, 1888-11-22
ALKALI JIM.

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 u~nnaturally
and apparently prematurely white.
Deeply set gray eyes twinkle cheerily
above cheek bones, over which is tightly
stretched a skin the color of sole leather,
beneath which the play of every muscle
is plainly seen. Spry as a cat inc tough
as a pine knot exactly expresses the
physical characteristics of this quiet, self
contained mountaineer.
The other evening we were seated out
side the cabin door, after the days work
was done and 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 a cloud
of smoke, asked me: Die We ever hear
how l KEN by my manner"
had not and asked for information.
Jim settled himself down comfortably on
his rough stool and began:
at uz this yer way. Because, long
bout fourteen year ago | he'd a bit NV ex-
perience tibet KEN blame near putin an
end tine an left me in Jess about tn
wuss fix | ever seen, sides turnin' my
hair plum white-ez it is now-in a weeks
time. | WIZ 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 time w
most out 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 s%ufferin' fer a while
y ever hear tell on.
I'VE uz KEEP near tn reservation where
tn Apaches stayed, jess t be 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-
when they'd got a dern good start, NV
course. We'd fit Injuns 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 wuz-a young Teller t
never d been west till he'd been sent out
from West Point tn same summer. He
wuz a 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 'em; seemed t. enjoy it;
came from Boston. Thet mostly settled
it 18th tn boys. They didn't fancy fightin'
Injuns with him. But orders is orders,
n grumblin' don't go, so we started, all
the same.
9TH Apaches wuz last reported bout a
hundred n fifty miles north. I" git on
Their 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 mebbe a few
cactus n mesquit thrown in fer good
measure. Water wuz not t be thought on
there, only in spots, where they uz a pool
here n a spring there, jess so 1t wouldn't
all be like hell, l reckon. None on us
knowed tn lay o tn land, so we TUX a
guide-MeXican Joe, they called him-a
big headed, bow legged Teller, 18th a bull
fiddle voice n a mean look. He said he
knowed every inch o tn ground n speci-
ally all TIL waterin' places. 1t wer n
August, n eff you've ever bin in Arizona
bout dog days y know what that means.
TIL sun jiss nachully blazed down n that
alkali plain wer red hot n gitten hotter
every blessed mint. N ez they wuznt a
mite o shade n no umberils we Jess he'd
t take it. We he'd all our canteens filled
when we started II 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 it turn summersets 18th
itself, so when tn fun's over y don't
know tn place yer seen a hour afore.
This ez tn worst one l ever seed. TIL
wind blowed Hail Columbia. Y cudn't
see a inch afore yer face. The air uz
full O. sand II alkali n bits o. dry sage
bresh n dry mesquit branches n gravel.
1t KEN 'ithout a minit's warnin', n
we he'd t. turn our backs to it N
hold our breath n let it blow. it lasted
bout half an hour, | reckin, though it
seemed half a day t'us. An stopped ez
quick ez it started. But, Lord, we didn't
know where we wuz when 1t 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. a years growth. He
turned every way n each way he w sure
was wrong. T. make matters worse, tn
clouds wuz too thick T. see tn sun n we
hadn't a compass in tn whole command.
That w q mistake our captain'd never
made. Finally Lieut.. Hanson took Joe
off one sic n plavered 18th him, n Joe'd
nod his head n Isl, senoredp all tn time,
but | felt sure he didn't know nothin'.
But tn lieutenant seed sumthin' had t.
be done n put himself t. tn head O. tn
column II wo started off tn way Joe
lowed uZ right,
well, we KEEP a-goin' till long awhile
fore dark, n Mexican Joe he KEEP gittin'
nervouser an nervouser. Tn lieutenant
KEEP his eye on i'm, N at last he rode up
clost n SEE: Joe, l believe you're lostl'
Thet dern fool Mexican jess Topped off his
horse n onto his knees n begun t beg fer
mercy, a-holdin' up his hands like he wuz
prayin'. TIL lieutenant laughed at m
he didn't know ez well ez he did after
wards tibet gittin' lost on a alkili plain
amt no laughin' matter-n told him t
git on his boss n come on. He did so,
but / seed he uz bout rum crazy-most O.
them Mexicans hafn't t fur t. go T. crazy
lam anyhow. We KEEP a-goin' till dark,
n he'd t stop N camp. Tn bosses wuz
sufferin', but we couldn't help EN-. BY
tn time we he'd breakfast next mornin'
they wuzn't a pint O. water left in the
camp. We wuz sure we'd be all right in
tn mornin'. fer we'd see tn sun. But we
didn't sen n nlimnsn q, him Th, clnndn