The Portland daily press., 1890-03-01

apparently SOuuu anu uElnJureu.
became more and more mystified
with the man. He rode along,
so far as l could see. without Civ
ing the slightest attention to his sur
roundings, but his peculiar confidence
was expressed and illustrated whenever
he detected me inspecting the country
with especial care, by some remark, as:
There's no Injuns here; never you
mind, partner, I'll tell when they is
around"
We had good hard wagon road for
the greater part of the days travel, and,
as water was plentiful, made good time.
We entered Peoples Valley toward even
ing, and intended to make the old sta
ton, few miles further up, for the
night. Harbert was riding slightly ahead
of me, when noticed him drop a switch
which he carried in his right hand, and
extend that arm in front of him. A mo-
ment or two afterward he turned to me
and said. with a smile which I thought
unsuited to tho situation, "There's In
juns about here"
could not see the slightest thing to
justify the assertion, and we rode on for
about fifteen minutes before Harbert
drew up his horse and said:
eyes, they is to the north of us, and
not morn half mile ahead of us. They
think they'll s'prise us, but they won't
do nuthin' of the kind. How's your
guns, partner"
took a careful look at my weapons,
while Harbert examined his pistols,
handling them with his left hand, but
did not take his rifle out of the holster
My curiosity had by this time overcome
all other considerations, and could not
refrain from asking my companion how
he knew that Indians were in that vicin-
ity.
"Know? Why, allus knows. Didn't
tell you beforef feel 'em. Listen"
With this, he held his right hand close
to my ear, and my establishment was
complete His fingers, which were
slightly trembling, as 1 first supposed
through fear or excitement, gave forth
very faint yet distinct metallic sound,
more closely approaching that made by
tuning fork than any had before or
have since heard.
cts my alarm clock; it allus goes that
way when Injuns is NIGH" said he, in
answer to nay countenance. "Now, if
you is ready, we'll go on. Well cut
from the road to the right, and give the
Apaches long shot. You use the rifle,
and I'll make my pistol count at short
range, if need be; leastwise, l won't
waste no ammunition, you can bet"
We started down the gentle slope at
long, swinging gallop, and sure enough
when we had covered about half a mile
saw an Apache raise his head from be-
hind rock on the hillside to our left.
AS drew up my Winchester to shoot
volley from four or five rifles was fred
at us, but the range was too long. and
we suffered no injury. returned the
fire, and, although there was no prear-
ranged plan of action, both Harbert aud
myself wheeled our horses and started
toward the Indians.
They broke from their shelter and scat.
tered, all endeavoring, however, to pass
beyond the ridge of the hill of the side OF
which they had made their ambush. ]
followed several up the hill in the direc.
ton from which we came, firing eight OF
ten shots, and having the satisfaction OF
seeing one of the murderous fiends fall
to the ground.
AS had not heard a shot from Har.
bert, I turned around to see what had be.
come of him, and thus witnessed one OF
the most extraordinary and inexplicable
occurrences in my life. Harbert was
pursuing, in diagonal direction from
me, three Indians, who were endeavor.
ing to cross the ridge at the lower point
than those whom l attacked, but, while
within close range, did not attempt te
shoot. Just at this moment buck, who
was nearest to him, pulled up his weapon
but the pistol in the left hand of my
companion cracked, and the Indian fell
over dead l could see that Harbertt
horse had free rein, and that it under
stood the work in hand as well as its
master, for in another moment it was
alongside of the second Indian. No shot
was fired this time. Harbert clutched
The Apache by the neck with his right
hand, and threw him from the pony he
vas riding, scarcely pausing in his mad
chase after the third savage.
Thinking that the Indian who had been
pulled from his horse was simply stunned,
rode rapidly towards him, but was sur.
prised, upon reaching the body, to see,
by the distorted features and protruding
tongue, that life was extinct.
Rv fbic +i,,,o IIo.La-& L. 49,
the last wretch; again his right arm
went out and his hand clutched the
throat of the Indian, who rolled from his
horse as though his skull had been
cloven. Again turning into the road
and shouting to me to follow, Harbert
started in the direction we had been pre-.
viously travelling at speed which my
pony could not begin to maintain.
The entire fight, if fight it might be
called, did not last over five or six min.
utes. Although not unfamiliar with
such things, I was completely bewil
dered. How did Harbert kill the last
two Indians? He surely did not strangle
them to death, for he did not take sufi.
cient time, and he certainly did not pos.
sess the strength to dislocate mans
neck while using but one hand. Why
did he not shoot them like an ordinary
man would have done? Was he a wiz
ard, and what unseen powers did he pos.
sess? While trying to settle these and
other questions of similar nature which
rapidly came to my mind, overlook my
companion, who lay writhing on the
ground in apparent agony, while his
horse was quietly grazing on the grass
near by.
Believing that he had been wounded,
sprang to his side to render what assist
ance could, when he turned his face
toward me and fairly Kissed:
For Gods sake, man, don'ttouch me;
it'll kill you'll"
his jaws set, his eyes rolled and his
features gave evidence of the most in
tense pain; great beads of perspiration
stood out on his brow. His limbs were
twltching, and his entire frame was con.
Vulsed. never saw any one suffer such
agony as Harbert did for the next five OF
SIX minutes, and when the throes became
less violent he sat up and began rubbing
and beating his right arm, repeating
over and over again, in a low moan, "Oh,
it'll kill me; it'll bust; it'll break; some
time I'll cut it off-cut it OFF, II was
fully half an hour before the suffering
man was able to mount his horse and
ride to the station, but in the meantime
he assured me he had not been wounded
by the Indians.
We reached Prescott the next evening
without any further encounter with the
Indians and DURING tho don unrLort az