Morning journal and courier., 1892-01-20

thing over two miles. The dump Is SO
far above the mill that there is drop
of three thousand feet in the trail which |
leads dawn from it. The trail is hard
one, and to accomplish a journey from
tho dump to the mill was the work of
an hour. The ore from the mine was
carried to the mill on burros, thirty or
forty of the little elevators usually being
led down at time. A fellow who termed
himself 'Rattlesnake Bill, the Terror of
Dakota, was one of the boss burro-punch-
ers around the camp. He was great
blowhard, but what he boosted of more
than anything else he owned on earth was
cow pony by name Get There The
trail from the Union Dump to Pandora
was easier of travel for men than for brutes,
but Bill always swore that he and Get
There could cover the distance faster than
any man in the mountains. He offered to
bet on the proposition, and finally found a
sceptic in the person af one Ianky' John
son, who owned saloon and pair of legs
which were his pride. He was considered
the finest mountsin-climber in the state.
Well. 'Lanky' and Bill came to terms for
race, Bill wagering his summer wages, his
burros, his cabin and fixtures, and every
thing else he could beg or borrow that he
could ride his pony from the dump to Pan
dora in shorter time than Lanky could go
the same distance afoot.
"'Lanky' met him, and put up money
against the collateral, the stake all told
being worth a couple of thoueand dollars.
''The day for the trial came. The miners
in the basin all threw down their tools,
everybody turned out to see the sport. 1t
was perfect day away up there in the
mountains when Bill, mounted on Get
There and Lanky' johnson went to the
post for the big trial. The miners bet fu-
riously, at least fifteen thousand dollars
changing hands. sLanky' was a hot favor
lite. The miners knew the trail we'll.
They knew, or believed, a man could move
| over it as fast as horse, and that he could
take 'cut-offs' a rider would not dare to at
| tempt. But they knew nothing of the
recklessness in Bills heart az Get There
bounded away at O furious pace, goaded by
| a 'blacksnake' in the hands of one of Bills
| friends.
Half way down the travelling was good
for the horse, but Lanky's' hopes were
based on the 'zig-zag' foot-wide trail that
| led down the side of a seven hundred foot
precipice. The horse led to that point,
where Lanky's' hackers expected to see
him movo ny with a squirt. At the side OF
the regular trail was a draw leading to
the foot of the precipice. the footing was
| OF slide rock tnat was dangerous lot man
or brute. Another friend of Bills stood
right at the edge of the precipice with g
bullwhacker's whip. AS horse and rider
neared him Bill turned Get There's head
to the draw and the friend whipped the
horse, which jumped right on to the loose
earth and stone of the draw and was car
ried down with it to the bottom in twink
ling. The feat was practically nothing
more than a drop of seven hundred feet
as the draw was almost perpendicular
Out of the dust at the base of the prsci
pice horse and rider came unframed, re
sumed the trail and dashed on furiously
'Lanky' gave up the race, but Bill didn'
know it and Kept on his wild ride. A
Hanging Lock, where another forty-foo
precipice was in front of him, he did no
turn for the trail, but sent his pony fly
ing into the timber below. Then he drov
through the timber to the mill. No trai
had ever been made there, and how b
managed to get through no man knows
"When Bill reached the mill he had b
be lifted off his pony. He hadn't bi
of nerve left. He gathered in his stake
sold out and left the camp"