The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-10-24

| prlntln' on the page oil DoOk. III You was
to try an go over herd by the brands you
wouldn't cut out steer an hour But tC
60 back after B0ggs.
az Pm ridin' down q draw one time says
this Dan Boggs, ''cussn' the range, which i:
bad, an the weather, which is worse-it's tht
hard Winter | mentions, when 80 many eat
tie dies, an / wears so mueh-when my
pony goes to havin' symptoms. This pony
I've saddled-I has 10 in all-is that saga
cious that while it makes not the slightest
mention OF cattle when they're near, nevel
draws up on deer or people, or any body
strange In the bills, but it takes to givin' oi
manifestations, so as / can square myse'
for whatever game they opens on rs.
As says, me an this yere wise pony is
just pushin' out into the Caliente when the
pony begins to act queer an make signs.
brings him down all cautious where we
can look across the valley, an you can
gamble I'm some astonished to see a gent
walkin' along afoot out mebby a couple
hundred yards He sorter limps, an leans
over on one side, like he's hurt. NaeheralIy
/ stops an surveys him careful. It's plenty
strange he's thar at ali, an stranger still he's
afoot. So / looks him over for weepons
wants to note what he's like an how
he's heeled. You saveys as well as me ID
away in the hills; spechully a stranger who's
afoot. He might want your pony for one
thing, an open up q game on you permiscus
with his gun, as would leave you broke, an
you too dead to know it.
Pm alters cautious around man who's
| lost his hoss. 1t makes him cruel crazy an
| Precious; | s'pose bein' afoot that away he
feels helpless, an let out, he goes plumb
locoed. A gent afoot is heap easier to az
gravate, an a mighty sight more likely to
lay for you than if he's safe an solid in a
Texas saddle, with Spanish pony between
his knees. Which is why / remarks that 1
takes in this pedestrian all careful an stacks
him up ackerate before goes after him. As
/ says he carries on like he's hart, an he's
packin' six-shooter. He makes a sorter
familiar figure. too, an while / looks him
over I'm wOnderin' where crosses his trail
before
q" AS has the advantage of Winchester,
at least rides out into the open an gives a
whoopee. The party turns, comes limpin'
toward me, an whoever do you allow it is 4?
Which it's shorely Spanish Bill, an it's right
yere he gets action on that bread on the
waters he plays in when he RECEIVERS me an
relieves the coyotes that time in Taos on
which occasion disinterested people like the
one I'd shorely freeze stiff if Spanish Bill
hadn't stood in on the play. To make it
brief, here's how it is: Spanish Bill tells
me that, after leaves Taos, he goes over an
deals monte a bit on Wagon Mound. One
night Mexican comes caperin' in, an after
Spanish Bill gives him layout or two he
makes an icy bet of $50 on the queen, what
the greasers call the "hoss.D The Mexican
loses, an, instead of takin' it easy like q
sport should, he grabs the money. As was
his duty, Spanish Bill wipes him over the |
head with his six-shooter, as a reason to |
drop the money. The Mexican tharupOn |
searches out knife, an This 80 complicates |
the business Spanish Bill, in an effort to |
simplify things, ups and shoots the Mexican
full of holes.
The shootin' was on the square, an, of
course, no one takes no hostile notice of it.
Spanish Bill gees on layin' out his monte
cards same as usual. Two days later,
though, he gets p'inter the Mexicans are
fxin' for him. So that night he moves
camp-mebby it's 160 miles from Wagon
Mound, over on the Vermejo. But the
Greasers hangs to the trail, it seems, for
the day before 1 tracks up on him, as he
an a side pard whose name is Hill is ridin'
along, a band of Mexicans hops outen a
dry arroyo, where they're bushwhackin' for
'en, an goes to shootin'. As might be ex-
pected, Spanish Bill an his pard turns
loose an shoots back ag'in, free and fre-
quent, an near, as / sees, they shorely en-
joys high, excessive time. They downs
Spanish Bills pony and creases his side,
which is what curves him over an indOOces
him to limp when l meets up with him.
As we'll as he knows, his pard charges plumb
through, an, as Spanish Bill goes down
with his pony, leaves him, allOwin' he's dead
an down for good.
"Which it was this pard's turn to know
Spanish Bills dead for good before ever he
lines out; but he's weak or ratified, so he
don't stop to investigate. Spanish Bill puts
it up when he tells me the story, he's due
to shoot up this pard of his'n for abandon
in of him that way, if ever he crosses
up with him. Which bein' as it should be,
l fully approves tharof When this yere
Spanish Bill goes down, the Mexicans scat
tiers likewise. They was shy two people,
with another plugged deep an good; all
of which l hears afterward; 80 you notes
that Bill an his mate is aimin' low an
excellent It's only half mile to little
RANCH an Spanish Bill gets over thar ss
soon as he can, an, gettin' pony an sad
die, which he easy does with his money,
he breaks back into the hills where we
met. He's afoOt, because that mornin' his
pony gets tired of the DEAL am bucks him
of, an goes stampedin' back, where he gets
him.
"'While he's talkin' I recalls how Span
ish Bill rounds me up that night in Taos,
so 1 don't hesitate. / takes him over to
my camp an fixes him up. The next morn
in he turns his nose towards Texas on
one of my best ponies; which is the last
l hears or sees of Spanish Bill; onless he's
the Bill who's lynched over near Eagle Pass
q year later, of which 1 has no proof but
,urmises it's some likely. 1
It's after Spanish Bill is gone brings
up again what that Gospel person says
about doin' benevolenees, an how after
many days you reaps big winnin' an
lives on velvet for all eternity. An don't
you know this Spanish Bill pickin' me up
that night, an then in less than two
months, when he's afoot an hurt in the
hills, gettin' against me an drawin' out of
the game ahead saddle, pony an safety,
makes it look like that Bible sharp is right?
That's how it strikes me, an just as l tells
ycu, if so many cattle hadn't died that
Spring, an if l hadn't give way so frightful
IN my talk, I'd shorely trailed down con-
yregation the next June. an got stack an
stood in.n-New York Times.