The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-11-04
hole toward the mountains.

hole toward the mountains.
THE water holes it is, then, " said
he, and carefully noting the direction
Indicated That's rather more to the
left than l would choose but if you
say so it goes. -
Without delay, but without haste, he
made his preparations for great effort.
Before deciding on a course be had
whimpered little. The shock and pain
had unnerved him. There was now no
more of that. He had a purpose and
meant to execute it. With bandages
made from portions of his clothing he
bound up the leg to give it some sup
port. He set his teeth down hard in a
strip of leather cut from his shoe. Then
fixing his eyes upon landmark in the
distance, which should remain in view
as he moved over the plain, he pulled
bis freight -
1t would fatigue you to follow this
mans trail as foot by foot and hour aft
er hour he painfully progressed toward
the water holes, tortured with thirst
beset by doubt whether he should not
find them dry. Upon the desert a man.
for lack Of water, may perish in few
hours. In the cattle country they can
and do live and suffer for days without
it. This man did. He was only com
mon $40 a month man. If he did not
get through, another would take his sad
die and his bunk. To the company it
mattered not at all whether the name
on the pay roll was John Doe or Rich
ard Roe. He had lived meanly, not al
ways temperately, But he had trait
common TO cowboys, a splendid Ameri-
can grit, and he got through. On the
third day he dragged himself TO the first
of the water holes, 1t contained small
amount Of brackish and muddy water
Beside it grew stunted willow bush
Beneath the bush lay sleeping calf
Here We're all the elements necessary ID
insure his safety.
The man does not remember whether
he first shot the calf or first slaked his
thirst, or when the idea occurred to
him Of the perambulatory splints. But
by the time he had eaten his second
meal Of veal, which followed very close
ly ON the first, his plan was complete
He thinks he devoted about 24 hours to
refreshments. During that time he kept
the leg i'll wet bandages, greatly reduc-
ing the swelling.
1t was work of time to cut down
the low branched willow with his jack
knife and to fashion cane from the
stouteSt portion. From smaller branches
he made a number of splints, and these
he bound about the broken leg by raw
hide thongs cut from the caltskin and
well soaked i'll the pool, The contrac-
ton of the rawhide in drying made a
very strong and rigid support, extend
ing from the foot to the knee and upon
this, with the help of the cane, he
would walk. 1t was not springing 1t
was slow and painful motion, but by
contrast with the three miles achieved
i'll three days on hands and knees it
seemed both rapid and easy. He covered
the distance to the ranch in one day and
night, coming i'll just when the foreman
was calling, Roll out. y
The first thing he asked after the
boys had put him in bed and cut off the
rawhide was for somebody to shave him.
He had hard enough time for sev-
eral weeks, but the doctor did not am
putate the leg AS he at first threatened
to do. We never convinced this saw
bones, though we showed him the raw
hide splint, of the fact that the man
walked / miles on broken leg.
" Humbug, said he mo such case
on record. The thing is preposterous.
-G. b. Durham i'll San Francisco Ar.
gOnaut.