The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
THRouGH TIE oUICKsANDS.


-" 1851
You'd better see whether last nights rain
has looscned the sands up much before you VEN
ture into the river" said old man Hickey at tho
American corral as Johnson, my driver, picked
the rcins up to drive out. The scene was Me-
slim, New Mexico. johnson and I had stopped
here two days to rest our horses after their hard
trip across the tornado del Muerto, and now We
were resuming our journey to Silver City, o
hundred miles 10 the westward.
"If the waters high or the sands are quick
you'll do better to come back and wait another
day." continued the old man. There's many O
team gone down at the crossing and no eye ever
saw 1t a%ftcrward. If you get over the river all
right keep a good look out for Sam Kirkbrek.
He's at large again. The Sheriff s posse was al
Los Cruces last night hunting him. Good luck"
We had heard of the gentleman to whom no
referred, and the exploits In the way of holding
up stages and robbing OF individuals which for
some years had made him notorious and much
sought after by sheritfs in southern New
Mexico. But the Rio Grande to be forded was Q
subject of more immediate concern to us than
"IIold-up SAM" We drove through the old
town, with its great willows dropping above the
acequia, and came to the river. 1t had been
swollen by the heavy rain of the past night. and
at first sight seemed one unbroken sheet OF brown
water, moving swiftly along, and which might
be of great depth. But looking more closely
swirls could be seen when the current passed
over shadows, and here and there little shifting
islands Of sand appeared at the surface travel
ling to left or right, up or down stream, accord.
ing to the caprice OF tho waters. There evident
ly WAS Il streak of shallow water extending
across the river. with n deeper channel below it.
On the western shore a Mexican wagon train,
bringing copper east from the Santa Rita mines.
t%r i ha b,nd nt thS yo nr1nk, M wHiie the eo Wagon intd n ,hs
watertotry the BOTTOM. His costume was adapted
to the OCCASION. Consisting Of shirt, sombreroi
the dw"llers by the river. clad as primitively,
ran before him carrying a long staff with which
he tried the depth of water and braced himself
against the current. They came on across, sink
ing in the SANDS at every step: but keeping from rom
wagon master told me that we could get across
with our team and blackboard, SO. engaging the
guide TO lea! the way, we started in.
Once in the wafer there was no turning back.
Our wheels Went at once down TO the hubs IN
in it to their knees. Our only salvation was to
keep going. The water was anywhere from ono
could have engultcd a cathedral and left no sign
of where it had stood. PlunginS into holes
sirbt' a 9me tho noT Sate TT rnse a ahTSe o n1t Knees oa as W Us
sat in the blackboard, again, rising to shadows
where the water ran only a few inches
keep our course, directed. by the Mexican
guide running to and fro, the skirt Of
by the waters. AS he turned from sounding the
bottom to gcs,iculate TO us and to call out ~instruc:
tibllS Va a hiiEthSC thhb htAthSa " =
understood. A dozen times the horses came to
4 stGndstill unable Tor the moment to keep the
piled Sdf he si badREEoqrd d" along Sy ana df we we're sMe't sa lVeas
seconds from any eause--and team and buck.
bonrd, would have been hnpelessly lost, and 10
would have been a close call for johnson and me
want never such an experience again-bub
we pulled through, ana o gIaa enough fSg we were to
bling from exhaustion. We were thoroughly
drgnched, and, us we halted TO rest, the fine sand
feil, in showers from our clothes and tho horses
and the blackboard as the. water dried from
thom. johnson was examining the harness to
l saw him stop 10 gnZo across the river.
We'll. what's Il coming now" he exclaimed.
See him go"
Hooked across the ford just in time to see the
mounted man leap his horso from the bank far
out into the stream. lie Ind come from MesillA
Plaza, his horse on the dead run, and now he was
were in IN uncommon hurry TO get across.
After him rode three men at, a pace as reckless,
their horses at the water with ms little healta.
tion rs he had shown. He was almost half way
b 6cfGnS ' HIN Ti vent wh irIo the the M Mrst Inf but d & lS %as sh eyi.
dent that they knew tho lord better than no did,
aud they ovorhauled him fast, 1t was a strugglS
~ n chase, with, all OF the four meni
but with their horses struggling, swim.
they opened up a duel ~,th pistols ,ts soon No
they we're near enough together, the foremost
IlhI l,TlllIlE ItNlt III Illb btttlNIC ~ i NICK O4
his pursucrs. II any one was hit he gave no sign
Of II. The man rode out OF the water fifty yards
ahead OF his pUrsucrs and, passing between our
bucl. board and the wagon train, put his horse
up the trail leading through the sand hills to the
high plain beyond. The thro. men in pursuit.
made ma pause nj the bank and said nothing 70
us in paHsiu-, but took straight up tho trail
after MIN, and all OF them were lost to view.
he tho Sheriff. said our Mexican guido,
struggling with his English. "He try to catch
I is a "trip oi three hours up through the sand
hills from the river. As VIC tolicd up The trail
we could sGC the huof marks of the four horBea,
and chat their riders had forced tlem along for
al they were worth. The sands were hot enough
"a. blister the hare skin, and ihc heat among the
hills wts ike AN oven. but that had seemed 10
make little difference III thc chase. We heard
the SQUAD of shooting ahcnd and when wo
were almost out of the sand hills our horses
Guilty tAAt wc could force lhGin along. A little
further and we SAW the GG use OF their alarm. BY
the side OF the trail one Of the men who had been
in purauit WAS lying oi his back, dead, with q
bullet wp!ud IN hiH breast. We could, OF courSe.
DO nothing for him and VIC kept on our way.
Upon the plain, a half mile beyond the
sand hills. We saw he end of ih' tragedy. The
odtlaw for the fugitive wts SAN kIfklreE- LAY
dnnDor0:6ly wounded on the grount, with, the
Sheriff and his surviving deputy bosde him,
alive. II wHs no solicitudc for tho welfare of the
outlaw that mUycI them, bur the fact that there
wa - considerable reward dependent upon hia
hGiur captured alive. Tho master WA settled
carr! INK Aim TO tho noHt stage station, where he
procured q team and wagon with which to take
his dead deputy and tho wounded OUTLAW back
tn Mesilla. What became of Sam Kirkhrek,
and whether he lived or died, ! never learned
Eillad aix montha latar trying To hnaak iaML