The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-02-28
A HUT In THE PRAIRIE.


I checked my horse, and after one
long, straining look around owned to
myself that | was lost. | had suspected
the fact some time since, but had stub
bornly fought down the suspicion, though
my horse evidently realized it, With pa
tient endurance he plodded along, resig-
nation plainly expressed in the droop Of
his tail and ears. A Texas prairie is
beautiful, soul inspiring sight ona bright.
day, when the sky is an inverted bowl of
turquois, and the wind comes sweeping
over the grassy wastes as fresh and sweet
as the bloom on a baby's cheek, but
there can be no greater sense of desola-
ton born Of nature than that aroused by
this same prairie when it lies black and
bare to the chill October wind, which
has plucked the glory of Indian summer
from earth and sky.
/ felt this as | gazed about me, discon-
certed and even trifie anxious, for the
sun had set some minutes before in a
cloud heap which, closing over it like q
rebel horde deposing its king, overran
his monarchy with its blood red standard.
In place Of the ranch, the hearty wei
come, pleasant words, bed, supper and
fire [ had expected to reach by sunset,
there was nothing to be seen before, be-
hind, on either hand, but the dead level
of the plain. There were paths in plenty;
in fact, the trouble was there were too
many-all narrow and winding, for
whose meandering there seemed not the
slightest excuse, except the general tend
ency to crOokedness most things, ami
mate and inanimate alike, possess. But
it would have taken the instinct Of
bloodhound or a trailing Indian to have
said which paths had been made by
horses feet or those of cattle. 1t was
certainly beyond my powers to decide,
and in addition to their doubtful nature
they had most perplexing way of run
ming into each other, crossing and re-
crossing, going off at a tangent and fre
quently wandering off and getting lost
altogether. So | soon dismissed the
problem as hopeless of solution.
Now that the sun Wss gone, | found
my knowledge Of the points of the com
pass gone with it. AS sat perpleXed
and worried the gloom of twilight gath
cred fast and the chill of coming rain
smote me through and through, while in
the distance there was the roll of thun-
der. Glancing up saw that the masses
of cloud had closed together in a curtain
of gray mist. My horse strobe on of
his own accord, and hoping that his in
stinct would lead us to some house | let
him have his will. Presently it began
to rain, sort of heartbrOkCn, passion
less weeping, but with a steady deter
mination to peTsevere all night, that
awoke graver apprehension i'll my bosom
than any amount Of clustering, show
cry downpour could have done. This
fine still rain was accompanied by a low
soughing wind that added its desolate
note to the general dreariness of the
hour. OF course | did not mind a little
rain, but the prospect of spending the
entire night exposed to it was anything
| but agreeable, and grew really violent
in denunciation of the folly which had
led me, an utter stranger i'll the cOun-
try, to attempt to find anything less
than volcano in active eruption on a
bald prairie.
The Texans are fine people, in some
in many-respects the most admirable
of hosts, but individually and collect
lively they lack any appreciation OF dis
tance This Is due of course to them
having SO much space around them, but
to a stranger ignorant of the extent to
which the phrases ''a little piece out"
and ''iust outside O town" can be
stretched this contemptuous regard of
miles is little misleading. But in the
face of that dreary, monotonous moan
ing Of rain and wind even my anger at
my own folly could not burn long, and
though chilled to the bone and tired and
hungry | plodded on duly, grateful
that no night. even the longest, could
last forever 1t was now quite dark,
and very dark at that, though at short
intervals close to the horizon a faint
CLEAN of lightning showed, too distant
to cast brightness on my path and only
sufficient to intensity the blacknesa
about me.
All at once saw man walking about
fifteen feet in front of me. Yes, | know
said it was intensely dark, but all the
same, repeat it, | saw a man walking III
front of me, and furthermore | could see
that he was large man, dressed il
rough but well fitting clothes; that he
wore heavy red beard, and that he
looked back ut me from time to time
with an expression of keen anxiety Oh
his otherwise rather fixed features.
"Hallo!" | cried, but as he did not
halt concluded he did not hea" me. Al
u second hail produced noresult IspurroC
my weary horse up to overtake the stran
ger But though the gray responded
with an alacrity most commendable un
der the circumstances, ! soon found that
this strange pedestrian did not intend tC
let me catch up with him. Not that ht
hurried himself. lie seemed without
any exertion TO keep good fifteen lee
between us. Then l began to wonder
how, with intense darkness shutting IN,
in as four black walls, WAS yet able t,
See my strange companion 50 clearly, t
take in the details Of his drgs7, and even
the expression of his face, and that at /
distance more than twice nay horse
length when could hardly see his hes,
before me | ana not given to sapars'i
tious f3ucies, and my only feeling ga
Of curiosity When after attempt aile
attempt TO ovcrtake the stranger ha,
failed, took mercy on my i,.jcd horse
and resolved " follow my ul4soclabl