Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-05-29

p!oSion and my story never has been told ;
but he quickly discovered a caustic prop
pcrty in the substance, and, not liking
the flavor, spit it out. He put the box
on a fiat rock that served as table,
convinced that he wanted nothing of its
contents.
CHANGING to glance up the mountain
side, he saw the boughS shaking in a
scrub oak. At the back of the camp
leaned one of those old-style army rifles,
chiefly formidable to the one who fires
them, known as the 'Long Tom" With
more animation than he had shown at
any former time in the day, Joe seized
the firearm and exclaimed:
81 sees yer, and yer my meat; here
goes fur Drilled sguir'l for dinner" and
started up the mountain side to secure
the game.
The path which he must take to reacn
the place where he had seen the squirrel
was steep and roundabout. When, after
bard scrambling over rocks, he came
near the place where he had seen the
squirrel, that cyasive rodent was not TO
be found But, climbing higher and
looking beyond the summit of the ridge
into little mountain park, Joe spied a
Jack rabbit feeding in an open space.
As he crept toward the creature, follow
ing its upstartings, short runs and up
sittings, in the effort to get chance for
sure shot he saw to the windward among
the pine trees across the valley red
deer. which clused him to abandon the
rabbit chance at once to pursue the
nobler game.
"Hit's a great mornin' fur critters
astir," said Joe to himself, in high glec.
'Who'd thunk that trifin' squirt I'd a
led up ter a deer. N thar may be sum-
thin a heap biggern one deer waitin'
fur me-"
There was something " heap bigger
a waitin." Crack, crack, crack came
the sharp report of several rides of on
his right; there was a singing of bullets
about him 50 close that one passed
through his hat; and there arose hidcous
yelling outcry, which made his flesh
creep, and for moment weakened him
50 much that he nearly tumbled down
from sheer fright
The symptoms of returning courage
and presence of mind manifested them
selyes first in Joe's legs, and with no loss
of time be ran away as fast as he could,
making down the valley toward the foot
hills. A shot or two more whistled by
his ears as some Indians, half dozen OF
50 in number. leaped up and started after
him as feet as deer.
If Joe had kept on straight down the
valley the Indians would sooa have over
taken and killed him. Fortunately, be
had good start of them and was luckicr
still in his knowledge Of a narrow path
stumbled upon during previous hunt
ing expedition-which followed the bot
tom of fssure leading up the face Of
cliff on the side Of the ridge that sepa-
rated this mountain park frcm thc canon.
The opening to this fissure was hidden
by wild vines; turn in the winding
valley served to hide his movement from
his pursuers-and as they dashed round
the rocky prom ontory and kept on down
the valley, Joe was crawling sidewise
ND the narrow cleft, which took him,
after much difficult squeezing and climb
irg, to a rocky nook near the summit of
the ridge 50 concealed by evergreens as
to be wholly out OF view Of any one few
feet away. When at last the Indians re-
traced their steps he was safely hidden,
although they came SO near him that he
could hear their calls rs they ran about
the ridge, passing and repassiug his re-
treat in their search for him.
Joe was in no hurry TO quit his place
of refuge, but after 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 crawIed
to the summit Of the ridge and over the
other side until he reached a point which
commanded view Of the canon and the
Great Cinch mine There in full poses
sion of his camp were seven painted
Apaches, the same ones undoubtedly
that had jumped him so recently.
Joe, who had hoped that his unpleas
ant visitors had gone away for good, was
far from pleased to see the enemy estab-
lished in his camp. Peering between
the side Of boulder and Spanish bayo-
net plant which clTectually screened him,
the Missouri boy watched the perform
ancc of the red men, who were making
themselves wholly at home. They had
killed his burro, and the choice parts of
its carcass stuck on sticks were roasting
about fire made Of poles torn from the
sides Of the shack. They had upset and
oycrhauled the valise and pretty much
everything else in camp in search OF an
munitioa, "whisk," tobacco aud less
valued articles Of pluncer. The dyna-
mite they perhaps deemed "bad med-
cine, for it lay in the box on the fat
rock where Joe had left it three hours
before when the squirrel hal lurcd him
from the camp.