Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-11-30

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<S only some sand and bunch of
tumble-weed, a rattle-snake, and ta-
rantula. The tarantula scuttled off, he
killed the rattlesnake, and the tumble
weed and sand he emptied out. Then
he had the armor done up in shelter
tent and put upon a pack-mule. After
which, the column moved on. 1t should
not have halted at all, for it was IN
pursuit of band of Indians. But there
were bands of Indians every day, and
the finding of full suit of armor lying
under a mesquite bush beside their trail
was rare.
Certainly Hartpole had never heard
of such a thing. And, so far as he
knew, it was the only suit of armor
ever discovered on the New Mexico
plains, but his lore on the subject was
not profound.
When he got back to his two-com-
pany post on the banks of the Gila, he
found the interest in life, which had
been lacking for him up to then, in en-
larging that knowledge. He sent East
for books and histories and treatises
concerning coats of mail and the men
who have worn them, and he even went
so far as to write to the Smithsonian
Institution, at the risk of having gov
ernment commission sent out at once
to seize his treasure. And in the inter-
val of two months which elapsed be-
fore he received reply-for the rail-
road was only to Kansas in those days
he set about cleaning the armor him
1t hnr do mi
together.
He was so occupied, what with that
and the histories and the other books,
that he forgot to have Gila-bottom ma
laria and had no time to worry about
the flies Then, when the steel was
once more bright as the azure shield or
Achilles, and he had proved to his own
and to every ones satisfaction that 1t
must once have protected the body of
one of Coronado's men, and must date
from the middle of the sixteenth CEN
tury, or thereabout, he hung it up in
his one-room adobe quarters, along
with the Indian trophies that were as
nothing now and the bottled reptiles Of
many sorts; and the fame of it spread
through the land. An English lord, in
a pith helmet and gray linen, who was
going about the country, travelled miles
out of his way to look upon it; and
scientific party from Boston did the
same. Hartpole was beginning to be
very proud, when, one day, he had a
visitor of another kind.
1t was a man he had seen sometimes
hanging around the agency and the
post-a small, 1.-THE fellow, part Coyo-
tero Apache, part Mexican, possibly a
very small part white, who had some
reputation as a medicine-man with the
tribes, but not much as anything else.
Hartpole was sitting under his ra-
mada on a late summer afternoon, read
ing book whose GOV ars curled ap with
the heat, when something came be-
tween him and his light and, looking
up, he saw the medicine-nan peering
In the opening. He said, ''Hullo, Ciego,
and added, what do you want, eh p
Ciego was so called because he was
blind in one eye. He came in under
the ramada, and stood so close to him
that Hartpole moved little. The Coy
otero's cast-off uniform and red head
band were not clean.
'Ciego spoke excellent Spanish, and,
as Hartpole did, too, he had no trouble
about making himself understood. He
explained that he would like to see the
suit of iron clothes which he had been
told that the lieutenant possessed. The
lieutenant was so pleased to think that
it had been spoken of even in the fast
nesses of the Sierra Blanca and of the
Tonic Basin that he forgot how dirty
Ciego was, and straightway rose and
invited him into the one room.
The medicine-man stood looking at
the armor with an interest and evident
appreciation that touched Hartpole
very much. After the manner of his
kind, he said no word. but presently he
chains with his finger-tips, and put his
good eye close and looked inside. Then
he turned to Hartpole. Where did
you find it?'' he asked.
The lieutenant explained at some
length.
''Is it very old?"
Hartpole said it was at least three
hundred and thirty odd years old, and
went into little history.
.Ciego nodded his head. 81 know" he
said. But that was so manifestly alb
surd that Hartpole did not pay any at
tention to it. sit is very fine,' said
Ciego. For how much will you sell ii
to meY' Naturally, Hartpole only
laughed, but the Apache was in ear
nest, nevertheless. No." he insisted,
looking him sharply in the face mo,
de veras, wish to buy it from you"
well, don't wish to SELL" answered
the lieutenant, rather vexed at the mere
idea.
Il have five hundred dollars" said
the Indian.
IF you had thousand you could not
have it,"
81 have a thousand"
Hartpole laughed again, a little i'm
patiently.
"You do not believe me-Iook here
Ciego drew buckskin bag from the
folds of his sash. 1t was full of gold
"There are five hundred dollars here
, In three days l can bring you five hun
dred more"
Hartpole guessed how he had come
by it, and his temper rose. THAT i.
stolen money" he said, angrily; put i
up. You can't have the armor. Uka
shee."
You let me have it." begged Ciego
ssI wish it yery much. l will do man1