The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-15

| IeXan today and ne lives at Waco; but
once he was a Texan when it took
nerve to be one-at least the sort OF
one he was, for he was ranger and he
led a life that was hard to lead and
was likely TO baik and lie down and
quit at any moment.
But Mr.. Dupont managed to hold on
to his existence, though to do so it be-
! came necessary, from time to time, TO
! cut short the reckless but pyrotechni-
cally brilliant careers of some of the
lively characters into whose society he
was violently thrown.
"Oh, | amt very particular about
| talkin' of them days" said Mr.. Du-
/ pont this morning. I'm on my way
/ to Montana with a bunch of cattle I've
contracted to deliver next week, and !
amt Jest in shape TO put my mind
onto it and remember things ackerit.
or vivid, as you might say. and like
they was. Then it's been a long time.
too
But you can surely remember which
was the closest call you ever had.
can't you?" asked enc of the guests of
the st. James hotel, who had been try
ing to draw him out.
HUH" laughed Mr.. Dupont in his
short, dry way. as he reached one of
his thumbs into the armhole of his
pender. Il don't know which-un was
the closest; they was a dozen of EN-
which was nigh enough. | reckon.
though he added, after a reflective
pause, that there brush with Juan
Sanchez, the Mexican rustler, at Hueco
Tanks was about the pepperist little
rumpuS l ever had hand in.
Les see he went on, throwing his
head back and squirting upward with
his left eye. THAT must "a been back
IN 40 or 'SG-yes, IS it was, because
Cap'n Murray had command of us and
remember it was in so, the next year.
that the old man got it in the leg and
had to quit.
This Teller, Juan Sanchez, was about
the worst greaser that ever lived. He
didn't have no terrible amount of sand
neither. but was a slick cattle thief
and when you got him cornered the
son-of-a-gun would fight like a wild
cat, and he had a couple o. dozen poems
helpin' him that wouldn't no more mind
cuttin' a feller's throat while he was
asleep than you would cuttin' a ripe
watermelon.
Land had stolen about 100 head o. has
knife steers. They belonged to the
Llttlefeld Cattle comp'ny The hash
Knife was their brand These Mexican
fustlers had picked Fem up over on the
PecoS range and were hustling 'em
hard for the Rio GraDde when we got
too hot on their trail and they branch
ed off northwest.
of course we knew they'd have to
make for water. and that meant the
Hueco Tanks, for. after you passed
cottonwood Springs, there wasn't any
water in 100 miles except that at the
tanks. These here tanks, by the wav.
are Gurus things"
Mr.. Dupont was becoming interested
now and it was evident that he was
picturing in his mind the place he was
about TO describe.
They're matched tanks. YOU know.
They're right under some great big
rocks and nobody knows how deep thew
are, and they're so big and hold so
much that they never git rotten and
stale. like the most c. standin' water
does.
But to git hack to my story. we
FOUND we, was right. Sanchez and his
men was there all right and they was
hxed for us, too, you en- gamble on
tnat We divided and come up in six
squads from as many different direc-
tons.
we had waited until about dark. YOU
see, and guided ourselves to the camn
by the fires they were cooking at. They
mad the cattle rounded up a little way
on and two greaserS was guardin' 'enn
we got the herders the first shot
ana tnen out come the others. We had
II not and heavy for a while and one
OF our men got it straight through the
cnest, but we did I'D the others. Sly
OF EN- got their lights put out and the
others run and hid under the rocks
someWheres, we didn't know where
All we knowed was we had chased 'ern
away from the tanks. The cattle STAN
peded, but we knew we could round
them up easy next day. for thew
wouldn't go out of reach of the smell
of water.
But my close call come later. We
had made camp and l creD down under
one OF the big rocks to fill a pail o.
water out O the tank. Jest as l bent
Gown my head come bump agin'
gun barrel and the next Ting I lInowed
L thought the whole top o. my head
was blowed off. But the bunoD saved
me- My skull was out o. range when
the rifle went off and il only tore nv
hat to pieces.
1t was Sanchez hid back in there
he tried to git by me, but 7 grabbed
ms gun and soon had hold o. him and
we wallered around there at a great
rate, jest few feet from the pool. He
got out ms knife and made a bad slit
N my arm-right along in here Mr.
Dupont added, passing his fingers alone
the inside of his left arm, but I han.
pened to have my revolver with me
the other fellers that has
heard the shot run up
MI Dupont leaned back in his chair
ana reached into his pocket for a
cigar. 80
Well?" said one of his>eager listen
Wen, when they come up they found
1ney want needed concluded the