The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-08-31
THE DOG NEVER FORGETs..
Curious Result Of an Adventure With thu
Apaches In New Mexico.

49, +
THE DOG NEVER FoRGETs.
Curious Result Of an Adventure With the
Apaches In New Mexico.
The pets on Harry Delgar's ranch at
Joseph, N. NJ, have been few in num-
Der, but of rare quality. There is only
one here now, an aged little black
dog, who is so fat he does not care to
romp with the children except during
cool evenings, and SO old that his hair,
gray. This dog is remarkable in only
one respect. When he wants a drink,
or when water or milk is placed for
him to drink he goes to It with pace
SO slow that it takes him from fifteen
to thirty minutes to travel across
| common country kitchen. When he
sees the water he turns toward it, and
then. with a deliberation that is aston
ishing to a stranger and very pitiful to
one who knows the story, lifts one foot
carefully in air, and after a look
| around. as slowly and carefully puts it
| down slight distance in advance.
Then another foot is put forward in
like manner, the whole bearing of the
being that of hunted beast in abject
terror of it's life
Something like ten years ago when
Victoria and his savage band were
raiding the white settlers in southern
| New Mexico, this dog was a frisky
youngster, the property of George
Doyle, prospector who was develop
ing prospect near the mining camp of
Cooney. While Doyle labored on his
claim that was up in gulch some lit
tie distance from the camp, Victoria
surrounded the camp, stretching line
of pickets between Doy]e's claim and
the settlement. Victoria did not know
that Doyle was up the gulch, and that
was lucky circumstance for Doyle.
Neither did Doyle know of Victoria's
presence for some time, but along to-
ward night he learned that trouble had
come by hearing shots fred in the
fighting.
When Doyle learned the true state
of affairs his food was gone and his
water canteen was empty. In all di-
rections save one desert land stretched
away for ma ny miles, and it was DIES
ert with which Doyle was unfamiliar.
The one direction in which food and
water could be found was along the
short trail that led down into the
small but well-watered valley where
Cooney lay, but where, too, Victoria
and a host of savages had surrounded
the whites.
Crouching in his prospect hole with
his dog beside him, Doyle considered
the matter until darkness came, and
then determined to try to work his way
through the Indian pickets into Cooney,
where his friends were. Fortune IA
vored him and when daylight came he
found himself in thick clump of vii.
lows few rods from the creek and
fairly safe from observation. He would,
indeed, have felt secure but for the dog.
1t was lively, restless beast, and
Doyle was in constant terror lest it's
movements Or an unexpected yelp be-
tray him. He was at the point of cut
ting it's throat on several occasions
during the day, but refrained from
feeling he should show the beast the
mercy he could not obtain should he
fall into the hands of the savages.
Meantime, the man as we'll as the
dog had suffered terribly from thirst,
for it is an arid as well as hot region.
but Doyle scarce dared move even his
hands while daylight lasted. And then,
just as evening was coming on, two big
Apache boys chased deer so close to
that clump of willows that Doyle could
see them between him and the stream,
while their yells seemed to ring in the
air long after they were gone and all
such sounds had ceased. The scare
Doyle got by their advent was so great
that in spite of his torment he lay still
all that night with his dog beside him.
just how he got through the next
day with it's heat and thirst Doyle does
not know. Nor can he explain how it
happened that the dog remained quietly
by his side. He guesses, however, that
he was delirious most of the day, and
that the dog stayed with him because
it was it's nature to stay with friend
in trouble. 1;ut when night came and
it's GOODNESS had somewhat revived him.
Doyle could endure the thirst nc
longer. 1t was better to get one good
drink, he thought, and then risk
torture at the hands of the Apaches,
than to die of the torture he then suf.
fered. Thereupon, when the stars
showed that midnight had passed,
Doyle and the dog started for the
stream whose ripping had for more
than two days sounded in their ears as
the music of heaven might sound to
souls in perdition.
With the utmost deliberation and
care, Doyle, on his hands and knees,
raised hand, looked cautiously
around, and eventually put it down a
little way in advance. Then his other
hand was put forward, after which
one knee was as slowly brought up.
In his mouth he carried his knife to
stab the dog to death did it make an
incautious movement, but the faithful
animal, keeping always at his side, ad.
vanced paw only as Doyle moved
forward limb, looking around the
while with the same anxiety that was
manifested in his master.
Doyle says that through caution he
took more than an hour to cover two
or three rods, but at last he dipped his
face in a stream and found relief.
With his thirst satisfied, Doyle re.
gained his nerve, and by bold move
ments just before dayhreak succeeded
in reaching his friends. Victoria was
eventually driven away, and Cooney
prospered, as did Doyle. The adven'
ture in the mind of the man became
simply tale of frontier life to be re.
lated when such tales were telling.
But the dog never forgot the caution
he exercised that night, and. incredi.