The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-04-21


act was attended with tragic conse-
quences. Noblez sprang to his feet and
reached for his six-shooter, his face
flaming with passion. One of the boys
called loudly to Lum, whose face was
turned away, to look out for Noblez.
Jeffreys turned, realized the danger
that menaced him and leaped behind
the huge supply wagon, drawing his
revolver at the same instant. Noblez
sprang to the other side of the wagon
to meet him as he reappeared. AS No
bez leaped forward his head was
thrown forward, presenting the top of
it to the aim of Jeffreys, and the latter
planted heavy 44-cali5er ball in the
very center of Nobez' skull. The MeXi
can dropped like a stricken bullock as
the heavy ball crashed through his skull
and into his brain. All was excitement,
and there were various views of the af
fray. The MeXicans insisted that JEFF
freys had Intentionally provoked the
trouble, and there were angry looks eX-
changed among them which presaged
more trouble. Finally the matter was
compromised by the arrest of Jeffreys
by the entire band of riders, who de-
prived him of his weapons and made
him give a solemn pledge to appear
regularly for trial len the outfit
should reach the nearest town.
The body of Noblez was buried and
the boys went about their usual work.
But there was general feeling of de-
preston. In the afternoon the heavens
were overcast and dense masses of
black clouds were ominous of trouble
with the cattle. The usual guard was
doubled, and as darkness settled around
vivid lightning began to play among
the cloud banks, accompanied by peals
of thunder. The lightning flashed still
brighter and at shorter intervals, and
the rumbling of the thunder grew
deeper and almost incessant. The cat
tie were uneasy, refusing to lie down,
tossing their heads wickedly and
threatening to stampede at any in
slant. For perhaps an hour the night
guards sought in vain to quiet them.
With each succeeding peal of thunder
they became wilder. At length there
was a sullen roar of thunder like the
noise of cannonading, a ripping volley
OF short, sharp crashes like the rattle
of musketry, a flash of binding light
which enveloped the swaying herd in a
lurid glare, and with a roar that rivaled
tie thunder away sped the thousands
of bewildered and frightened animals
across the prairie.
Forth from the camp rode the cow
boys, and on through the darkness they
spurred their assess after the flying
herd. 1t was a wild ride. Occasional
flashes of lightning lighted up the scene
and enabled the riders to catch fleet
ing glimpses of the forms of their cam-
panions. In the distance the irregular
outlines of the moving mass of cattle
could be seen as they fed with undimin-
ished speed. The race lasted for hours
before the herd was surrounded, milled
and successfully rounded up. Then be-
gan the work of driving the herd back
to the neighborhood of the camp. Ex-
hausted and foOtsore, the cattle were
quiet enough now, and several hours
We're consumed in retracing the miles
that had been covered in the mad race
in the darkness. twas nearly daylight
when camp was reached.
"In the morning it was discovered
that Lum Jeffreys was missing. There
was CONSERVATION among his friends,
who would have. gone bail with their
lives that Lum would answer for trial
as he had promised. The Mexicans
sneered at his flight, insisting that he
feared the result of trial. Only one
explanation was offered-that Lum had
taken advantage of the confusion of the
previous night to seek refuge in flight.
The trip ended uneventfully enough
after that, and the herd was safely dis
charged upon the broad ranges for
which it was destined. The incident of
Jeffreys was nearly forgotten. 1t was
fully year after the memorable STAN
pede when two of us were riding across
the same country through which we
had ridden on that wild night. The
prairie was brown and sere, where the
hot sun had robbed the grass of its
green, and stretch of unbroken prai-
RE offered a monotonous vista of I'M
relieved grazing landt In the distance
there was one irregular object which
shone white in thesunlight, resembling
the barkless trunk of a fallen tree. Gu
riosity impelled us to ride closer and
at length we distinguished the skeleton
of a horse Dead horses were too COM
mon to invite close investigation, and
we were about to ride away again when
one of the men insisted that the ami
mails bones were surmounted with a
saddle. Again we neared the skeleton
and were shocked to distinguish in adj
dition the skeleton of a man. The men,
DRY of the stampede of the previous year
and the disappearance of Jeffreys in
spired us at once with the belief in the
identity of the bones which lay there
bleaching on the prairie and the man
ner in which the unfortunate victim
had come to his death. The prairie
roundabout was deeply marked, where
it had been trodden by the hoofs of
flying cattle. The bones lay directly
in the path of the stampede, and the
saddle and trappings of the horse we
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