Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-10-16

mountain park from une canyon. Inc
opening to this assure was hidden by wild
vines; turn in the winding valley served
to hide his movements from his pursuers
and as they dashed round the rocky prom
ontory and kept on down the valley Joe
was crawling sidewise up the narrow cleft,
which took him, after much difficult
squeezing and climbing, to rocky nook
near the summit of the ridge, so concealed
by evergreens as to be wholly out Of view
of any one few feet away When at last
the Indians retraced their steps he was
safely hidden, although they came so near
him that he could hear their calls as they
ran about tho ridge, passing and repassing
his retreat In their search for him.
Joe was in no hurry to quit his place of
refuge, but after Il time, when all was
quiet, he crept out from his shelter to look
about and see If the coast was clear. No
Indians were In sight, and he crawled to
the summit of the ridge and over the other
side until he reached point which com
mahded a view Of the canyon and the Great
Cinch mine. There, in full possession of
his camp, were seven painted Apaches, the
same ones undoubtedly that had Jumped"
him SO recently.
Joe, who had hoped that his unpleasant
visitors had gone away for good, was far
from pleased to see the enemy established
in his camp. Peering between the side Of
a bowlder and Spanish bayonet plant,
which etfectually screened him, the Mis-
souri, boy watched the performance of the
red men, who were making themselves
wholly at home. They had killed his
burro, aud the choice parts of its carcass
stuck on sticks, were roasting about fire
made of poles torn from the sides of the
.ha boA rhat ,laI
the valise and pretty much everything else
in camp in search of ammunition
''whisk," tobacco and less valued articles
of plumber The dynamite they perhaps
deemed bad medicine" for it lay in the
box on the fat rock where Joe had left it
when the squirrel had lured him from the
camp.
What specially grieved Joes heart wa.
their killing of his burro, the only posses
sion he had in the world except the tat.
tered clothes he wore. Now that after all
the fuss he found himself still alive the
boys courage came back sufficiently for
him to get very angry over his loss. AS a
relief to his feelings he cooked his rife
and sighted it at different members of the
group, thinking, as he dalied with the
trigger, what pleasure it would give him
to send bullet among them as a sauce to
their meal For youth of Joe's capacity
for doing the wrong thing this fooling with
the trigger was most unwise, as was shown
presently when he pulled Just a trife too
hard; the hammer fell, and the heavy
army piece, pointing into the midst of the
Indian group, went off with louder bang
and a more emphatic rebound-so it seemed
to Joe-than ever before.
The vicious kicking of the gun against
l.. 1. 1 L
explosion and the feeling of establishment
at it's unexpected performance, occupied
Joe's thoughts for an instant. Before he
had time to be- frightened at what he had
done he was Jared and shaken as if the
mountains were rocking and was stunned
by a deofening roar that rent the air.
Loose rocks went rolling down the slopes,
trees were rushing 10 the earth, aud Joe
saw, as in a fantastic dream, the top of {.
giant pine that had overhung the mine
high aloft and still going upward as if it
never would stop. Everything in the can
yon seemed to be In the air, flying away
from the spot where the camp had been.
After the dust had somewhat settled. Joe,
looking down upon the site of the shack,
could see there only a great hole in the
! ground, while Il heap of earth had taken
the place of the Great Cinch tunnel. The
shot fired by mistake had missed every
/ Indian and pumped straight into the box
of dynamite.
At the time when Joe's shot was fired
| Peg Leg Crawford, riding burro and
driving his pack animals before him on his
way back to the camp, had reached the
mouth of the canyon. Another turn in the
path would bring him in sight of his mine.
He was specializing as to how things had
gone on in his absence.
~ wonder what that fool boy Joe's been
a doin while I've been gone" he solilo
quized. He's done no work ter speak Of
that's dead sure, an it's great streak o.
mercy if he hain't been up ter mischief II
he should get ter foolin with that dyna
mite"-
At this point in his reflections Crawford
| found his burro's footing unsteady, owing
| to an uneXplainable tremor of the earth
| There was commotion In the air as i.
several cyclones were fighting for the RICH,
! of way through the canyon and great
roar came to his ears as if the thunders oil
whole rainy season were combined in one
peal. The next thing he realized was tina,
he and his burros were on the ground
together in heap, whore, by unanimous
consent, they waited until the elements had
subsidized.
When things had quieted down the old
| prospector, who was not very nimble Oh
| his pins, pulled himself out Of the tanglt
of burros, got his animals on their feet ant
stumped up the canyon to find out what
had happened He expected to find some
part of the body of Joe at distance more
or less remote from the place where the
camp had stood.
When he reached the scene of the explo
sion he looked for some sign Of his assist
ant.
"Joes gone with the rest | reckon" hi
said, with a touch of regret I'M have
Whit o. my pipe n then take a look roul
for the body n give it Christian burial, >
thars enough left ter putin hole. Hullo
What's that2 Hain't the stuff got through
fallin yetY
There was n rafting down the mountain
side, and looking up to learn the cause, ht
saw Joseph Dobbs sliding on his bacl
down a slopinR face Of rock. In making
his way to the canyons bottom to investi
gate matters the boy had missed lis foot
ing, in his excitemen and was coming