Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-18
THE ELECTRIC HAND.

Early in the summer of 1856 l was
sent from Yuma with dispatches for the
commanding officer at Prescott, Ariz.,
being at that time in the employment of
the government as courier and scout.
ALI the tribes in the territory were hos
tile, and most of them were on the war
path. decided, therefore, that it would
be less dangerous to cut across the coun-
try than to follow the usual roads or
trails on which travellers were being
daily killed. struck out in northeast
course, and followed that direction as
nearly as the configuration of the coun-
try would permit.
On the afternoon of the third day,
shortly before sundown, l struck the
trail from Woolsey's Aqua Caliente ranch
to Wickenburg, and, following it for two
miles or more, came to some water
tanks. AS was getting into the Indian
country / resolved to be very cautious.
After preparing and eating my supper
| carefully extinguished the small fire.
and scattered the embers and ashes so as
given my pony a good drink at the tank
/ resorted to tactics with which every
scout and mountaineer is familiar. Hav-
ing ridden forward on the trail until
found rocky ground, where the hoofs of
my pony would make no impression,
dismounted and put the mufilers on his
feet l then turned round and rode
back, and passed the water about half a
mile, where at point some five or six
hundred yards from the trail | founu
good galletta grass for the horse and
made camp. | was on the east side of
the trail, and Hfe from observation
from it or the tanks. AS these mancuvers
were executed after dark felt sure that
they could have been witnessed by no
one. laid down my blankets and went
to sleep with feeling of absolute Sc.
.curity.
Some time about the middle of the
night | awoke without any apparent rea-
son. Listening attentively, all seemed
quiet. Sinking back to rest, noticed
that my pony had quit eating. This again
reused me, and soon the perfect silence
was broken by faint sounds of horses
feet in the distance. IF il be Indians
| thought, my caution has been war
ranted for they can't find me for some
time at least
The sound of the hoofs became palmer,
and was soon able to determine that
single animal made them, and that it was
being hard ridden. Wonder and alarm
took possession of me when, at a point
h. ita l,i ipl,
was sleeping, the gallop broke, and at
a much slower pace the horse came in
my direction. | reasoned that it could
not be an Apache, for a solitary Indian
would select an open place at some ele-
waited point to sleep. 1t followed, then,
that the midnight rider was white and
stranger to the trail, and his approach
was nothing more than a chance. This
reasoning was completely upset when,
in loud voice, the strange horseman,
now quite near, sang out:
"Hello stranger! where is you? Don't
be tall alarmed; it's all rightw
How the man could possibly know that
l was in that vicinity was something
passing my understanding, but l an
swered his salute, although in lower
and more cautious voice; and when he
came up TO me proceeded to inform him,
in language more forcible than polite,
that we were in an Indian country, and
that the people who went riding over it
yelling like Comanches were likely to
lose a lock or two of hair; that this
might be trivial matter with him, but
for my part ! considered my tresses val
uable
BEG pardon but that's all right, part
ner," he coolly replied; "there amt no
Iniun in five mile of here; that l can
bet. But it's lucky for me you camped
on the right hand side of the trail or
wouldn't have found you. Where's
your water!"
l handed him my canteen, and as l
was thoroughly vexed at his impudence
as well as nettled at the ease with which
he found me, inquired, in a manner
not at all intending to disguise my feel
ings:
"How in the deuce did you firs me,
anyway? Were you hanging around
here watching me make camp, and
waited until this time to make your pres
ence known
''No," he answered, in an undisturbed
manner, as he took his lips from the
canteen.
81 know you did not trail me. My
horse must have attracted you by some
noise"
''No, partner, did not hear you or
your hose, and l reckon l was fifteen or
twenty mile out on the desert, seeing the
time of night it is, when you spread your
blankets. didn't trail you, either;
felt you. It's lucky for me you're on the
right hand side of the trail"
He felt me at distance of five or six
hundred yards. The reply convinced me
that had been overtaken by lunatic.
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