Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-02-20
As RACE WITH IDAHO RosssRs.
Joaquin Miller Relates AN Experience of
HIS Youth.


their friends or families; merchants,
anticipating the tremendous rush. must
got letters through the snow to- Walla
Wala. Would go? Gould go2
The snow was deep. The trails over
open and mOnolonous mountains. were
drifted full. Could any living man
face the drifting snow aud find mis- way
to Walla WaIIaP At first the mer-
chants had tried to hire Indians to
undertake the trip and deliver their
letters. Not one could he found to go.
When the storm abatrd a little, the
men who kept the ferry across tho
ShoshOnee River scraped of the snow,
aud cutting down the upheaved blocks
OF ice made 1t possible TO cross with
horse.
AT first meant to carry only letters.
But having finally consented to take q
little gold for only one merchant,
soon found should lose friends If
did not take gold for others The re-
suit was that had to take gold worth
nearly ten thousand dollars.
few muilled-np friends. came down
to the river bank To see me off. 1t was
great event. For two weeks we had
not had u line from the outer world.
And meantime the civil war was raging
in all its terrible fury. As | set out
that bleak and icy morning, after l
had mounted my plugging pony 1 saw
in the crowd several faces that / did
not like. There was Dave English,
who was hung on That spot with several
OF his followers. not forty days later;
there was Boone Helm. hung in Mon
tana; Cherokee Bob. killed in Mllers-
burgn; and also Canada Joe. This
last lived with some low Indians n
little way down the river. So when
he rode ahead of me WAS rather glad
than otherwise; for | felt that he would
not 20 far. kept watch OF him. how
ever. And when | saw that he skulked
around under the hill as if he were
going home aud then finally got back
iulo the trail, knew there was trouble
ahead.
But the "Rubicqn" was now behind.
My impetuous horse was plunging In
the snow and / was soon tearing
through the storm up the hill. Once
fairly on my way ! looked back below.
Dave English and Boon Helm were bid
ding goOd-by TO two mounted cow
boys ut the ferry-hOuse. Ten minutes
later, rs | looked back through the
binding snow, | saw that these two
desperate fellows were following me-
True. there was nothing criminal in
that. The two highwaymen had a.
right to ride behind me if they wished.
Aud Canada Joe had just as good a
right to ride ahead of me. But to be
OH horse deep in the binding snow
and loaded down with gold was bad
| 70 al IO I'M
the narrow trail before YOU with his
two friends behind you was fearful! {
l had two sIX-shooters close at hand
under the bearskin flap of my saddle
bag where the gold was. l kept my
leIt hand in my pocket where lay a
small six shooter warm and ready.
Once as the drifting aud binding snow
broke away up the mountain. saw
Canada Joe with his head bent down
in the storm still pushing on ahead of
me ut Il safe distance. A few moments
after as crossed and climbed the far
Their bank of IN ugly canon, the two
robbers came close enough to hail me.
One of them held up n bottle. They
evidently intended TO overtake me II
they could. and profess to be friendly.
This l must not allow. / urged my
ambitious horse to his best. But, 10
my dismay. as FASTENED up narrow
pass found that was not far behind
Canada Joe. This low-browed black
fellow was reported to be the worst
man in all that country. And that was
SAYING he was bad indeed.
was in tight place now. and had
to think fast. My first plan was to
ride forward aud face this man before
the others came up. But was really
afraid of him. Ii seemed much easier
task 10 turn and kill the two rear men
and ret back to town. But, mol Mol
All this was abandoned almost as
soon as thought OF. In those days,
even the most desperate had certain
rights which their surviving friends
would enforce.
was now but few hundred yards
behind Canada Joe. So far as | could
find out the robbers were closing in
on me. But we had ridden over the
toughest part al the road and were
within few miles Of the high plateau.
SO that the wind was tearing past in a
gale, and the drifting snow almost
blinded me.
Suddenly. I had q new thought.
Why not take to the left. gain the
J plateau by n new route, and let these
bloodthirsty robbers close their net
without having me inside? rose in
my saddle with excitement at the idea,
and striking spurs to my brave horse,
| was soon climbing up tho gradual
slope at gallop. All! but | was glad!
Gallop! gaIlop! gallop. | seemed to
hear many horses! Turning my head
suddenly over my shoulder, saw my
two pursuers not hundred yards be-
hind me. They shouted! | was now
on the high plateau and the snow was
not so deep. Gallop! gal'opl gallopi
Canada JOe-thank Heavon!-was
away to the right, and fast falling be-
hind. Gallopl gallop! gallopi l was
gaining on the robbers and they knew
it. Fainter and fainter came their
curses and their shouts.
And then: Whit Crack! Thudi
looked back and saw that they both
had thrown themselves from their
saddles and were taking deliberate aim.
But to no purpose. Not one shot
touched me or my horse, and l reached
| tho first ataiiOn and finally roda into