Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-25

close to our base Of supplies we travelled light,
only takin' two mules to pack our grub an
blankets.
about thirty miles from whar we started,
up to the north of Pixies Peak, 1 made and
an stopped knowed 1t war an ideal place
fer the camp the general wanted A great big
spring flowed out of wall of rocks half way
down the slope Of q high hill whose top
war bar an level. an made just the right
place to use the instruments, an the air war
clear an pure along Of the elevation.
Though thar warnt no bresh even on the
hill top. beginnin just above the spring on the
side hill, an reschin' out just as fur % could
see, war . big pine forest. There want no un-
derbresh, an it looked mighty clean an pretty.
1--WE made camp in the timber, fur it war
mighty cold nights. After fryin' bacon an
maxim coffee an slapjacks piled logs on the
fire an sot around swappin' yarns an smokin'
fur an hour or so before the boys turned in
at must been about leven o'clock by the
stars when the boys rolled up in their blankets
with their saddles fur pliers. feet all pinted to
the fire, an snoozed of. The horses an mules
war pecketted a short distance above us whar
thar war pretty fair pickin'. war to stand
guard the first watch. We were in the country
infested by the burned Utes an he'd to be
mighty keerful.
STANDING GUARD ALONE.
81 examined tbs primin' of my gun an then
walked round the camp till war plum tired,
an then sot down agin big pine close to the
boys, and whar the heat from the half-burnt
pine logs made me feel good all over. Ismoked
lot TO keep me awake, fur / war blamed
sleepy an weary with travel over thirty miles
Of mighty rough trails.
The night war clear crystal, with the
stars shinin bright as dimunds, an thar warn't
no moon The air war still an cold. Down be-
low In the valley the varmints were u raisin'
hell generally. First could hear the panthers
cryin Lord, but 1t are mournful wall they
make. 1t sets my blood to shiverin' even to
this day. Then thar came the long, deep
growlin OF the bars. Above em all, though,
was the howlin' Of the wolves. They snapped
an snarled an growled an barked till 1t seemed
ter me the woods was alive with the pesky,
sneakin' kiotes.
''Bimeby the other fellers let up or wore out,
but the wolves KEEP a yowlin' and what war
worse they KEEP gettin' closer. l could hear
their jaws snap, an they seemed to be havin' a
kind of family row. thought there war a thou
san at the least kalkerlashun, but / knowed
better. of course. One kiote kin make noise
enough for s hunderd. l didn't mind their
closin in at first. thought mebbe they smelt
the bacon we he'd fried and war huntin' it.
The pesky yarmints kin wind grub five miles
of, but knowed they war such burned towards
they would skulk off when they saw u.s. for the
hote are "a natural born coward. Purity soon.
though, they come in range Of my sights. l
could just see them kind of dim like down
queer even fur kiotes, so got up from whar
war propped up agin pine in the fire light an
got back in the shadder to watch EN-.
They kept circlin' little nearder each yelp.
an all the time snappin' thar jows an actin
Ike so many young pups over a bone.
IL hadn't no notion Of shootin' at the burned
varmints, for tibet would wake the bows up. and
they war a sleepin' mighty peaceful like after a
hard days march. 1t war so dark down thar
too. that he'd to strain my ewes to make 'em
out. an i reckoned couldn't hit none of 'em
nohow."
NUMEROUS vOLLEY.
Suddenly the swappin' an snarlin an how
lin let up an the dancin' varmints got behind
the trees, an then murderous volley war fired
into the circle made by our camp fire,
Them warn't wolves az all, but a bunch of
Ute Injuns rugged out in skins. They had made
the noise of snappin' their jaws by shakin'
bones in thar hands. 1 thought knowed all
the devices and cunning of the critters, but
they fooled me that time bad. 1t war the first
an last time war ever took in tibet way by any
burned redskin.
Tibet differcut cost me mighty dear. Two
Of the boys never knowed what hurt 'em, and
three of EN- never got over KNOWN what hurt
'em. for they carried the marks Of the wounds
the rest Of their lives.
II war just naturally paralyzed by the sud-
denness of the attack, an when l came to my
senses the boys tibet were unframed war up
with rites in their hands, an lookin' fur red
skins but Lord we couldn't see nuthin'. II
war black as a stack Of black cats in the TENDER
and thar warn't nuthin' to drow a bead on. The
injuns had seen us We laid in the circle of the
fire light and he'd the advantage of seein' us
plain as daylight The one volley satisfied EN-,
for they skulked off, an We didn't hear nuthin'
more Of 'em.
I'VE didn't know they had gone. through, an
got ready for a siege. We put our fire out
mighty quick an squatted round, sad and sor-
rowful enough. till mornin.'
up on the side of the hill, whar the spring
rippled down to the valley, maxim music over
the stones. and whar the pines whispered an
moaned, we dug grave an in it put two of the
best boys who ever split hearts blood for the
eussed red skins. I always feel mighty bad
when think OF that epersode, fur it seems like
If I'd had any sense I'd known them warn't
shore enough wolves. 1t war the last time /
war ever took in tibet way, but tibet don't put
life into them two boys nor build no monument
to theer memories
ISABEL WoRRELL BALL.