The Winslow mail., 1900-05-03
Six=ShoOter Pete'S Compassion
BY Bourbon Wilson.

IT TZISTZUNTZAN, or, the Humming
Bird, to translate her name into
English, possessed one of the traits
that characterize her pretty, ruby
throated little namesake; she was
continually fitting and darting about
in search of food. The resemblance
went no further, however, for Tzsit-
zunstan was neither graceful nor pret,
ty, and her garb was not one of beau
tiful colors-her wardrobe consisted
of but single garment, greasy,
dirt-colored skirt that reached from
her waist to her knees, and that she
wore night and day.
I'm spite of her untiring energy, it
sometimes happened that she woulc
be unable readily to supply her wick
iup with the requisite amount of
food, and then she would be compelled
to go far from the squalid village in
search of the luscious fruit of the cac-
tus and yucca, the juicy leaves of the
maguey and the toothsome Ito the
Apache) but elusive grasshopper and
lizard. On such excursions the little
invariably accompanied her, she car
rying him strapped on her back in
the one blanket she possessed. One
day she went too far and lost her
self, so intent was she upon her
quest. The sky was filled with cloud,
SO she could not lay a course by the
sun, and the wind was blowing a gale
obliterating her trail, so that she
could neither get view of her sur
roundings nor retrace her steps.
Where night overlook her, there she
lay down and slept.
The coming of the day walked her;
the wind was no longer blowing, and,
standing up, she looked intently
about her. Far away in the north
lowered range of jagged mountains,
all blue and hazy with distance, ex-
cept the loftiest pinnacles, which were
gilded by the first rays of the rising
sun. Another range, equally as rug
ged and wild, but not so extensive, lay
to the south. All around her, stretch
ing away to both ranges, and to the
east and west farther than her eyes
could reach, was a dreary eXpanse of
rocky hillocks and shifting sand, that
was dotted here and there by gaunt,
shaggy yuccas and punches of stunted
cactus. OF water there was not the
least sign; there was no dew, even.
She knew full well the horrors of a
day in the desert without water, and,
laying course by the bright light
glowing in the east, she started north
ward, moving in the quick, doglike
trot peculiar to her race. Soon the
sun, looking like a great ball of fire,
came up, and within an hour the air
was quivering with heat; another
hour went by, then another, the tenn
perature rising higher and higher
each minute, but still the patient
squaw pressed on with unfagging
step. Her eyes were fixed straight
before her on her goal, the noun
tains; there she would find shade and
water. Now she was passing close
beside a bunch of cactus, her moe
casined feet brushing aside a strag-
Cling branch; instantly there came a
SudI p HuAOh W
heed, she swerved aside, but was too
slow. A slender, dun-colored object
flashed out from the cactus and at
tached itself to her bare leg.
With a quick movement she shook
it off and crushed its head with a
stone, then stood still. looking irreso-
lutely about. Far from her people
from the old medicine man and his
antidotes, she knew only too well the
fate that was in store for her. Her
indecision was but momentary, how
ever; she thought of her child, and
sinking to the ground, hastily drew
him around into her lap to give him
nourishment-there was need for hur-
ry, she knew, for soon the subtle poi
son of the reptile would pervade her
entire system and be dealt out to the
nursing babe. At last the little fel-
lows hunger was satisfied, and the
mother laid him on the ground in
the shade of yucca, where he at
once fell asleep. For several minutes
she knelt beside him, gazing earnestly
into his face, then sat down u few