The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-29
which you are entitled-your plate

z ALhiAA0 81 N LA L
which you are entitled-your plate is
warm
An this done and said with such evident
sincerity and Kindness Of heart (the man.
ffest intent being to renSve from my mind
as far as possible the atrocities 10 which
1 had previously been subjected)s that IL
was not possible for one raised as / had
toned by the wei intended. but to me.
disgusting act So said nothing and I
eat no more than | said.
When, after having eaten what they
wanted Josh and Doc look all tie
| bread there was left and threw the loaves
| in the stream. leaving us without bread
or -four ard fifteen miles from any place
strain myself no longer. and remarked
| that in my humble opinion ii would be-
come all Ito try and be gentlemen. no
this rebuke, severe as 1T was, made any
impression on their antidoteN besotten
brains. For myself rattlesnakes had well
nigh lost their teTrorS in the agony en-
| dured by the manaacaI actions OF the IN
vincible three. 3
1t was proposed by JOSH Doe and
| sid that they should go back to Ogden
| salad dressing on their return. While we
| hailed their proposed departure with de,
light and urged them to go. 4 protested
against any more salad dressing. On this
| point l was adamant.
They began making ready their horses
now hitched to a farm wagon because of
| the breaking of the surrey and spring
wagon, as l had already told. We made
! permanent arrangements for camping. 4
| fire place was built, tents erected and like
| details perfected. When putting the fin
ishing touches preparatory To seeing the
| three of we heard frightfui yelling, then
] came terrific crushing of twigs, and q
| second later, q pair of horses. harnessad
to a farm wagon. dashed through the
heart of the camp, knocking down our
! fire place tearing down the tent and dis
| appearing in the brush as though driven
| by the furies.
Pangs of Hunger.
Some five minutes later Josh" and
| Doc appeared, blandly inquiring If we
had seen tlair team, as it had run
away" and then. looking around at the
wreck, asked if we had been having a
l cannot help believing they were at the
bottom of even this desperate affair-des-
perate since one of us might have been
lkllled-and that they were lying in the
wagon box at the time the team dashed
camp.
But they were off at last. We breathed
easier. and began to repair the damage
done by the so-called runaway. In such
occupations we spent the time till evening,
growing hungrier as the hours fled. You
will recollect how little l had eaten up TO
this time and the reasons for my absti-
nence. Moreover, l was in such q state
of nervous excitement as to be dreadfuily
in need of a stimulant, yet for forty-eight
hours | did not dare to touch a drop of
liquor. not knowing what the consequences
might be were to become as indifferent
to al results through the taking of the
antidote, as were the others.
Famished and almost despatring of the
coming of the absent ones, they finally
dashed through the camp, their team drip
ping with sweat, their own eyes 6listentng
in the light of the campfire with enthu-
siaSm born of excessive stimulants.
Here's your stuff, cried they, and plac-
ed on the ground severty-two bottles of
beer, SO worth of giant firecrackers twelve
inches long, and 10 cents worth of bread
and butter, With which to feed six starry
ing men.
And / was hungry. Yet. what did get
was not rendered indigestible by the kind
offices of the uncultured doctor.
And was wearied and bethought me of
branch of the stream-the bed lying some
i've feet below the bank, yet not far from
the camp. and determined ] would take
my blankets and lie there I might not
sleep. but [ could be free from the con-
slant strain of anxiety my recent hours
had been under. So / quietly hid myself
could hear my companions inquiring for
me and wondering where had gone-par-
ucularly the doctor. who had taken an
especial and most unhappy and unsought
Tor interest in my welfare. Have you ever
slept on the ground? If you haven t., you
can get some idea by lying for a night on
3 clod field, ploughed twelve months be-
Tore, and unharrowed; or, better still, try
and accommodate yourself for a nights
sleep by lying on a layer of bottles and
struggle to conform your anatomy to the
various concave and convex dispositions
OF your bed But I had banished fear
That was joy The nervous strain relax
ed. Nature would have her own and 1
slept. How long l had thus dreamless
lain, L cannot say. II became conscious
the breaking of dry underbrush near me
beneath a heavy tread. Alarmed 1 lifted
my head and. with a yell of horror leaped
to my feet, Just in time to avoid the rush
of some huge beast with shaggy hair and
spreading horns which stood on it's hind
legs and made a second lunge for me.
Leaping backward, l fell into the dry bed
OF the stream, there to be met with fu5i-
lade of firearms and to be shot in no less
than twenty places. 1t flashed through
my brain that had been attacked by some
friends. in killing it, had wounded me.
All was quiet. Then L felt something
burn and rising painfully TO my feet found
my clothes on fire and numberless stumps
of giant tirecrackers smoulderfng about
the spot where had fallen. Then l heard
three voices in unison .exclaim: You'll
sneak away from us, will your l under
stood all. Doc" had donned a buffalo
hide and head, and Josh and Sid ex-
pecting what inevitably followed, had tied
frecrackers together and at the right mo-
ment set them going, just as l fell among
them.
Declined to Fight.
Both by disposition and training I am
a long suffering man, but the thought en-
tered my mind that these men were max
ing game of me, and / became furious.
Then said: This has passed endurance.
Joking or earnest, | challenge you all (but
one at a time) to a fair fight. l will sub
init no longer" And gentle reader. what
reply do you think l received to a de-
mand that would have been responded to
in kind by any gentleman. Yet the an
Swer served to convince me that their
later assurance was genune-that they
had not intended their actions as d joke
but to frighten me from sleeping alone
lest l should be attacked by bears, snakes
or pOlecats Ga polecat / am informed is a
cat that has in some way become attach
ed to a Pole.) But TO resume, what do you
conceive to have been their reply to my
challenge? They stood in the light of the
campfire. now burning dimly dressed in
their underclothes, save Doe" who was
adorned with robe and horns they joined
hand formed circle about me, and when
l had exhausted myself with threats and
challenges. Josh said: Now, Monte |
Chat is the term of endearment they gave
mel I'VE will give you an imitation of an
Indian ghost dance" Then, with yells
that drowned my voice and jumps and
antics to disjoint themselves they circled
around me for an understandable length of
time. until the only desire of my life
seemed TO be that they should cease and
leave me at peace, if only a few mo-
ments.
Seventy-two hours continued this inco-
herent yet persistent persecution the