The Winslow mail., 1901-01-17
7 h E R FRS T
: NIGHT In CAMP
MAYHEM DIR. Beecher, curator at
Wv Yale university. went to Wins
<<<<%**%%%%%<%%<%%%%<<%$

thf HEN Dr. Beecher, curator at
Wv Yale university, went to Wins
low, A. T., few weeks ago with seven
New Haven friends and asked who
would be good man to conduct an out
fit to the Moqui snake dance at Oribi, it
was "Chuck" Hardy that was recon-
mended to him.
''Thar's a man." said native, speak
ing of Hardy, "who was never known
to git inter a hole whatso he couldn't
fog his way out of it if yer only let him
have his own way and his six-shooter-
don't know as yer need to be so per-
tic'lar bout lettin' him have his own
way, though, fer he'll have that any
way if he's got his cutter on his hip"
Hardy was known in polite society as
a "cow rustler," but the sheriff always
referred to him in plain English as a
"cattle thief" For this outspokenness
Hardy admired the sheriff, and always
felt rather proud of himself when that
dignitary referred to him by the latter
title. If<I as
A half dozen times he had been ar
rested, but he was never convicted.
Twice he was caught red-handed burn
ing out brands. The foreman of the
''Hash-Knife' outfit was unlucky
enough to catch him at it the first time,
and the following day the foreman was
buried. Again Mexican was impolite
enough to interrupt him while he was
burning out Long H. brand. At
Winslow few days later the Mexican
had bullet taken out of his leg and
then left for old Mexico, or, as the cow
boys put it, che drug it clean out of crea-
tion."
Over the Indian trail that leads from
Winslow to Oribi it is so miles. A COM
mon saying in Winslow is that coy
ote has something to be proud of if he
manages TO GO over the trail without
either dying of thirst on the Painted
desert or sinking in the quicksands of
the Little Colorado. Because of the
difficulties to be encountered upon the
trip the doctor was careful to get
good man to conduct the outfit, and so
Chuck was engaged. Like nearly all
cow punchers, he knew how to cook
that is, he knew how to fry beef until
something which looked like coffee and
to make something else which he called
bread.
just at daybreak on the morning of
the start the commissary, piled high
with bedding and provisions, rolled out
of Winslow across fuckers flats with
CHUCK" up on the high seat driving.
Alongside the wagon, riding a half
broken brocho, was Rob Ricketts,, tall,
loose-jointed puncher, better known as
Ricl<ety Bob. Some four hours later,
after they had their morning ''bawth''
and had spent an hour at breakfast,
the doctor and his friends left in the
light rigs, thinking to overtake Hardy
at noon. But when their luggage was
put aboard" the rigs were overloaded,
and at noon they were fully ten miles
'.behind Hardy, and were thus forced to
do without lunch.
1t had been cloudy all morning, and
about one o'clock in the afternoon be-
gan a typical Arizona rama drench-
ing pourdown that lasted increasingly
for hours, and seemed to come but
that hung just overhead. At five
O'Clock darkness came on. To the
west little above Rabbits Ear range
of fnesas settled heavy bank of dark
clouds in which faint flashes of light
ming cleaned. The eddying wind
would suck one cloud scrap after an
other from the bank and hurl them
h. an4 L
gushing cloud overhead. All the after
noon Hardy kept the shoulders of his
four horses hard against their collars.
When darkness came on he had not
reached the high ground where he in
tended to make camp. Water six
inches deep covered the flats, and
Hardy forced his horses on at swift
er gait than before. The heavy wagon
rolled and tossed like a distressed
boat as the front and rear wheels
dropped alternately to the hubs into
soft, miry chuckholes. But Hardy
kept on, and at seven o'clock, with a
whoop of triumph, he pulled up his
tired. weary team on the top of a
large sand dune.
bhC liOi SSS hAu pSOI leu
a pile of green greasewood, the only
fuel to be had, had been gathered
Hardy and Rickety Bob set about
making camp. They built large
fire, so that those in the rigs behind
might know where to come, and be-
gan to prepare supper.
'Say, Chuck" said Rickety, as he
rummaged about in the wagon, "dc
you know we clean plump fergot tc
bring coffee mill?''
''No; you don't say?"
"Yes, sir; and the hen fruit what
yer got fer them hifalutin tenderfeet
air jes' plump made inter an omelet
already. And good gosh. Look al
the lid of this here bread oven. She's
cracked plump clean acrosst."
WELL" drawled Chuck. "ef that's
the case l guess thar amt none o1
our friends whatso will suffer great
lot with gout afore they git back
anyhow.
Say, Chuck" said Rickety, scratch
iaghis headthoughtfulIy and balancing