The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-26
FRENZY OF THIRST.
Capt. Hance Tells of Soldiers That
Are s'Nater-DrunIz"

Old John Hance had taken three Of
us down his trail in the Grand Canyon
one hot day, and we were preparing q
meager lunch under the mesquite
bows, says Hamlin Garland / had
brought up a pail of water from the
tawny colored river and the lieutenant's
wife, dainty young Eastern woman,
peered at it through her glasses.
Are you going to drink that?'
Certainly" 1 replied. That water
will settle in a few moments so that
you can almost see the bottom of the
dipper.'
assured of always having as good
water as that to drink. Sometimes
when we are on the march we have
water that is corrupt with carrion."
The little wife shuddered, t"Oh
Harry, you didn't tell me that before. "
well, SIR" said Capt. Hance to the
lieutenant, Speaking Of bad water re-
minds me Of a trip made IN 1866. !
was guide to old Col. Bankh lad in an
expedition against the Cheyennes and
we was a-crossin a mighty bad coun-
try. I just reckon you amt got any
thing worse in Arizony, lieutenant.
There was no water fit to drink for
plum 200 miles, but that makes no diff
ference to the government. The gen
eral ne looks at his map and he says:
Order Col Bankhead to proceed from
Deathhead Creek to Pizen Valley, an
do hit quick and colonel being a good
soldier, hits leather, an says Come on,
boys
You see, there was a small garrison
up there at Cheyenne Wells a-needin
our aid and needin' it right bad. So
we let out another link and pinted their
way. The water was punishin.' We
had to drink water that was stinkin.
That was bad-but a day or two later
water that only stunk wasn't worth
shettin' your eyes to. When 1t come
to haulin' out dead buffalos-beg your
pardon, Mrs. Scott-why we thought
we'd reached the limit, but when it
come to usin' water that you could
take hold Of an shake like blanket"
oh captain!' 1 shouted.
He turned gravely toward me.
Yes, sir, certainly, sir! Shake like
a blanket when yer dipped it up. OF
co'se we billed it and rebiled it, and
SKINNED it like yer would suet, and
thickened it with coffee-but we had to
drink hit at last. Hit were skunk at
the beginnin' and skunk at the end.
We'll, sir. we got one day, as /
calc'lated it, about fifteen miles from
the Cheyenne wells, an I said so to the
colonel on the quiet-'cause / wasn't
just SO plum shore of it as / wanted to
be. I didn't want to get the men ex-
cited Their tongues lolled out so they
couldn't cuss, but they could sure
shoot, an 1t wouldn't do to monkey
with their feelings. No, indeed, ma'am.
You know how those thing go, lieuten-
ant. There is a line where discipline
stops"
The lieutenant said he understood,
and the young wife looked at him with
big, blue eyes This soldiers life!
We'll, now, John said the colonel,
You ride on and pull in good hour
ahead Of US, and tell the commanding
will hold water filled up, for these boys.
are sure goin' to stampede when they
smell water, and ride like hell asWarIi-
in and 1 can't control EN-. They'll
climb over each other like a drove of
buffalo,
81 understand, colonel I says, and
then 1 pulled out across the sand. My
life and soul! But it was hot. Some
thing like 1t is right here, lady, only
worse. I could hear the redhot iron
hiss and sputter off my horses shoes,
but / rolled the rowell into him cruel,
and we KEEP movin'. Seems like I held
him up with my heels and the relns.
Finally we sighted green trees; I
hope Canaan will look as good to me
when l die as them green trees did.
The horse broke for it an let him go.
My tongue was big as your arm an
scalin' off like a sick pickerel. When l
rolled off my horse he was up to his
eyes in water, an the sergeant splashed
me with a bucket full. Elijah's God!
but that water was sweet. I couldn't
get near enough to it. I wanted it all
inside Of me.
"Well, after could shet my teeth on
the outside O. my tongue, I delivered
the colonel's orders. They hustled to-
gether all the old cans, tubs and bar
rels and filled em to the brim, and
every man stood ready to help. laid
there soakin' water, and my horse
walked like a carpenters bench.
Pretty soon we see line Of alkali
a-f1yin' on the swell, an then they come
a-flyin'-but no yells. They couldn't
yell-and their eyes, lady, 1 hope you'll
never see a troop of soldiers look that
way. The horses had nostrils on 'em
like the bass horn in q brass band and
a-reekin' with sweat and dust, an a.
squealin like they was plum crazy.
The men were leanin' forward and
a-poundin' for life-seemed like their
necks was a foot long.
They tumbled into one hidgous mass.
at the wells. Such a struggle never.
want to see again. There was bout
T..