Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-12-27
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 unnaturally
and apparently prematurely white.
Deeply set gray eyes twinkle cheerily
above check bones, over which is tightly
stretched skin the color of sole leather,
beneath which the play of every muscle
Is plainly seen. Spry as 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 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
ct the quietest of men, came by his name,
when Jim. after slowly blowing a cloud
Of smoke, asked me: Ibid ye ever hear
how ken by my name2"
had not and asked for information.
Jim settled himself down comfortably on
his rough stool and began:
lit uz this yer way. Because, long
bout fourteen year ago he'd bit Nv ex.
perience thet KEN blame near putin an
end tine an left me in jess about tn
hair plum white-ez it is now-in a weeks
time wuz young feller in tn States,
ith more grit than sense, an I'd listed in
tn army. Belonged t. troop in tn
Fourth cavalry. We uz stationed down
to Fort Bowie. Arizona, an my time uz
most out when this thing happened, n
whole company O. soldiers got lost, n
several Nv 'em died n most all perished,
n they was tn wust sufferin' fer while
y ever hear tell on.
1--WE 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 thet
left US under command O. Lieut.. Hanson
Percy, his name wuZ-a young feller t
never d been west till he'd been sent out
from West Point tn same summer. He
wuz regular dude; wore a white
shirt all the time; alters he'd his boots
blacked ketched bugs n pinned 'em on
board n studied 'em; seemed t. enjoy it;
came from Boston. Thet mostly settled
it 18th tn boys. They didn't fancy fghtin'
Injuns with him. But orders is orders,
n grumblin' don't 60, so we started, all
The same
9Th Apaches wuz last reported bout
hundred n fifty miles north IT. 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 mebbe few
cactus n mesquit thrown in fer good
measure. Water wuz not t. be thought on
there, only in spots. where they uz pool
mere n spring there, jess SO it 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 feller, 'ith bull
fiddle voice n mean look He said he
l1nowed every inch O tn ground n speci-
ally all tn waterin' places It wer n
August, n eff you've ever bin in Arizona
bout dog days v know what that means.
Tn sun jiss nachully blazed down n that
alkali plain wer red hot n gitten hotter
every blessed mint. N ez they wuzn't a
mite O shade n no umberils we jess he'd
t take it. We he'd all our canteens filed
when we started n expected t. git t. tn
first waterin place before night. Long
bout noon KEN up 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 ith |
itself, SO when tn 1n's over y don't |
know tn place yer seen a hour afore. |
This ez tn worst one ever seed Tn
wind blowed Hail Columbia. Y cudn't |
see a inch afore yer face. The air uz
full O. sand n alkali n bits O. dry sage |
bresh n dry mesquit branches n gravel. |
1t KEN ithout q minit's w;rnin', 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 day t'us. An stopped ez
quick ez it started. But, Lord. we didn't
know where we wuz when it quit. Tn
lay O tn land wuz changed all round.
Th' hills n hollers had swapped places.
We'd 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
az astonished out O years growth. He
turned every way n each way he uz 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.
1 AuaI uZ mistake our captain u never |
made. Finally Lieut.. Hanson took Joe
off one side 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 n we started off tn way Joe
lowed uz right.
"Well, we KEEP a-goin' till long awhile
fore dark. n Mexican Joe he KEEP gittin'
an nervouser. Th' lieutenant
zep' his eye on i'm, n at last he rode up
lost n seq: Joe, l believe you're lostP
Chet dern fool Mexican jess Topped off his
lorse n onto his knees n begun t. beg fer
mercy, a-holdin' up his hands like he wuz
,rayin'. TIL lieutenant laughed at m
le didn't know eZ well ez he did after
Yards thet gittin' lost on alkii plain
int no laughin' matter-'n told him t.
,it on his hoss n come on. He did so,
,ut seed ne uz bout rum crazy-most O.
hem Mexicans hafn't t. fur t. 60 t. crazy
and anyhow. We KEEP a-goin' till dark,
q he'd t stop n camp. TIL hosses wuz
ufferin', but we couldn't help 'em. By
b. time we he'd breakfast next mornin'
hey wuzn't pint O water left in the
amp. We wuz sure we'd be all right in
b. mornin', fer we'd sec tn sun. But we
idn't see glimpse O. him. Th' clouds
vuz worse n tn day afore. Directly we