The San Francisco call., 1901-12-29

weak an sick in my life.
I've Jest one chance left an shoreIy
trembles as I plays it. I lifts up my right
boct I win; about a quart Of blood runs
out. Talk Of reprievin' folks who's SEN
tenced to death! Gents. their emotions
is the Eerest limitations Of the WY I
feels when I finds that them Yanks get
me an nary doubt tharof It's all right
rifle bullet through my ankle.
That night I'm moved away with
twenty other wounded folks in a little
cabin off to one side. Thar's couple Ot
doctors sizin' up my laig. I'm well ac-
quainted with 'em.
Joe" says one. that away. we've
got to cut it off,
But I votes "no" emphatic. I'm too
young to talk about goin' shy a Iaig So
they ties it up as well as ever they can,
warnin' me meanwhile that I've got about
one chance in score to beat the game.
Then they imparts a piece Of news that's
a mighty sight worse than them casooaI-
ties.
'''' 'Joe,'' says this yere doctor. when
he's got me bandaged, 'our army's got to
rustic out Of yere a heap. She's on the
retreat now. Them Yank's outheld us,
an we've got to go stampedin'. The worst
is thar's no way to take you along, an
we'H have to leave you"
Then them Yanks Will corral me-?
asks.
shore" he replies, "but thar's moth
in else fer it."
90 It's then it comes on me about that
gunbOat an them promises old Butler
makes himself about haugin' me when
caught. Which these we're reflections in
fooses new life into me. I makes that
doctor who's taIkin' so rUnaSin' about
Ontil he rounds up a old niger daddy, a
mule an a twC-wheeI sugar kyaYt. It's
rainin' by now SOS you all could stand
L. in, A.
that medical sharp loads me in he gives
me a bottle of this ye-e morphine, an
between jolts an groans I feeds on that
drug till mornir.
That old daddy is dead game. He
. drives me all night an all day an all
night agin an I'm in Shreveport Ny
ankles about the size Of a bale of cotton
Thar's one ray through it all. however:
7 misses meetfn' old man Butler, an
looks or that as a triumph which shore
borders on relief
An I reckon now says Dan Boggs,
''you sewers your relations with that
warp
No goes on the major; 7 keeps up
my. vOylence to the close. When grows
robust enough to ride az in, I'm in Texas.
Thar's a expedition fittin' out to invade
an subdue Moo Mexico. an I j'ines dogs
with il as chief of the big guns Thars
thirty-eiEht hundred hold and buOyant
sperits rides outen Austin on them mill
tary experiments we plans. an as evin-
Gin the luck we has. I needs only to pint
out that nine months later we returns
with a scant eight hundred Three thou
sand Of 'em killed, wounded an missil'
shows that efforts to list this we're trip
onder the head. of r'picnics' would be
merest irony.
g Comm as we-aH does from 1000 miles
away. thar amt one Of us who saveys.
practical as much about them sand blown
desert regions we. invades as we does Of
what goes on in the moon. That Gin'ral
Candy, who later gets downed by the
NIodocs, is on the Rio Grande at Fort
Craig While We're piTOOtin' about in q
blind sort o. fashion we ropes up one Of
Canby's courieTs who's pintin' moth for
Fort Union with dispatches. This yere
Cfn'raI Candy makes the fOIlOwin' face
tious aIlOOsiOn to us After mentiOnin'
our oninvited presence in the territory, he
says:
. s'But let 'em alone. Wen dig them
potatoes when they're ripe"
Gents, we was them toobers.' An
we're the major pauses for a drink We
was them potatoes which Cin'ral Canby's
exuItfn' overt We don't understand it
none at the time, but it all gets cParer
as the days drifts by. Which I'm never
in a more desOIate stretch of what would
De timber only thar amt no frees, thars
nothin' for the men, nothfn' for the
hosses: half. the time thar amt even
water An then it's alEaH. An our DAYS
teens an staggers with disgUstfn' e1lpe-
riences. Once we're shy water two days
ITS the third day about fourth drink time
in the eveniu'. The sun has two hours
yet to so. My battery is toilin' along.
sand to the hubs of gun carriages ta1r
cafssons, when L sees my mules pint their
wears for'ard with looks of happy sur
prise Then them inteligent ananliIes he
gins q song of praise. an next while we
all is marveIin' tharat, an before ever a
gent can stretch hand to bride to stOp
en-, them mules begins to fly. They yanks
them field pices over that desert as busy.
an full of patriotic ardor as a druukard
on lection day The whole battery runs
away. Whatever is it? Gents. them
mules smells water. It's two mile away
a big pond she is-an' that locoed bat
terry never stops, but rushes plumb i'm
over it's years; an I lose sixteen mules
an two guns before I'm safe agin on
terry firmy- It's short irritatinl An yet
-he histry of every day is loaded to the
gyards with adventures similar.
It's shore remarkable excIaims this
yeTe major. settin down his glass, how
time sOftens the view an changes bitter
to sweet that away. AS T brings before
me in. review said Details thar's nothin'
ever more harassin from soda to hook
than that campaign ON the Rio Grande.
Thar's not one ray of sunshine to paint a
streak of gold in the picture from frame
to frame; all is dark an gloom am" death.
An yet, lookin' BACKYARD through them
years. the mem'ry of it is pleasant an
refreshin' enough; heap more so than
enterprises of greater ease. with success
instead of failure for the finish.
"'Thar's one partic'lar incident of them
explorin' expeditions into Moo Mexico
which never recurs TO my mind without
leavin' me some dim. A0n't claim TO be
no expert on pathOs, an I'm far from re-
gyardin' mysef as a sharp ON tears that