The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-29

when his feet were on the ground. But in
the saddle he was a marvel OF grace and
utility combined and his skill In backing a
wild horse, in throwing the lasso. in
"haudling" cattle have never seen equaled,
and these qualities rendered his services so
valuable that was fain 10 stifie my feel
ings on many occasions when, had al
lowed my own inolinations TO triumph, /
would have given Mr.. Pendleton sound
thrashing and driven him out OF camp.
On .he day allude to Pendletons con-
duct bad been especially distasteful to me.
Notwithstanding the fact that we were
short-handed, with big job TO finish before
the close of the morrow, he had ridden away
in the morning on the self-invented pretext
Of hunting up a stray bunch Of cattle. and
had returned late in the afternoon empty
handed, as was TO have been ex-
pected. He had then made a
slight pretense Of assistance In the cor
raj, in 80 hulking and lame a manner that
my wrath boiled over and told him be-
opinion of him, paid him his wages due
and straightway ordered him to leave
camp. Mr.. Pendleton uttered few choice
oaths, took leave Of one or two chums,
caught up his own horse and vanished In a
slow trot over the crest OF an adjacent hill
Wild and unsettled as was that part Of
the country in which our camp was located,
bu6TO WbI0 Ouo VI wv KIN WlehAh
easy riding distance, khioh hourished upon
cowboy wages, and the apparent direction
OF Pendeton's course was toward these
choice resorts. But my own hard duties and
the responsibility of the interests atstake
for there were L4any thousands Of dol
lars worth of cattle feeding on the
hills round about on which our initials
bad not yet been stamped-soon drove
all thought OF the departing cowboy from
my mind. So when darkness settled down
upon the grim scenery of barren bill and
trampled plain, and the leaves of the big
cottonwood tree under which our camp
fire blazed rustled a soothing lullaby, /
smoked happy pipe or two ON a stomach
full of beane and bacon, and lay down 20
rest in my blankets on the ground, with
that blissful sensation OF sinking into re-
freshing slumber. which 10 one of the sweet
est fruits OF honest open-air toll.
Eaa-piercing shrIeks, thunder-like beat
ing of many hoofs, trembling OF the ground
on which lay-these were the sounds and
sensations that awoke me. raised myself
upon my elbow and glanced around. The
moon was high In the clear heavens and
shed her melancholy radiance upon the
little camp. the huge cottonwood. the sur
rounding bills. My men, wearied by the
bard labor. were sleeping soundly. They
Law all around me, rolled In blankets and
white tarpaulins, that made them CHASTITY
objects In the moOnlight's sheen. The hide
GUS screams were growing louder every mo-
ment, the laundering hopf-beats approach
ing rapidly. Ia another moment group Of
horsemen dashed from the timber that lined
the creek and came ventre a terre directly
toward my bed. l sprang 10 my feet.
strange 20 say, without grasping my re-
volver that lay beneath my pillow, and as I
did 80 the foremost rider. whom / quickly
recognized az Pendloton, lurehod from hii
curses. staggered up 10 mo and pressed tho
muzzle Of a pistol-a big Colts revolver
10 my forehead. 'Yo1 c. id tyrantl"
DO cried, "rm s-goin ~ kill yer right now