The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-02-26

difficult to discover me out there on
the desert as it would be to find the
old-time needle in the hay-stack. /
made down my blankets and went
to sleep with feeling of absolute Sc
curity. @s 3
Some time about the middle of the
night, as l could determine by the
stars, l awoke without any apparent
reason. Looking about me and
listening attentively, all seemed
quiet Sinking back to rest, and
when in a condition between semi
consciousness and oblivion, I noticed
that my pony had quiteating. This
again aroused me, and soon the per-
feet silence was broken by faint
sounds OF horses feet in the distance.
eff it be Jndians,' I thought, "my
caution has been warranted, for they
can't find me for some time at least,
and no matter what their number, I
can reach Vulture before they harm
me; if white travellers, they do not
concern me, and will camp at the
tanks, where l will see them in the
morning." Notwithstanding my
confidence, 1 sat up and listened.
The sounds OF the hoofs became
palmer, and l was soon able to de-
termine that single animal mace
them, and that it was being hard
ridden. Wonder and alarm took pos
session Of me when, at point on the
trail directly opposite from which I
was sleeping, the gallop broke, and
at much slOWerpace the horse came
in my direction. reasoned that it
couldno be an Apache, for asolitary
Indian would select an open place at
some elevated point to sleep, and
would himself drink and also water
his horse at the tank. ItfolloWed then
that the midnight rider was white and
a stranger to the trail. NotknoWing
theproXimity ofwater, he had selected
the clump Of mosquitoes as a good
place at which to rest for a few
hours, and his approach was moth
ing more than a chance This rea-
soning was completely upset, when,
in a loud voice, the strange horse
man, now quite near, sang out:
Hello, stranger! where is you?
Don't be tall alarmed; it's all
riGht!"
How the man could possibly know
that was in that vicinity was some
thing passing my understanding,
but | answered his salute, although
in a low and more cautious voice,
and when he came up to me, pro-
ceeded to inform him in language
more forcible than polite that we
were in an Indian country, and that
people who went riding over it yell
ing like Comanches were likely to
lose a lock or two of hair; that this
might be a trivial matter with him,
but for my part I considered my
tresses valuable.
"Beg pardon; but that's all
right, partner," he coolly replied;
"there amt no Injun in five miles
of here; that I can bet. But it's
lucky for me you camped on the
right-hand side of the trail, or
wouldn't have found you Where's
your water?'
I handed him my canteen, and I
was thoroughly vexed at his impru-
dence in exposing us to the danger of
an attack by making known the To-
cation of our camp, as we'll as nettled
at the ease with which he found me
after all the precaution I had taken
to prevent such a thing, 1 inquired,
in a manner not at all intended to
DISGUISE nv feelinps:
GLOW in the devil did you find me
anyway? We're you hanging around
here watching me make camp and
waited until this time to make your
presence known"
"No," he answered, in an undis-
turbed manner, as he took his lips
from tie canteen.
II know you did not trail me. My
horse must have attracked you by
some nOise?"
"No, partner, I did not hear your
hose, reckon I was fifteen or twenty
miles out on the desert, seeing the
time of night it is, when you spread
your blankets. I didn't trail you
either; felt you. It's lucky for me
that your on the right-hand side of
the trail.''
He felt me ut distance of five or
six hundred yards! The reply con-
WINGED me that I had been overtaken
by a lunatic, but as my unknown
companion had so little difficulty in
finding me, did not see how I could
easily be rid of him. Before 1 had a
chance to speak again he inquired:
"Where's highest water?"
told him where the tank was, and
with the assurance that he would be
right back, he rode away. That I
was completely COMPOUNDED at the
strange visit and nonplussed with the
travel, freely expresses my sensations
at the time. That he was astranger
to the trial was evident from the fact
that he did not know the location of
the water-tanks. That he was a
greenhorn in the country was equal
ly plain, for the reason that he did
not appreciate the existing danger,
and by his noise needlessly exposed
himself; yet the mysterious manner
in which he found my camp, saluting
at the proper time to avoid
all chances Of receiving a RI
fle- ball, was contradictory of the
a