The Washington weekly post., 1899-07-25


to come and be. with the sick man while
she herself became postman. Il vas use-
less for any one 70 tell her the chances
she was taking. and how she owed 80 20
herself not 10 carry the mail in such \
dangerous, uncanny region. She saw her
duty and she startsd out when the pouch
was ready and her fathers horse had
been bridled for her.
In six weeks Mr. Burks was NJ and
about, but he will never be well enough
10 endure the joltins and arduoususss II
travel in any form amoUg the mountains.
he Is a nervous wreck So. while his
daughter Sarah rides the route. ne man
ages a uttIS livery stable and is "a no.
tary public.
Miss Sarah Burks has grown or0wa AM
ruggsed in her services as Uncle SIms 5
mail carrier in one OF the mos. untayur-
able regions. She wears garments adapt
ed 10 her work. Her hat is a VIDE straw.
which she sometimes ties about rer face
when the winds sweep (as they cfien 90
for a week at a time) down across tha
bold mountains so hard that one wonders
why the very mountain peaks are not
toppled over. She wears short skirts OF
blue serge. a corduroy or canvas jacket
much Ike an EtOn packet, ieathpTn isE-
gingS. and heavy shoes. \ belt and ho.s-
ter in which a fine pistol rests is always
about her waist when she is On he. horse.
Can Use Revolver.
Then she has another revolver ard a lot
Of cartridges in her saddle-bags She has
as good horses as money can buy, and she
carries a number OF useful articles in her
saddle-bags. The mail pOuch-wh!ch is a
small one-is fastened on the rear OF the
saddle When cha ffsl n ahA-rs no I.af.
Uselessness Of this martial display the
young lady drew the gun as quickly and
as deftly as a professional shooting-man
could do, held it out with 4 firm hand
and a steady arm. and put all six bullets
into playing-csrd posted thirty PAGES
away.
I've never had occasion 10 use Il j.
earnest" said she. as she carefully wiped
out the barrel and reflled the chambers;
but l always feel safer 10 have il with
me. I'd as soon think Of starting out
without my mail bags as without my re-
volver. for ! never know when I may
need it awfully. Ny father taught me 10
use IL, and | practice with il constantly.
Would l use IL if / had to? Well would
:: B.. should say so, In the nrsJ place,
I've sot to protect the property that IS In
my charge, and I'd do II with my last
breath and my last cartridge. And. be-
sides, 1 might have to protect myself
some time. although l never feel any
anxiety about that"
Have you ever been frightened by any
thing on one of these trips?'
N-nO; not really frightened. although
I've been rather anxious sometimes
The most memorable experience | ever
had was last August-One day when the
mercury must have been at about 1l5 in
the shade, If, indeed, any shade could
have been found in the region. | was
jogging slowly over the spur of the Red
Mountains, and was passing through a
shallow gulch among the bowlders Of lava
and other fOrbidding things in this dread
ful desert waste, when | heard a groan.
Even my horse was startled at the sound.
and he stood stark still. One goes for
whole day there time and again without
seeing living creature except an OcCa-
sional bird. or without hearing a sound OF
any kind except by himself. SO the hu-
man grean was quite unnerving for i
moment.
Il reached instinctively for my pistol
at my side, when l heard another ErOan,
evidently made to attract my attention
L raised my pistol for immediate use ana
at the same time swept my eyes over the
lDOdllly lIUDl WHICH the kIOdu came. y
great, swart, bleeding hand appeard above
bowlder about thirty feet from the
trail, and then the form of a Mexican,
who seemed to be trying TO get on his
feet. | saw that he had been lying or
crOuching behind the bOwlder, and that
he was trying TO get up to see me, either
to shoot at me or try to get me to coma
TO him. His face was bloody and one eye
was all blood. Every b. ndit story | had
ever read. every story Of Apache Kid and
his murderOus gang, went sCudding
through my mind as | sat there with my
cooked pistol aimed straight dt the
bloody. repulsive wretch trying TO get on
his feet by holding on the bOwlder.
Helped Dying Mexican.
IT neither spoke nor stirred I kept
my earnest gaze steadily on the Mexican.
l saw a rifle lying close behind him. and
/ knew he was a good Shot as all the
Mexicans are in the region. Finally, ar
ter what seemed an age, the fellow man
aged to speak to me / then saw that
he had been shot in the cheek, so that
his jaw was injured. He knew that [
was frightened. and he tried 10 tell me
by his mumbled words and his feeble mo-
tions that he was unarmed and wanted
my help in his distress.
II dismOunted, and. going over 10 the
bowlder with my pistol still in hand, [
on his back with his eyes staring straight
The Mexican who had called me there
sank back upon the ground from sheer
exhaustion when 1 came near TO MIN I
gave him half of the water IN the can
teen on my horse and fixed up q contriv-
ance with his CORY blanket by which the
hot sunshine was kept out Of his eyes. II
may seem very little to do for a person IN
that horrible condition, but IL was all [
could do. 1t even seemed to me then
pitiful!y small service. / sOpped 2 corner
of rag in a tin cup OF water and wash
ed as best l could the Wounds about the
mans face That gave him some relief,
and kept the flies away.
HE managed 20 tell me that he and his
dead comrade had had a war of words on
their trail across the mountains. They
were evidently abandoned. haif-Civilzed
beings. ! did not hear what they had
row about. The dead man attacked his
comrade with pistol, when the other
could not reach for his own pistol quick
enough to shoot back.
Instead the attacked Mexican drew his
bowie knife, and the two men cIinched in
a mortal embrace. Each man held 70 the
other with powerful grip, and neither
gave nor asked quarter Until enc OF them
was killed. While the attacking man
pressed his pistol against his aHtag0n-
ISL , DDNJ anu tl1tNdtEcl every taTiftASe
in IL into the man, the latter drove his
bowie knife again and again into his an
tagOnist The knife did It's mortal work
quickest, but the seven pistol balls In the
other man brought death half hour after
l reached there and the shooting had
probably occurred even five hours before
] came riding along that way.
When the Mexican died ] mounted my
horse, and, hot as II was. went galiOping
over toward Jimtown, where told thar
evening Of the bloody scene ! had come
upon that day. 4 constable started back
at once over the trail.
Meeting Wild Animals.
Have ever seen any bears on my mall
route? Yes, often IN the spring and fan
months when the beasts are migrating
Only last March / turned a bend ia the
road among the foothills OF the M0gOllOn
Mountains, and there, not half mile
ahead. we're two black bears and two cubs
.rlGging slowly along. I looked 20 ray
shooting irons, but ! know enough about
sears never 10 wound or harm one unless