Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-10-05


a drop o blood.
Il reck'n | jumped nigh a rod high,
for il was a pooty clost call TO climb
the stairs, and then | looked to see
whar the Internal thing come from.
/ seed "a wisp o. smoke hangin' over a
clump o bushes nigh the hill top that
told me all | cared TO know, an grab
bin up my gun | made for home, UNI
der the shelter Of the creek bank, at Il
2:40 gait, fearin' a second shot from
the lnjuus,
Nigh our hut | met Yumez, gun in
hand, who said he had heard the shot
an started out 10 help me- if needed.
1t struck me us bcin' curious he could
have heard the report over "A
mile away, behind the hill an the
wind BLOWN half a gale in t'other di.
rectIou, but % course there want moth.
in Ia he said.
Bill was inside worlIiu' on the
traps, an when ] told him what had
happened he was quite Uneasy, and We
discussed the salvation rs TO what
should be done. Meantime Numez
had hung his gun on the pegs and
gone for Il bucket o water.
Wonder ii Numez seed any In
Jun signs when lie was out, slid Bill.
Why SCI ], was he ont whilst
| was gomez Thought he was hyar
with YOU.
a" lie went out with his gun soon
after We did. said Bill. I'll ask him..
And Bill Lett the hut,
''Tlat give me another suspicion, to
l'arn that iumc6 had left the hut
shortly after / did. What forl An
why did he pretend he'd heard the ri
&c shot an come ont afterwards TO see
what it meant | got up an went 10
the pegs am examined the Mcxican'S
Hile. didn't like the result, for the
gun wasn't loaded nj all, Things had
an ugly look. While ] WAS putin
the gun back the Mexican returned.
an seem what / was doin'h o lookd
guilty as a thief an then ! know'd the
rascal had fired that bullet nj me his
self.
Il wos on the pint ~ denomcin'
the villain Ia Onccst an | scarcely on
dcrstood why | didn't. Ii wasa drcflul
mistakenot to do il. fer mobbe if | had.
matters would hey been different. an
the awful thin. what happened might
never have come To pass. | have allus
been sorry | didn't shoot the traitor on
the spot. BnL | reasoned that bcin'
warned | could easily Stryumyeut his
diyiltry Bat he was worse than !
give him credit for.
Il decided uottotcll Bill about it, but
when the next mornin' We discovered
some . our be.L traps gone an the
Mexican had vaElOospd also. | up an
told pardner all about il; an think
if Bill had been a Swcarin' man the
mir nd Il sm"lt o birthstone surtiu, for
the old fellow was biilin' mad cl'ar
through. We s.;iamishcd runnd all
day, an not an lniuu SIGN could we
see, which satisfied "a that it was all
the work o that thieviHg Mexican.
We should Miss The traps O course,
but 50 far rs aCiooal value was con
cerned, the Scamp's share O the pelts
made that good, an we was glad to be
shut o him. But we didn't understand
what a regular coyote the Teller was.
for a snake was a fool compared with
him in genuine diviltry.
Things went on smoothly enUir
for about three weeks an we were
quite forgcttin' the Mexican, when
one day Bill went off 10 visit a creek
sev'ral miles distant whar we had
been thinkiH' of setting n few traps,
leavin' me at home, for | had been
quite seedy several days with chills,
which | never had afore or sence.
Wall, after Bill left / got a royal
big bar skin an toted il ON the grass
in front of the hut, an, Sprcadin' ii
out, / lay down, the hot rays % the
sun feelin' very grateful to my chilled
limbs, an bimcDy went of sound
asleep.
After a while / woke up with a
start, feelin' half smothered, an found
myself on the bare ground with the
big bar skin on top entirely GOVERN
me up. | also heard voices an felt
that | was being held down by several
pairs o hands. ! struggled US well as
| could to throw OF tie bar skin, but
found that ! was really helpless, my
feet bein' caught in the moose o a
stout lasso.
Every soon, however, the skin was
dragged of, and | saw several Iniuns
who fell upon Inc an tied my hands
in a jitfy, an | found myself a fast
prisoner in the clutches o. half a doz.
en- redskins. But this wasn't as dis
couraging US il was 10 discover a man
holdin' the end o. the lariat, in whom
| recognized Yumez, the Mexican,
who grinned at me in a most diaboli-
cal way that showed Ineed look for
no mercy at his treacherous hands.
'Carambor he growled. IL is
my turn now. You sot Bill agin' me
an now I'll have my revenge
What does this meani' | dc.
manded, furious with rage. Loosen
me, We coward, and M
'CaraioG interrupted Yumez,
I'm not such a fool. Ne had Il chance
an ye let it slip. Now you'll take
what you get
And with that the brute came mp
an whippin' out his knife said; I'll
Jest mark ye with a cross, 50 SatanaS
will give ycan extra hot roastin' when
lac gifts ye down thar
''An' then the half breed gave me
the mark yc sec on my check, strau.
ger, an laughed loug an loud, an the
lniuus danced "A lively Jig Us he did it,
Hurt; Wall. no doubt IT did, an bled
some too, but | was SO mad ! didn't
feel the min Till long aftrrrvarl