DAYS together, and Bill Lewis wa
another of the seven. His name wa
Zeno Brown. His comrades had failce
to catch or comprehend his first name
and he had come to be called "Llttl
John"
He would have been remarked any
where in a mining region as one who'll.
out of place. He was light, delicate ant
fragile-though seemingly in good health
before coming to the gulch-and was i'll.
fitted to meet the vicissitudcs of a noun
tain life. lie might have been born fo'
On artist or poet, or both; he ccrtainl.
was V intended for a miner.
In coming into the gulch the party hat
an unusually serious trip. The trial wa
lily defined; the snow was deep and soft,
they had been compelled to unpack thel
animals q score of times, and to sleep il
wet clothes and wet snow. For all this
however, most of them cared but little
They were not invalid tourists, and the,
had crossed the range o many times il
bad weather to be much troubled by on
trip more.
But with Little John the case was diff
ferent. He had never before been thu
exposed. and was evidently not sustained
to any considerable extent by a hopeful
spirit. and he had succumbed. He la,
in his tent in his rough blanket bed, sick
Frustrated, exhausted.
They had been talking of him arount
the fire when some one, coming from
tent in q grove near by, said:
81 think Little Johnllgo up tonight
He's crazy now. an thinks he's in Ohio
an keeps talkin' of his mother"
Bill Lewis, before silent and sullcn
started up at once. "lll go sec the kid,
he said.
He went, and all followed in wonder
The bed was warm enough, and sof
enough. But it and its surrounding
were terribly rough for one like him /
his condition. The pale face amid tn
shaggy blankets. lit up by a tallow candl
burning in can; the saddles, ropes
kettles and tools scattered around anon
the bushes upon the earth floor-all tc
ccther formed a scene weird and impres
sive.
ssPards. that yer kid must be saved,
said Bill Lewis. "if you fellers have
mind to turn in an hclp-wcll an good
but anyhow, that kids going to be save
for his mother"
It was thirteen miles east over tn
range to the nearest cabin. The SUNNI
was nearly fourteen thousand feet i
height, and upon it 4 storm was raging
The spurs to the north and west were Ut
tcrly impossible. The only way out wa
down the gulch by the same route owe
which they had recently come in. Al
though BY this trail there would be n
storm, there was worse. There wer
slides, precipiccs. and difficulties innum
cradle. Beside, it would only lead int
the broad valley of the Gunnison. TIL
range must yet be crossed to the east be
fore a railroad town could be reached q
the advantages of shelter and medical at
tendance secured. They believed tn
boy would die before morning. How
then, could he be saved
''Bill, seeing their questioning look:
answered them:
"See here, pards; the boy amt near
sick as We think he is. He's tired, wer
out, an t~eetotally discouraged; but he
Young, amt burnt out with whiskv,-
an IN my opinions more homcsick tina
sick. I've seen them fcliars before. ]
we can make him understand there's
chance Of his gittin' home, he'll hang o
so we kin git him home. I'll rig Il lite
on Balaam (Balaam was Bills burro), al
we'll take him down the valley to Taylt
Creek. A couple O. you fellars kin the
cross the range by Brush Creek trail t
Copper Creek, an git more fellars tha'
an meet me an the kid on the summit {
Red Mountain. Theirs an empty cabl
at timDer-line on the west O Red Mour
tain, an meet me thar an hour by sun tt
morrow. If yer hustle yer'll git thai
Yer ought ter fetch up by midnight o
the summit"
It is useless to attempt to convey a
idea of what this plan involved.
They were ready in an hour. III
rugged a litter upon his burro, as Indiar
do, and in it placed Little John. A
II o'clock the procession started dow
the gulch. There were two men bcsld
Bill. While these went forward an
picked out the trail, Bill attended to tn
litter. Their progress was slow an
their mishaps many, but without seriou
accident they reached the valley at day
light, and at 10 o'clock were at Taylc
creek.
Little John was no worse. lie wa
partly conscious and had been made t
understand that he was going towar
home. Bills assistants were to leav
him at this point, and he delivered a las
injunction. ~
"Now pards, let's have no bitches
kin make the cabin in five or SIX hour
easy enough, an shall stop thar an hou
to rest an warm. If l kin make tn
next two miles over the summit tn
things done. If it's quict-like, mebDe
kin make it. If it storms-God help us
You must be thar at the summit at mid
night. If the SHOWS drifted bad, Ba
laam can't make it, an we'll have t.
carry the boy. When you git thar, II
storms. hunt round, an ycr1l find m
an BALKAN an the kid somewhat in tn
snow. Now git; an'-an'-if you eve
loved yer mothers-don't you fall"
The two departed: reached and passed
the s4mwifs befors Daylight had,.fhded
-..-S.E--