Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-01-19

! Ny Would Be Assassin.
by NJ. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY 0. y. LEWIS.
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When it was finally settled that l
was to go up into the mountains of
Wyoming on hunting trip with old
Bill Potts, a dozen men called to bid
me n last goodby. They looked their
pity and sorrow, and their hands lin
gCrcd lovingly in mine. l was rather
skcptical. l didn't see why | should be
pulled down by mountain lion, claw
ed into mincc meat by Il grizzly bear
or buried under n landslide, but they
smiled feebly and shook their heads
in n solemn way. Only one telegram
received out of eight or ten threw any
light on the matter, and the light came
too late. 1t read:
"If you are going hunting with old
Bill Potts, you'd better make your will
and leave things easy for the widowed
and fatherless."
The other kilograms simply read
that the senders would see that my
grave was kept green, if it could ever
be found, and that it was to be hoped
l wouldn't suffer over week in dying.
/ liked old Bill. He was hale and
hearty and good natured, and he could
pack n mule, cook n good meal and
shoot fairly straight. lie was a smok-
err and Il chewer, played good game
of euchre, and / had every confidence
that the pair of us would get along
like brothers. We got away in good
style, and it was two full days before
anything happened to shake my con-
1idence in him. Then, as | sat cleaning
my rifle, he picked up the AK to cut
some wood. He hadn't made six
strokes before the AK flew off the han
die and almost shaved my hair rs 1t
passed.
"EXcuse me, colonel" said old Bill
as he held up the handle. THAT ak
has bin loose for the last six months
and ortcr have bin fixed. I'll tend to
it the first rainy day we have"
"But man, that was n close call for
me-" l said as l felt my anger rising.
Eyes, colonel, but as long as no dam
age was done it's all right. l kinder
thought it was goin to cut yer head
off, but it riz leetle and missed ye."
l figured that it was pure accident
and overlooked it. Next morning old
Bill found the trail of Il lion near our
camp, and after breakfast we took it
up and started out. | had Winches-
ter, and he had a double barrcled shot
gun loaded with buckshOt. He took the
lead, and we had trailcd for half
mile when l stumbled over stone
and pitched forward. Potts was about
20 feet ahead of me, gun on his
nj
ground. AS | went down both barrels
of his gun were discharged, and my
hair curled as the handful of shot
shriekcd over me and cut away half
the branches of a young pine.
"What is it? What were you shoot
ing at?" l shouted as l scrambled up,
half expecting the lion had got in our
rear and was stalking us.
"Yc see, colonel" replied old Potts,
with a shcepish look on his face, Il al
lus carry my gun on the full cock, sos
to save time, and l guess l must have
bin fingcrin them hammers"
you dOlt! You idiot! You jacknsS"
] yelled at him as looked for club.
eff hadn't stumbled over that stone,
you'd have blown hole through me az
big as barrel"
Yes, but We stumbled and, bein as
no harm was done, hope ye won't get
mad about it. Why, sich things are
liable to happen every day.
told Potts that if ever caught him
carrying his gun in that shape again
I'd pump lead into his legs and leave
him to the wolves, and for the rest Of
the day the relations between us were
strained. Under the influence of
good supper and pipe we got closer
together, however, and by and by he
went into the tent for the cards. He
was fusSing around for several min
utes, and | had just opened my mouth
TO ask him the cause of his delay when
bullet lifted the hat off my head and
sent it ten feet behind me. l made
two jumps for bOwlder and yelled
to Potts, thinking l had been fired on
by renegade Indian, but when the
man came out with my self cooking re-
volver in his hand l knew what had
happened.
You blundcrhead! You fool of a
jackass" l shouted as l made up to
nm, bul hc bdSheu OIL anu plOItSlHlS
ly explained:
Don't git narvous, colonel. l had
never seen one of these self cookers
and was jest tryin it. l might have
p'inted it the other way, but didn't
think"
mo, you didn't, and the ball went
through my hat. Potts, you are a
fool. You don't know enough to chew
beans"
"What fuss to raise over a leetle
accident, and nobody hurt at that"
sighed Potts, and we spoke no more
together that evening. made up my
mind before going to sleep that the
firm of Soft IL Potts would dissolve
after breakfast by mutual consent or
otherwise, but he prepared such n
good meal and seemed so downcast
and repentant that l found myself
melting. We had with us a humping
big bear trap, and while he shouldered
it and set off to place it in hopes to
catch lion l took up my gun and
went in another direction.
! came back to camp at noon with a
small deer on my back and found Potts
and dinner waiting. Two hours later,
when we had taken care of the meat
and the hide, be asked Inc to go with
him and see hot spring he had dis
covered farther up the mountain. |
saw that the hammers of his gun We're
down; but, not knowing what surprise
no mipht have I'm his SIppVp | took tha