The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-11-16
ALKALI JIM.

'AlKall Jim, whom L nave learned TO
number among my stanchest and most
highly valued friends among these hardy
and picturesque mountaineers, in person
Is fully six feet tall and very slim. The
hair on his head Is thick, but ~unnaturally
and apparently prematurely white.
Deeply set gray eyes twinkle cheerily
stretched a skin the color Of sole leather,
Beneath which the play OF every muscle
is plainly seen. Spry as "a cat and tough
as a pine knot exactly expresses the
physical characteristics Of this quiet, self
contained mountaineer.
The other evening we were seated out
side tho cabin door, after the days work
was done n supper had been eaten. !
had just expressed my wonder as to the
way in which "Fidgety BILL" who is one
of the quietest of men, came by his NAME,
when jim, after slowly blowing q cloud
of smoke, asked me: Ibid We over hear
how l ken by my manner"
l had not and asked for information.
Jim settled himself down comfortably on
his rough stool and began:
ut w this yer way. Because, long
bout fourteen year ago l he'd u bit NV ex-
p%erience tibet KEN blame near putin an
end tine q n left me in jess about tn
wuss fix | ever seen, sides turnin' my
hair plum white -ez 1t Is now-in q weeks
time. l wuz a young Teller in tn States,
18th more grit than sense, an I'd listed in
tn army. Belonged t. b troop in tn
Fourth cavalry. We w stationed down
to Fort Bowie, Arizona, an my timc uz
most n when this thing happened, n
a whole company O. soldiers got lost, n
several NV EN- died n most all persisted,
n they was tn wust sufferin' fer a while
v ever hear tell on.
1--WE uz KEEP near tn reservation where
tn Apaches stayed, jess t. DO handy in
case O. trouble. One day some o. tn red
devils got out n TUX tn war path, n be-
gun KILN all tn settlers they cd find.
Our company wuz ordered after EN-
hen they'd got q dern good start, Nv
course. We'd fit lnjuns afore, n ruther
TUX kindly to it, fer it promised sumthin'
t break up tn monotony o. camp life.
Our captain was off on sick leave, n tibet
left us under command O Lieut.. Hanson
Percy, his name VIVA young Teller t
never d been west till he'd been sent out
from West Point tn same summer. He
wuz q regular dude; wore q white
shirt all the time; alters he'd his boots
BACKED; ketched bugs n pinned EN- on a
board n studied en-; seemed t enjoy it.;
came from Boston. Thet mostly settled
it 18th tn boys. They didn't fancy fightin'
lnjuns with him. But orders " orders,
n grumblin' don't GO. 81 we started, all
the same.
9TH Apachcs WIZ last reported bout q
hundred II fifty miles north. ~ git on
ther trail we he'd t. cross one o. them dem
plains full o. alkali n sage bresh N moth.
in else but rocks n sand, n mebbo @ few
cactus n mesquit thrown in fer good
measure. Water wuz not t be thought on
there, only in spots, where they w a pool
here n a spring there, jess SO it wouldn't
all be like hell, l reckon. Mono on us
knowed tn lay O. tn land, so VIC TUX q
guide-Mexican Joe, they called nina
big headed, bow legged teller, 18th a bull
fiddle voice n a mean look. He said he
knowed every inch O. tn ground n spcci-
ally all tn waterin' places. 1t wer II
August, n Of you've ever bin in Arizona
bout dog days v know what that means.
TIL sun jiss nachully blazed down n that
alkali plain wei red hot n gitten hotter
every blessed mint. IN ez they wuzn't q
mite O. shade n 10 umberils we jess he'd
t take it. We he'd all our canteens filled
when we started n expected t. git t. tn
first waterin' place before night. Long
bout noon KEN up a sand storm. Worst
things y ever seen, them sand storms Is.
TIL wind jess lifts tn hull surface O. tn
yearth n makes IL urn sulnmersets 18th
itself, so when tn fun's over v don't
know tn place yer seen q hour afore.
This ez tn worst ono l over seed. Tn
wind bowed Hail Columbia. Y cudn't
see a inch afore yer face. The air w
full O. sand n alkali n bits O dry sage
bresh n dry mcsquit branches II gravel.
It KEN 'ithout n minit's warnin', II
we he'd t turn our backs to it II
hold u breath n let it blow. 1t lasted
bout half an hour, l reckin, though it
seemed half @ day ,t'us. An stopped ez
quick eZ 1t started. But, Lord, we didn't
know where we wuz when It quit. TIL
lay O. tn land wuz changed all round.
TIL hills n hollers had snapped places.
Wed huddled up tn best we could while
tn storm lasted, n they wuzn't one Nv us
could tell which way we come or which
way we'd bin goin'. Y never see a worse
beat man n Mexican Joe. Looked like he
w astonished out o. n years growth. He
turned every way n each way he w sure
was wrong. IT. mako matters worse, tn
clouds wuz too thick T. see tn sun n We
hadn't o compass In tn whole command.
lnaU uI u MISTAKE cur Captain ucVcA
made. Finally Lieut.. Hanson took Joe
off one side II plavcrcd 18th him, II Joe'd
nod his head II Isl, scnorcdY oil tn time,
but | felt sure ho didn't know nothin'.
But tn lieutenant seed sumthin' had T.
be done II put himself t. tn head O. tn
column II we started OF tn way Joe
lowed w right.
DWELL. we Eep' a-goin' till long awhile
fore dark. n Mexican Joe he KEEP gittin'
ncrvouser an YOU TIL lieutenant
kep' his eye on i'm, n at last no rodo up
clost II seq: joe, ! believe you're lostr
Thet dern fool Mexican jess Topped off his
horse II onto his knees II begun & beg fer
mercy, a-holdin' up his hands like lie wuz
prayin'. tn lieutenant laughed at M
he didn't know cz well ez he did after
wards tibet gittin' lost on q allSili plain
amt no laughin' matter-n told him t
git on his boss n come on. He did so,
but l seed he w bout rum crazy-most o.
them Mexicnus hafn't t. fur t. go G crazy
land anyhow. We keep a-goin' till dark,
II he'd t. stop n camp. TIL bosses wuz
suffcrin', but VIC couldn't help en-. BY
tn time wc he'd breakfast next mornin'
they wuzn't q pint o. water left in the
camp. We wuz sure we'd be all right in
al, ,,orpip, Cor y,o,1 eoa tbb c,n n,t xvo