The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-11-13

his sick friend. made light of the days
mishaps and even managed n joke
about Big Bunster's burro being small
Ter than its rider, which joke seemed
very near the truth, though it lacked
heartiness.
The little caravan its way to Caliente
trail and along it to one of the outer
walls of the great canyon, where it halt
ed for the night
Very early in the morning, before
the sun had ceased his repentance, two
of the men slung their canteens to their
sides and started for the river; though
Yost, after they had gone, said: "It's
even chances bout them gittin' water
they mought and they moughtn't
Them air canyon walls is mighty
steep, but thar may be place to git
down som'ers along thar"
Clearly the sun had determined to be
as wicked as ever; and when his scorch-
ing. blistering rays reached the little
camp on Calieute trail, the men soon
sought the shelter of the rocks Raw
Inns made Bunster as comfortable as
was possible; but there was very little
comfort to be enjoyed. The sick man
walled for water, and his purple face
was an ugly sight for his friend to gaze
upon, while he vigorously famed with
his hat the dry, hot air above his brow.
Hours passed. Twill they never
Gomez" thought Rawlins; "why did l
not go myself? 1t was because l
thought he might die while 1 was
gone, and wanted to stick by him to
the end. Still, she aid have gone-I
should have gone"
Another hour dragged its reluctant
way along. 1t was nearly noon.
There they were at last-the water
bearers. But why walked they 50
slowly? No doubt they were tired.
Yes, they were tired and worn-nearly
exhausted, in fact; their clothes were
in tatters, and they were shamefaced
and cowed-for they brought back no
water. They had started from the
walled-in stream with full canteens;
but the ascent of the canyon-side had
been SO toilsome, the heat SO intense,
and their thirst SO great, that they had
drunk every drop.
Ugly glances shot from Zach Raw
inns eyes at the recreaut ones. His
blood was up He would go down to
the stream, though it were guarded by
fiery dragon, and he would bring back
a canteen full of water and steep the
heartless ones in their shame. Yes,
Big Bunster should have the all-need-
ful draught, If he had to go through
fire to get it And he did go through
fire; for it proved useless for Yost to
tell him that journey down to the
waters edge in the cool of the morn
ing and one made at midday were two
very different things to undertake. He
jerlxed the canteen- strap over his
shoulder and strobe quickly away over
the baked mesa, under the burning
sun and soon began the descent From
one great step of the rough, natural
stairway to another he went, and at
last he gained point where he could
look of and down into the canyons
dark depths. Like . sinuous piece of
steel the river ran its way far below
him, strip of it visible here, another
there, and still another beyond, so that
IL seemed as if the stream burrowed
through high, rocky barriers Rawlins
paused not to note the brilliant patches
of color along the face Of the great
escarpment, and the sharply-sketched
chiar-oscuro that marked the naked
grandeur of the scene made no inn
press He only saw, running swiftly
at the base of the great walls which
hemmed 1t in from human hand, the
lay dying. The way down was diff
cult He was almost stified by the
heat, he was tortured by an intoler-
able thirst; his clothing was torn by
jagged rocks; hew as struck at by rattle
snakes, and, if all this were not
enough, one of the soles of his boots
had become so warped by the heat and
split by the rocks as to make his step
unsafe.
In fever of excitement, he finally
reached the rivers edge. He threw
himself down by the brink and eagerly
gulped the sparkling water. Then he
filed the canteen and darted up the
rocks. Fleet as had been his descent
to the base of the canyon wall, it had
taken him nearly two hours to make it
1t had been hard enough coming down
but now came the real work. So steep
was the rocky escarpment that its
ascent was one of great effort and
peril, even for a strong man at early
dawn, but for weak man, at two
-, Ia oft rf,x1
How intensely hot it was there on
the canyon side! How scorchingly, I'M
bearably hot! And yet he bore it.
Though his whole body rS>ked with
perspiration and his mus.'es were
tightly drawn under the grea, strain,
yet he paused only to pick his way
among the rocks. He could not go up
the way he had come down, for it was
too steep.
Within an hour the demon thirst
had seized upon him again, clutching
with fiery fingers at his throat until it
seemed almost closed. So quickly
were the bodily juices licked up by the
sun, under such tremendous effort,
that his very marrow seemed to have
lost its fluid portion and his tongue to
have turned to a chip. Now he was in
the shadow of a great rock. How
grateful was the shade! He paused
there for a moment He scoided him
self for his loss of time, but he felt
that moment was one spentin Heaven.
In passing through great split in
the rock the scantee1 strap was cut,
and down fell the precious vessel, with
its still more precious contents. The
stopper few from its place and a
plash of water steamed up from the
burning rock on which il fell Mad