Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-05-15

rock that served as a table, convinced
thathe wanted nothing ofits 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 "Lcng
Tom" With more animation than he
had shown at any former time In the
day, Joe seized the flrearm and
exclaimed:
II sees yer and yer my meat; here
goes fur br'lled sqnirl for dinner" and
started up the mountain side to secure
the game.
The path which he must take to
reach the place where he had seen the
squirrel was steep and roundabout
When after hard scrambling over
rocks, he came near the place where
be had seen the squirrel, that eyasive
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 rab-
bit feeding in an open space. As he
crept toward the creature following
its upstartings, short runs and upsit-
tings, in the effort to get chance for
a sure shot, he saw to the windward
among the pine trees across the val
ley, red deer, which caused 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
glee. "Who'd a thunk that trihin
squirt nd up led up ter a deer N
thar may be sumthin heap bigger'n
one deer waitin fur me-"
There was something "a heap big
ger waitin'." Crack, crack, crack
came the sharp report of several rifles
off on his right; there was singing Of
bullets about him so close that one
passed through his hat; and there
arose a hideous yelling outcry, which
made his flesh creep and for a moment
weakened him so much that he nearly
tumbled down from sheer fright.
The symtoms of returning courage
and presence of mind manifested
themselves first in Joe's legs, and with
no loss Of time he ran away as fast as
he could, making down the valley
toward the foothills. A shot or two
more whistled by his ears as some
Indians, half dozen or so in number,
leapcd up and started after him fleet
as deer.
If Joe had Kept on straight down
the valley the Indians would soon
have oyertaken and killed him. For
tunately, he had a good start of them,
and was luckier still in his knowledge
Of narrow path-stumbled upon dur
a previous hunting expedition-which
followed the bottom of a fissure lead
ing up the face Of cliff on the side of
the ridge that separated this noun
tain park from the canyon. The epen-
ing to this dssure was hidden by wild
vines; a turn in the winding valley
served to hide his movement from his
pursuers-and as they dashed round
the rockey promontory and kept on
down valley, Joe was crawling side
wise up the narrow cleft, which took
him, after much difficult squeezing
climing, to rocky nook near the sum
NIT of the ridge so concealed by ever
greens 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 the ridge,
passing and repassing his retreat 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 crawled to the summit Of
the ridge and over the other side un-
til he reached point which command
ed view Of the canyon and the Great
Oiavn iuihe. Inefe IN Iull POSSESSION
of his camp were seven painted
Apaches, the same ones undoubtedly
that had Jumped" him so recently
Joe, who had hoped that his un-
pleasant visitors had gone away for
good, was far from pleased to see the
enemy established in his camp. Peer
ing between the side of a boulder
and Spanish bayonet plant which
eifectully screened him, the Missouri
boy watched the performance Of the
the red men, who were making them
selves 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
from the sides of the shack. They
had upset and oyerhaulded the yalise
and pretty much everything else in
camp in search of ammunition, 'wisk," f" |
tobacco, and less valued article OF
plunder The dynamite they perhaps
deemed "bad medicine, 4" for it lay in |
the box on the fat rock where Joe had |