The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-10-20

:, cred around the supper table after
,, hard day in the branding pens.
I Sent him over to the river with tn
9 horses for Mack" replied the foreman
+ he won't be back for four days"
y "Oh, a picnic" said the first speaker
Not quite; it's long stretch with
out water"
Beats branding calves" insisted tn
other
Yes, if you're built that way"
Ten miles or so from the ranch tn,
circling buzzards looked down upon q
PROSTATE man. When the sun set a
cool breeze sprang up and the
man stirred and groaned. He lay upon
an elevated mesa, far from any house
or tree or water course. Here and there
a stunted soap weed showed above the
level of the plain. A mile to the east.
ward band of horses was quietly graz
ing, and keen eye might have detected
that one was saddled, The crisp buff
falo grass about the man was crushed
down and broken off Twenty feet
away dog hole showed a fresh hoof
mark, and in the earth beside the man
was broad mark made by the cantle
Of the saddle as the horse rolled over.
1t was nearly dark and the stars were
shining when the man finally opened
bis eyes intelligently.
Boys, give me drink he said.
Water, water!" he repeated
In Io
played about pillar of cloud If the
cloud drifted this way he might get
water, if not he would go dry Certain
ly no mans hand would minister to him
that night. Soon he realized the stu
alton.
Il was stunned-my leg is broken"
SAID he. I'll lie here until | rot be- |
fore they will find me. Oh, God, wa
teri"
The cloud drew nearer grew larger
and put out the stars. As it slid down
from the mountain and advanced across
the plain, rumbling thunder gave prom
Use of imminent rain. Painfully the
man stripped off his coat and spread it
beside him to catch the water. His
hat had fallen and lay several feet be-
yond his reach.
Quickly the cloud spread overhead.
Following a jarring roll of thunder
few big drops fell-one on the face of
he thirsty man. And that was all. A ,
brisk west wind wiped the sky clean
in a moment, while the man yet waited a,
'Npectant. The stars shone out bright !
md cold. The man shivered and cursed +,
md drew the coat about him
Toward morning he slept and =
dreamed he heard the foreman's CHEEKY /
summons: Roll out, fellows" but n
when he sat up suddenly a twinge in =
us leg brought him back to facts :
hirst, daylight, helplessness. He had :
'een awakened by the chattering of u
he little marmot into whose hole the Il
orse had stumbled, now come forth
view the damage done his home, :
he man drew his pistol and fired twice :. ..
the prairie dog.
Missed at 20 feet" he muttered. w. !,
e down again. "I'll never tell that" =,
All night he had lain upon his back. h
ow, very slowly and with both hands
asping the injured leg, which was W
"oken below the knee, he turned upon II
is face and reached out toward the "
at. 1t was still several feet beyond -
in.
I've got to get out of this" was his II
ought; "and it's going to hurt. I'd
liter begin by going after my hat" OF
nd he went. 1t required time and for -
Jude TO crawl ten feet on hands and
ices, dragging the broken leg, but
was done at last. He reached the
and lay down to take account of St
mself and his chances. NJ,
Ten feet in an hour is 24o in a day. re.
would get to the ranch in about six en-
)nths at that rate if / could keen il
day and night I've got to stay righr I'm
re until the buzzards get me. If wa
d water | wouldn't care if the devil do
me. If l ever get water I've got to
it to-day. By tomorrow I'll he 80,
} stiff and too silly. 1 know"-sittfpo g..
and looking around-''there's no wa 9
on this fiat, for there isn't hoof avt
stock in sight. Over toward the 1,,
untain there are water holes every
ing, but they have been dry since
ne. That cloud last night emptied !
somewhere before it got TO me wb
those holes may be full of water q
" and only three miles away. b;s
Id crawl three miles if knew there an,
; drink at the finish-but they NAV g.,
Try. Then I'll be three miles further
N the creek and three miles further -.
the trail when the boys come out 10
ook me up. suppose they will look sa,,
up-in about a week-when Mack -
les over to see why the horses have a.
been sent. I'm getting silly al -. ;i'
~. Ny head throbs so. and nv leg. "a
If can get started once I'll know
ugh to keep a-going, but how to de- T.
I'll leave it to chance" II
e placed his broad hat on the end of bov
1uirt held upright. balanced it care ~ /
T, and gave it twirl. the
Vow, if that side with the bullet Lon
stops toward the south, I'll crawl bors
ard home, and II It turns 20 the fine,
alaihsl VIII hpHE the water holes, pass