The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-11-08

BACK N the early days. Wnen only by
voyage around Cape Horn, short cut
across the deadly isthmus or five
months journey overland could the gold
fields, about which every one was then
crazy, be reached.
when It came my turn to join the
procession, as | didn't like salt water
much and Panama fever still less, con-
cluded to risk all chances on the plains;
and SO it happened that, aswe were plod
ding along one forenoon, Gus Taylor sud-
denly called out. What do you make of
that, Capg pointing to ridge two miles
away, on the crest Of which the naked
eye could barely discern two black
specks.
sour guide and captain, Jim Bur
lows, unsluug his field glass, and turn
ing his horse gazed steadily for few
moments in the direction Indicated
Then uttering the single void, .Apachesf
be galloped to the head Of the train and
cried: Halt. boysi Haiti an form corral
quicksr'n hghtningi Thar's swarm nv
Apaches hoverin round back nv the rise,
waitin till we git inter the pass. Them
little dots is two nv ther scouts, an
seen them signalin plain ez daylight. Eff
thar's goin fer be fight. right here on
the opens the place fur it. Long prac-
tice had rendered us expert at such
work, and in an incredibly short time
the corral was complete and the horses
and mules safely inside.
There were ten wagons in all, and
our mode Of corraIling was as follows.
First one wagon was placed in position
and the team unhitched, then another
was backed up to its front, over the pole.
and so on until the desired circle or
square was finished. In this case we
chose rectangular formation, with
three wagons on each side and two
across each end. as this arrangement
seemed 10 afford greater Enclosed
space and better lines Of defense than
any other, while the high canvas tops
Of the prairie schooners' completely
screened all within the square from out
side observation.
We had left st. Louis, Missouri, more
than three months before, at which time
oar party consisted of twenty-four men
with six wagons; bat we had lately over
taken and given convoy to little cara
van of four wagons and eight men, three
Of whom had brought their wives along.
and two Of these last had each babe
less than a year old, SO that our total
number now included thirty-seyen souls.
Up to this time our journey had been
singularly prosperous, as we had not lost
Il man nor an animal, though we had
been engaged IN several skirmishes with
wandering bands of Piutes while pass
ing through Colorado But we had now
reached the country dominated by those
incarnate scourges of Arizona and New
Mexico the Apache Indians; and, as
Captain Jim said, would hev ter keep
our eyes peeled eff we 'spected ter save
our ha'r'
However, we had come within short
distance Of the great pass which cuts
through the Chirihuica mountains, and
was then the only road between the Rio
Grande and Fort Yuma, without seeing
a single one of these fierce warriors, and
bat for the sharp eyes of Gus Taylor we
might have entered the defile itself quite
unaware Of their proximity; in which
case, as we afterward knew, not man
vvoula have lived ~ fan tba story and
a. for The ,vomen-wall IA rather moi
think Of that.
.s.Jin Burrows an old friend and n,n;l
az fl,e renowned XII flarson and F,;rn-
se,f ! famous Insl;aT, fighter had already
made two or tl,raa overland iorrsars
and xraa ,,rattv well mn ~ an the dodes .
"a t,,e raaslrins ana when We had ssrt
tbings info abay,a he said. Now hove
tl,ese var,ni,,ts bex showed tber hand .
lsatla r,.eria,,s rrbsr gan,a xvas tsr
ygait in re rot inter tha ,,,se t,,e, r;tc,,
,nfo our rear and drive ne ilxe ~ mot. not
rioI,t INTO ,nutber lot nv ;en a-yvaif;,'
fs,r M ,,rong the roche re +har,s ,rrtr
nv ,a,,, tey reslr 4 tbev,ll l;l,s,v tacl,la NJ
Le.s s,,,,, t;yra Yara ,;i,bt -, nv t,,sr
,,,,5f;a.s +ar a<;+ ;rtar tbs corral -. cr.v
,,a ont. bnt wbatsoYnever bany,sna don,t
let se1n ret ia. 81 not a mothers SON nv
us'll ever see Californy.'
sThe surface Of the great plain on
which we were caaped, although appear
ing at first sight level, was really quite
rolling, and we had lately skirted several
deep. dry coulees, in which numbers of
enemies might even now be lurking.
Meantime, the two yidettss had vanished
from the ridge, and one Of our party ven
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