The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-09-05

| ngA Almost ss tAst instant ny hat
lew OF, and half . 6ozen shots cams
loating down through the quivering
air. I ducked down again, very quick-
y. There was q whole band Of
Apaches, instead Of only one, II
seemed. No doubt they were coming
down to the tenaja for water whom
the foremost one, scouting the way.
spied me and took q snapshot at me,
and the others had crawled up n
time to help spoil my hat.
There was plenty Of fun in II for
the Indians, maybe, but precious 1T
tie for me; what with my leg hurt
ing as II it were paid for II, and
the heat pouring down on nae a. il
the sun were hung only ten feet above
me, was getting feverish, and A.
thirsty as dead fish. There was not
= single chance in my favor that I
could see. My comrades could do
nothing for me without exposing
themselves 10 almost certain death,
and I knew I could not last long
where l was-the heat alone would
kill me. I decided that my game was
up, and with that came the determi-
nation to take at least one of the red
devils along with me for company.
4 BY sheer accident I had one OF my
guns buckled to me. Again watch
, ing through my loop-hole, 1 present
ly thought 1 detected a suspicious
movement in bunch Of grass 200
feet or so up the mountain. I
watched it closely, and soon was re-
warded by n distinct quivering Of its
stems. Poking out the muzzle of my
IS, took careful aim and fired. In
stantly the grass was scattered about,
a brown arm went convulsively up In
the air, stayed there a moment, then
fell back on q dark form that was
auivering in death.
/ yelled with exuhation, and then
again with defiance as a volley Of
shots came from up the mountain.
But was puzzled that heard no
kissing or pattering of bullets. We're
they not shooting at nae, wondered.
Then I heard rattle of shots from
our side of the arroyo, and under
stood-the boys knew now that I
was still alive, and were taking q
hand at last.
To my surprise the firing was kept
up, and presently I heard somebody
running toward me, q whfte man I
knew by the crashing of his shoes in
the gravel, and cautiously raising my
head I saw Hays running up the ar
royo, bareheaded and unarmed. Bull
let's were knocking up the dust all
around him, but the boys were maxi
ing It so interesting for the Apaches
they couldn't shoot straight, and he
got to me without being hit. He
looked like he was scared half TO
death, his face was 30 white and
drawn, and he was painting like .
horse with the thumps. Re nearly
tainted when he caught sight Of the
blood on my leg, but without word
he gathered me up in his arms and
started back down the arroyo, stag
gering as he ran, for was ne feather
weight.
And maybe that WAS pleasure trip
for me! II you've ever he'd your face
all swelled up with toothache and
with somebody punching you IN the
| jaw as steadily as a clock ticks, you
may be able 10 form an idea of what
L suffered. You see. the bullet had
cut nerve in my leg, and, with every
twist and jolt received, that nerve
Just got right up and kicked, sending
excruciating pains shooting all
through me. tried to make beksve
that I was having a picnic. grittins
my teeth together till my jaws
cracked, but it wouldn't work, and
before we were half way TO camp
was SO sick I'd quit lodging ny head
from the bullets that kept dipping
past us. The rest comes TO me hastily.
As remember II, Hays had left the
arroyo and was climbing the rdge,
when he let out . screech like some
wild thing, and felt myself failing;
the next instant my head seemed "a
explode, and 1 went TO sleep without
any rocking.
1 don't know how long stayed
clear out of Il, but tho sun had go'
over behind the mountain and things
were getting cool, when the sErine
of red-hot devils and Apsehes and
such things quit chasing through my
brain, and I found that I was still
alive. The sure-enough APacAes had
hit the trail, too, owing to q com
pany Of Mexican soldiers following
them up too close for comfort. Thsr
the boys told me shout Hays. III
made the home-run with me dc~r
that arroyo and up that ridge With
out getting q scratch, and was within
leo feet Of the rocks that covered th'
boys when bullet cut clean through
his heart. OF course It ratified No K
learn this, but I was all broke VI
when they went on and told mo about
finding letters In his war-bag thai
said he'd been sending his salary Il
his invalid mother.
The boys felt pretty bad. too. n
the way 1t ended. 1t was Tex tina
started the ball to rolling. "We'v'
- A.