The morning times., 1896-11-15
Downright. 1861

tSOpsIiSub, 1oCO.l
The captilin had bee II kicked by vicious
mule, and was sitting gloomily in his little
cabin on the brink OF the Grand Canon
when i called to see him. He sat with feet
helpless and resting across chair, and his
face was gloomy,
Hello! what's this l hear, Captain
Did that MULE
''She got the best of old John for SHORE
he replied, little bit crestfallen; but she
won't do such thing agin If get on my
feet agfn, I'll never rest till l take a rock
an pick n hole into the top o. her cuSsed
head that will shore let the daylight in
Oh, this amt much hurt. Nothin' ain'i
broke, reckon: just bruised / was worse
laid out once all alone here III the middle OF
the winter, too. / was Il little bit blue
that time. Amt had hurt since till
this
Tell me about it. How did it happen?
l mean that other time -
We'll, We see, the first winter / spent
here there weren't no snow to speak Of, an
like Il food hoy thought the next winter
would be jest like it, so / dauntered along
here on the edge OF the canon eXpectin
10 60 TO Flagstaff in few days an get
Some provisions.
'One night il thckened up an began to
snow. j didn't think much bout it, 'cept
notcin' the flakes was mighty soft an big
The next morning there was a foot y snow
onthe grOundan' Sill a. -snOwin' EventHen
didn't mind much about it: but IN the
third day, when it was all o. four foot deep
an still a-snowin', / says. old John.
you've made a mistake You're in box,
where you'd orter be for damn inol'
when it broke up il was plum 10 my
neck on the level. an ! was mighty short
on provisions, but recknncd that by snow
shoein' TO the east down into the low-'andS
Id get out o. the snow and find my orSes
nj. 10 int -rr..
and my dog and started out along the rim.
j hadn't gone four miles before | fell into
hole and knocked my kneeCap off.-yes,
sir, Knocked the blamed thing four inches
UP from where il belonged.
1t was a terrible smash an / 1est
could not stand up nor do much thinkin
for a while. But il was still thick weather,
an ! knew i must reach my siianty that
night oT goodbye to old John: / waIlered
item four mile. Mighty nigh swimmin' It.
you might say, | couldn't SnowShoe and so
jest rolled an wallered. an ii was night
before dragged mysclfin over the sill
Well, there l was. seventy miles from
settlement, all alone, with a dog and n
busted kneecap. an no grub to speak of
or course, couldn't do anything more till
j had recovered the use O. my leg. so
KEEP as quiet rs | could and bandagcd INV
knee an waited.
1t KEEP snowin' every day or two
You see, it's Il mountain top here. an it
looked like last cal for John. l stayed
there until my flour was plum gonc-the
meat had gone weeks Bcforc-an' finally.
one night baked up the last handful OF
my flour into some little cakes, an the next
mornin' ! hung my rifle on the wall an
pulled the door to after me an the dog
1t was jest git ont r Starve
My leg was still so lame I couldn't
scarcely use it. but got ont. I couldn't
carry 4 blanket or u coat. / Jest staked
all my chances on ecttin' down out of the
snow before froZc.
Il wallered about four miles that Jay,
and when night came dug down to the
ground under a cedar an lighted a little
fire an me an the dog camDed there
with the SNOW hlown' over us The next
niornin | was too stiff to walk at all
for while. but | KEEP wigglin' an
trumpin'. and bimeby / warmed up an
made little Roadway. The snow wasn't
So deep, hut II was colder and it was
driftin' bad. The third day brought me
out o. the snow mostly, but it was blow.n',
an there wasn't anything to make fire
Of an my bread was gone. The dog was so
weak and hungry he Jest crawlcd along in
my track.
Il couldn't find n trace OF my horses.
They had gone on down to the lower
land. SO turned for the cedar ranch which
II was shore Il slim chance, but I pinted
that way.
Il was travelin' now for old Johns
sake. weren't takin' no interest in
politics nor the price OF corn / was
jest nashuly workin' my old bones for the
love of old John Hance.
That night we was entirely out % the
snow, but we laid down on the bare ground
-ihe Cog AM me. There was mighty
little heat left in either o. us. I'd lay
jest rs long as I'd dare 20. then I'd get
up and era wl around TO keep from feezin'
] didn't dare 20 travel much for fear I'd
60 wrong Along about sun up come
on a drove OF poor old work oxen, an
j spent an hour or two tryin' to catch
one of 'em 10 ride on. They were poor
nnd weak, hut they weren't so bad off
rs l WIS. IN they KEEP. out % nv wav
That day was-a year long. l knew If
j ever laid down another night il would
he all up with old John. 1 was in sight
q the cedar ranch, but by this time /
'orlhu't sand nm mcre'n half the time
and the dog weren't much better.
by noon we was so close I could see
the open door, but / couldn't holler
loH,lcT'n u whisper. an / couldn't walk
fnGr rods TO save my soul from hell.
All THAT afternoon / was in sight Of that
shanty- 1t drove me plum crazy to think
that l was SO near and yet nobody to
See me. 1t was like ben' On a raft dyin'
Of thirst and a ship goin' by.
''Not;lin' saved me but bein' mad.
Yep gcttin' madder every minute.
wanted TO live long enough to kill the man
In that 0snty. Ny hands were raw an
bleedin'. Ny clothes was nothin' hut
strips o rags from draggin myself. oyer