The Negro world., 1900-03-17


facing cannon with flags flying and
drums beating, inasmueh as ''he that
ruleth bis own spirit IL greater than
he that taketh a city"
At last one day the ABssourinn gave
out utterly. lie was not of the cow
boy build in the first place, but his
splendid horsemanship and enthusiasm
had induced Wilson. the boss, or
yankee BILL" as he was called. to take
him on. In his deliriI1m he lay and
cried for water, day and night. lie
blubbered and begged for water, and
called upon the names OF those he had
known IN his childhood Every m@n
went about his own business. which
was largely the formulating of feryent
and eloquent oaths anent the heat.
the drought and the delay; and ap-
| parently no one heard his cries. Water
was the one thing he wanted. and the
one thing he could not get. so, after
| they had put his boots under his head
to make him comfortable. they let him
alone. Under ordinary circumstances
Missourinn more or less was Of no
great consequence TO yankee BILL
but this break In the ranks shattered
the last vestige Of hope. Whatever
may have been done after that in the
effort to keep up their spirits was mere
brayado, for each man foresaw the
end.
The Missourian had been quiet
sort In the camp. and no one had ever
heard him talk much, but now he
talked necessarily in the soft. thick
drawl Of the south. And always Of
home scenes, the memories Of boyhood
that whetted the edge of their tor
ture till II was beyond all enduring.
Now he was fishing along some stream
and swearing in round terms at some
"fat-headetS Niger" for soaring the
fish; now he was In school struggling
with some problem he could never
solve beyond "carry seven" Always
coherent enough to call up memories
In their own minds OF youth. mis-
spent for the most part. They could
not move farther away because they
were camped under the only shade IN
sight. They thought Of dragging him
of beyond ear-shot. but while every
one would have been glad TO have II
done. no man could do II himself. Their
horny hands had grown gentle In their
ministering touches.
Escape was long since out of the
question, for the horses were worse of
than the men; not one Of them could
carry saddle, much less rider. Each
man had saved last charge in his
revolver. knowing that that perhaps
would be their only deliveranee from
n death too horrible TO name. All but
ast-Side." who. when decision had
TO be made between himself aud his
horse, had led her out behind little
accllvity and put his last charge
through her game little heart Now
he must make his exit In some other
way, n he would let his iisembodie,i
spirit pass on unincumbered by a sun
parched frame. The knife he carried
IN his boot was n miserable hack Of
n thing. NJ only for shaving tobacco
or chunking bacon. lie felt momen-
tary regret as he ran his fingers along
It's Jagged edges that man with his
record should be obliged 20 make his
end with so mean n weapon. The big
Swedc In n moment of madness had
raised his pistol as N II had been a
jug, saying; ''Wal, boys. here's 10
wetter country" but he had not shot.
The cold iron seemed To cool the rash.
ness OF his brain, and the mirage OF
hope iurcd them on q day farther.
After the second day the Missouri.
ans talk began 10 grow less. his raw
/ Ina alsats n G..s. 4
babblingi at last II ceased altogether.
and he lay staring wide-cyed into the
relentless sky. As they had done
everything else, they did this silently,
stoically. A shallow bed was scooped
out aud the canvas taken OF the
wagon for winding sheet. When
the broken circle closed In around
the open grave, the boss cleared his
throat and said; Boys, before we ro
any farther, some one must make
prayer. sahe?"
They sabed. but although every
mans soul might be consumed with a
voieeless cry 90 some power above
himself for the rcpose of the departed
soul, aud release from like fate.
they were all dumb when confronted
by the thought OF taking the name of
God reycrently. lnstinctiyely they
turned 10 "East.Side"
ITS your lead. East-Slde,'" they
said. And 'East.Side." cropping blind
| ~ backward toward the memories Of
his youth, tried to recall something
OF religious import. Slowly through
his desiccated brain percolated a line
from church hymn; "Greenland's
ley Mountains" but, although the
thought was pleasant In this burning
desert, the words were not to the
point besides. that was all he knew
Of II, He shook his head sorrowfully.
"ln the beginning"--he thought he
had struck the right lead there-"In
the beginning. God created" But
again he was stuck and could 40 no
further.
Lead mp, 'East-slderr they urged.
Then the light broke. The backward
cropping had brought him down ta
the days of his childhood To the
words his grandfather had been wont
To say, as with bowed heads the fam.
ily. 10 the third and fourth genera.
tion, WAS gathered around his table
ON Thanksgiving day, So. under the
burning sun. whose only shadow was
cast by the hocks of earFiun birds
that circled above the remnant OF the
outfit, they stood over the grave of
their dead companion. waiting for
l Fs.a A.. Il A. - a