Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-03

side Of It gradually narrers thu
mountains DRAWN in upOni it. About
five mile from Green River the noun
tains shut In upon the creek. For
two miles there Is only a narrer pass.
On each side the mountains stand
straight up and down, and all are
covered with big rocks and bT ash. No
gIttln' over 'em with horses. In the
bushes along the creek in this pass /
knOWed there was a guard of GOshutes
picketed to look out for trouble from
squads of soldiers or armed line men
comm from Green River way. I'd
got to git through there in the night,
and was glad there'd be no moon
TIL near mOrnin'
'Well, when got within a mile OF
this pass 1 stopped in a quakin' asp
thicket and waited till dark. I tore
up one pair Of blankets and mUfHed
the feet of my horses in SIGH a way
that they'd make no more noise than
two cats. Then with strips Ofblanket
l wrapped and tied the rife, and
everything that could either jingle or
rattle.
''TWO hours after dark I was on
the stage road, in the pass. All was
dark and silent. My bosses behaved
beautiful. Their hOOfs made no
sound. I'd got about to the middle
of the pass jisJ where the mountains
was highest, and heered a little bird
cheepin'. 1t was one of them little
brown ground birds that chirp a few
notes about every half hour through
the night. You have the same kind
here in Nevada.
81 listened with all my ears from
the first chirp heard. Then 1 began
to cOunt-One, two, three, four, five.
At five another little bird began to
chirp high up on the rocky mountain
| cliff jist above my head. GOshutesl'
| says 1.
eyes; then I knowed for certain
that the Goshutes were there on
! guard. They can almost counterfeit
the chirp of the little night bird, but
! can't quite do it-nObOdy can.
There's always something lacking.
| What 1 heered the GOshutes say in
their bird-talk was, all is well and
quiet here!" and the answer was
! the same. When they make this
signal the man that does it and
the one that hears it touches the
little finger to the left hand, and
then the next and next till he comes
to his thumb. It's the same as count
in five between the signal and the re-
ply to it. GOshutes count, but that
kind of brain work amt in their line;
! so they take hold of their fingers one
/ after another, and when they come to
the thumb they are sure they are
right.
eff a force of men had passed up
the road the fellers on the creek would
have telegraphed to the one on the
mountain out of reach, and he would
have signaled-by fires at night and
| by smokes in the daytime-tO the
| squads raiding the stations.
81 was glad I heerd the signals.
! They showed me that 1 was about
past all danger, and about ten min
utes later 1 struck out on a swift gal
| lOp to the station, where l reported,
and where found men gathered in
/ from stations eastward.
Next morning a party Of twenty
Of us struck out up the road to see
what had happened at the burned
station. In the pass 1 found where
three GOshutes had been on guard
the night before. Only one man had
been kined at the statiOn-the head
man-as the others happened to be
out lOOkin' up stock, and had taken
! to the hills.
GA mile beyond the runs of the sta
UiOn we found the body of Joe Craig.
1t was lynn beside the road stripped
! and scalped. In dashin' past the
injuns at the station he had been
shot. As ne still rode on the iniuns
thought they had missed him till
they came upon his body. When Joe
fell out of his saddle his boss had
gone ramblin' about till found him
strilzin' out fur his next station and
his barley.
II come out Ofmy business a good
boss ahead, but for most of my plum
! der the stage and pony agents found
owners. The scalp Of my brave was
cOaXed from me by Major Gallagher,
commander at Fort Ruby. I've been
sorry ever since that I let it 90. To-
day I'd rather have it than the boss
I got.
'FWeIl, now you know the kind of
grudge the Inguns had against me
out t'Other side Of Salt Lake. -
Philadelphia Press.
/