The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-28
Stories of an Inland State.

A fugitive caravan moved across the cac-
tus plain, casting a black shadow, which
crept along its side, and in the brassy glare
of the dazzling sun, looked more thing OF
life than the animate bodies which cast it.
Without witnesses other than themselves
| the party caused no surprise. But their
position in the midst of this desert, push
ing tirelessly through the powdered sand,
| would have been, TO a stray ComaHche or
| any other human being, a matter OF re-
| mark and astonshment. For the desert was
trackless and uninhabited by beast as well
as man. The trails did not run that way,
and the direction they held led to a wilder
ness beyond the desert.
Two men rode In front on housekeeping
horses some the worse for the wear of
hard journey. Their hats were of the broad
brin of Mexico and the little dash Of tinsel
! in them flashed occasionally in the SUM-
I Their attire was that of the gentle folk of
| their country, trousers Tightening at the
| ankle and spreading below as a sailors
! waistcoats and short coats of velvet. They
sat well in their saddles, wore swords and
one carried a field glass. Both had mus
kets swung from their saddles.
Back Of them came carriage drawn by
four bronchos, sliding and shifting about in
the sand. The vehicle was closed on three
|
ly constructed spring which gave It a lurch-
ing motion. A driver with short-handled
| whip sat in the open front. On the rear
seat sat woman and a man. The man
was white with age and deeply wrinkled.
| The woman at his side was very young
and very beautiful. She held to her breast
| an infant
At the side of this vehicle was a burro
| loaded with pannsers of wicker and at the
| side Of the burro was a broad-shouldered,
squat figure lily clad and barefooted. Back
of these was struggling procession of bur-
ros and men as lily clad the first, and
bare-footed. . Some carried old-fashioned
pistols and Cd muskets.
The old man in the vehicle was Cover
nor Jaun Pedraza, the victim OF a then
recent revolution which had threatened the
life of himself and of his family. So he had
fed by night with this caravan, with the
public funds then in his hands, the plate
and valuable knck-knack of the palace.
The elder of the two men leading the cara
van was Guerrero, his first son and the man
at his side was Canalzo, his younger son.
The young woman at his side was the wife
of Guerrero and the infant, their child. The
barefoot followers were servants who had
been faithful and had followed them.
The flight had been furious at first. They |
had been pursued by the revolutionists, |
and the old governor had turned to the will |
derness blind to his pursuers, knowing |
that they would watch the Gulf coast. He |
had intended TO head for San Antonio, but |
the sons had lost their way and were now |
far north of that city.
Governor PedraZa was of an ancient |
Spanish family, and this last outbreak OF a |
semi-savage people which led TO his fight, |
he considered most unkind blow of for |
tune and he fretted much.
While he had been born in Mexico, he |
now longed to reach Spain, his mother |
country and die there. He had snatched a |
fortune from the burning. There were valu- |
able ornaments of gold and silver in the |
panniers on the burros and he had besides |
fortune of the silver money of Mexico.
The elder horseman turned to his brother |
and said:
"Canalizo, do you know?"
Eyes. L gave it up long ago."
1--WE are lost. We should have been at |
San Antonio long ago. 1 suspect we are
near st. Louis now"
$50 do 1. Are We to go on?''
I'VE must go on. 1t would be folly to |
turn back to find San Antonio for we might
never strike it,
THAT is true. We can stand this. But |
Christina and the infant and our father
what of them?'
81 do not fear for their endurance"
'aThen what?"
THE men. Remember-they walk. Their
patience is tagging. 1 do not like their
looks. But then, what can they do? They
can not go back for they are lost and the
loose sand with this wind covers up the
trail. And they are without food"
Guerrero's suspicious were well-grounded
Miguel the squat figure in possession of
the burro carrying the wicker panniers
travelling near the vehicle, had been Sc
GREETING bread for days. He knew that his
panniers contained wealth and he was pre-
pairing for flight.
A few centavos were all he had ever seen
together in his whole life and here on this
beast was a fortune in silver, breaking the
beasts back almost at every step it was
Within and the tops were pad-locked down
But when he was once out of reach. he
would soon slash the wicker with his knife
and run the precious coin through his fin
gers. Then he would reach town and be-
come a rich man.
So Miguel marched all day long with his
eyes fastened upon the wicker panniers
which the weight of the precious metal had
made ill-shapen.
TT is DEVILS life" he said. ''This march
ing all day with a man who would be shot
If caught and then being set 10 watch the
treasure by night But I'll be paid"
The cruel sun sank below the yellow
horizon making a golden pathway thence
across the sand to the caravan.
The old Governor crawled from the We
hicle, and Canalizo ran up and took the in
FAINT, and the beautiful Christina descended
And the whole group sank upon their
knees at vespers and crossed themselves.
When they had eaten and given the
horses and beasts to drink spar;ngly, it
was quite dark. and the two brothers sat
upon the sand with Their backs 10 the
spokes OF a wheel and smoked cigarettes.
After a while they rolled themselves in
their blankets and tossed themselves under
a canvas stretched from the top of the
wheels of the vehicle to the ground, in lieu
Of tent
And Guerrero cried OUT:
Miguel Have a care OF your burden ;
You slept much today"
II will" answered Miguel audibly and ,
then 10 himself: II slept much today did I
I? Well to good purpose. you Spanish dog | {
Have a care OF my burden? That l viii"
In an hour Miguel raised himself on his
elbow and looked about him. His COM
panions were asleep. He looked at the '
stars. This was the way they had come :
They had found water in the morning He I
would go back TO that place. He could make {
L in the dark night