The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-19

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 a point which com
manded 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
q bowlder and a Spanish bayonet plant,
which effcctuaIly screened him, the Mis-.
souri, bey watched the performance 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 oyerhauled
the valse and pretty much everything else
in camp in search of ammunition,
''whisk," tobacco and less valued articles
of plunder The dynamite they perhaps
deemed "Dad medicine" for it lay in the
box on the fat rock where Joe had left it
camp.
What specially grieved Joe's heart was
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
she fuss be found himself still alive the
boys courage came back sufficiently for
him to get very angry over his loss. As
relief to his feelings he cooked his rifle
and sighted it at different members of the
group, thinking, as he dallied with the
trigger, what pleasure it would give him
to send bullet among them as 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 tfi1e TOO
hard; the hammer fell, and the heavy
army piece, pointing into the midst of the
Indian group, went off with louder bang
and more emphatic rebo1nd-so it seemed
to Joe-than ever before.
The vicious kicking of the gun against
his shoulder, the noise and smoke of its
explosion and the feeling of astonishment
at its 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 q deafsning roar that rent the air.
Loose rocks went rolling down the slopes,
trees were rushing to the earth, and Joe
saw, as in a fantastic dream, the top of q
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 great hole in the
ground, while a heap of earth had taken
the place of the Great Cinch tunnel The
shot fred 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 a 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 speculating as to how things had
gone on in his absence.
81 wonder what that fool boy Joe's been
doin while Pve been gone," he solilo-
uuiZed. He's done no work ter speak of,
that's dead sure, an it's a great streak o.
mercy If he hain't been up ter mischief. If
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 a commotion in the air as if
several cyclones were fighting for the right
of way through the canyon and great
roar came to his ears as if the thunders of
a whole rainy season were combined in one
peal. The next thing he realized was that
he and his burros were on the ground
together in heap, where, by unanimous
consent, they waited until the elements had
subsided.
When things had quieted down the old
who was not very nimble on
his pins, pulled himself out of the tangle
of burros, got his animals on their feet and
up the canyon to find out what
had happened. He expected to find some
part of the body of Joe at a 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.
"Joe's gone with the rest, reckon" he
said, with a touch of regret. ''Ill have a
Whit O. my pipe N then take look roun
for the body N give it Christian burial, 4
thar's enough left ter put in hole. Hullol
What's thatP Hain't the stuff got through
fallin YETI"
There was a rattling down the mountain
side, and looking up TO learn the cause, he
saw Joseph Dobbs sliding on his back
down a sloping face of rock. In making
his way to the canyons bottom to investi-
gate matters the boy had missed his foot
ing, in his excitement. and was coming
down by the run much faster than he
liked. He landed at the foot of the cliff,
torn as to clothing and scratched as to
skin, but was regardless of all injuries in
his wonder and pride at his unexpected |
BE was delighted to see
Crawford, for he was bursting to brag of |
bis exploit.
Didn't fix up that trap fur 'em slick?"
be said, with the air of one who had carried /
put q carefully planed purpose.
By good luck the picks and shovels lay |
where they escaped injury. So the work |
of developing the Great Cinch mine went |
forward with no more extra trouble than
he rebuilding OF the shack and the remov- |
ng Of the earth blown into the tunnel. To |
be sure, they had no dynamite for blast |
ng, but Crawford felt that that his ex-
DlOsives had been put TO a good use.
So high was Joe raised IN the old pros
1ector's esaiRation that before thsY set 20 |
work next day be foTna ally adopted him -
ais "pard," and thereafter that youth /
lawdled over the pick and sAossl with 4
ense of importance betting the half pro
lrfetor of the true lead, dips, spurs, angles |
md prospective profits Of ehe Great GAcA |
Pullen in New York Sun.