Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1901-07-05

THE PHANTOM PINTO.
An Adventure win the Csosty Guardian Of fsesansi Canon


hhhuss pdIuuNIf an tdht III udNh IaNh
fer Tucson; I've led yuh on er rain
bow chase. / reckon.
1t was Lew, my partner. who said
this, as We gazed gloomily down the
hill upon which we were standing. Lew
was a child of the desert, innocsht Of
book learning and the ways Of civilized
man, but a crack shot with a rife and
revolver. and a skillful prospector;
he was blue-eyed, tow headed. and the
sun and wind of the desert mad given
his face the color of leather. | took
him to be about 25 years Of age. Our
acquaintance began in Tncson. was
going along the main street one day.
when he stopped me to ask for the
loan Of the price of meal; he was
broke and hungry, he added. His was
not the whining plea of the beggars
but the manly request for momentary
aid OF the reliant frontiersman
who expects to return the favor at
some future time. and so | gave him
dollar, although | had never seen him
before.
Later in the day he hunted me up to
tell me Of a valley a few hundred miles
away. where placer gold was to be
found. and ended by proposing that
we go prospecting in partnership. ! to
buy the supplies and outfit. and he to
lead the way to the valley | agreed
and we set out the next morning. our
effects packed on the back of the
"blameIest, kickinest'' mule. as Lew
described him. that have ever known.
For two weeks we tTamped across the
bistering deserts OF Arizona, and at
asst arrived where we could see down
'nto the valley, b1t only 10 find it the
ghost of a gold field; it had been
worked by somebody else. Along the
Try bed of a little creek that marked
The valleys centre were a thousand
holes and trenches. and as many heap
IF sand. which told US that we had
come too late; in the blaze Of the set
ting sun the place looked utterly desc
late. which but added to our gloom and
disappointment,
I'm mighty sorry" Lew went on,
but yuh en- sect | didn't lie bout it,
reckon. "'Taint no use ter beef over
milk we amt never had ter spill,
though, an we'd better start back
He broke of and was silent few
moments. then brought his hand down
IN his thigh, with hearty slap.
Pardner, have yuh got tn nerve ter
i've Ghost canon er try@ he ex-
laimed. There's gold there, an lots
II. they say; I've got tn grit ter
lckle it II yuh have. What dyuh
ly?"
I'm willing" | replied better go
here than empty-handed back to Tue
IN"
lew seemed surprised, and silently
loked ms over few moments. Ever
ear o. Ghost canon before. pardner?'
asked finally.
NO" | said; but that cuts no fig
re. I'll take your word for it that
lere's a chance to find gold there"
Maybe yuh've heard of it by its
i-yican name, Canon Encantada'?'
.ew persisted, his voice sinking almost
} a whisper
No. think not" replied. But
ghy do you ask?'
wy. twas there I tn Morris party
ias wiped out by 'Paches, three years
20; yuh've heard O that KILN, /
eckon." he answered He referred to
he murder of Tom Morris and four
ompanions by Apache Indians.
oh. yes, I've heard of it, but l
idn't know Just where the killing
lok place" said. Are you afraid
ONE Of the Indians are still there?'
No. that amt what bluffs me" he
eplied; its tn pinto pony-th' can
ms haunted
Haunted" | exclaimed derisively.
Well if we find gold in the canon
ven rout the ghost out eh?' What
bout the pinto ponyg
Lew slowly shook his head. "Th
linto's Jest where tn ghost cones in
hes tn ghost" he said seriously.
looked Lew in the face and laughed
leartily
Laugh if yuh want" he said. sol
mnly. but it's straight good I'm CIV
n yuh Amt never been er man as
vent in that canon an come out again.
keep jest one. er greaser. an 1t
llumb locoed him; ever since then he's
lone nothin but mouth an mouth
bout tn pinto pony what don't leave
10 trail I'D rather be dead than crazy
ike that. | seen tn pinto myself
nee, but | didn't have tn nerve ter
oller i'm in tn canon"
Then how is it that you want to go
iOw?" ! asked
He grinned sheepishly, and his face
,u1hed in spite of its tan. "I'm-I'm
linder figgerin on gittin' married
.oon's git er stake ahead, he STAN
nered. "Th' little girls said she'd
have me; she lives up in Prescott"
"Ho So that's the way the wind
setsl" | laughed well, If you are
-eady to brave the ghost for the little
iris sake. I'm ready to do it for the
old"
"Then it's er go," Lew said. reaching
out and shaking my hand, And that
was how we came to decide to go pros
pecting in Ghost canon.
We camped where we were that
night and started for the canon early
he next morning, following a broad
alley lying between two ranges Of
mountains. II was after nightfall
when we arrived in the neighborhood
If our destination; all day the noun
tains had come nearer to us with every
step. and were now towering above us
close at hand on either side. their
'ocky sides and pinnacles cleaning
white and ghostly in the bright moon
light Except our own. there was not
movement or sound TO break the
death-Iike stiffness of the desert. As
We ncared the scene of the massacre
of the Morris party, creepy sensation
went up my spine, and | shivered in
-pito Of myself at sight of the rough
stones, each bearing in rudely chis
lied lines the tell-tale crossed arrows,
hat r'a-ked the graves of the mur-
dered men.
This is tn place. pardner," Lew
said in an awed whisper. "Th' red
devils was up in tn rocks there, on
both sides, an tn pore boys didn't
have No more show fer their iiVeE'n n