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

ltl luNophg We leu yum Oh IAN
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 child of the desert, innocsht OF
book-learning and the ways Of civilized
man, but crack shot with rife and
revolver. and skillful prospector;
be was blue-eyed, tow-headed. and the
sun and wind of the desert had given
his face the color of leather. | took
him to be about 25 years of age. Our
acquaintance began in Tucson. | was
going along the main street ora day,
when he stopped me to ask f0f the
loan of the price of meal; he was
broke and hungry, he added. His was
not the whining plea of the beggar
but the manly request for momentary
aid of the self-reliant frontiersman
who expects to return the favor at
some future time, and so gave him
dollar. although l had never seen him
before.
Later in the day he hunted me up tc
tell me Of a valley few hundred miles
away, where placer gold was to be
found, and ended by proposing that
we go prospecting in partnership, l to
buy tine 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
sblamelest, kickin est" mule. as Lew
described him, that have ever known
For two weeks we tramped across the
blistering deserts OF Arizona, and at
ast arrived where We could see down
nto the valley, but only to find it the
ghost of a gold field; 1t had been
worked by somebody else. Along the
dry bed of little creek that marked
the valleys centre were thousand
holes and trenches, and as many heaps
Of 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 l 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 off and was silent few
moments, then brought his hand down
IN his thigh, with hearty slap
Pardner, have yuh got tn nerve ter
1--WE Ghost canon er try?" he ex-
laimed. There's gold there, an lots
+ it, they say; I've got tn grit ter
ackle it if yuh have. What d'yuh
ly?"
I'm willing" l replied; better 30
here than empty-handed back to Tue
IN.
Lew seemed surprised, and silently
1oked me over a few moments. Ever
ear O. Ghost canon before. pardner"
asked finally.
mo" | said; but that cuts no fig
IRE, I'll take your word for it that
aere's chance to find gold there"
Maybe yuh've heard of it by its
Isxican name. Canon Encantada'? 2
4ew persisted, his voice sinking almost
whisper.
No. l think not" 1 replied. But
ghy do you ask?"
IVY, twas there t tn Morris party
5as wiped out by 'Paches, three years
igo; yuh've heard O that KILN.
eckon." he answered He referred to
he murder of Tom Morris and four
companions by Apache Indians.
"0h. yes, I've heard of it, but
'idnt know just where the killing
lok place" ! said. Are you afraid
ONE of the Indians are still there?"
mo, that amt what bluffs me- he
eplied; its tn pinto pony--th' can
)ns haunted"
Haunted" l exclaimed derisively.
Well, if We find gold in the canon
ye1l rout the ghost out, eh?" What
,bout the pinto pony?"
Lew slowly shook his head. "Th'
)into's jest where tin ghost comes in
hes tn ghost" he said seriously.
| looked Lew in the face end laughed
aeartily
Laugh if yuh want" he said, SOL
mnly, but it's straight good I'm Civ
n yuh. Amt never been er man rs
vent in that canon an come out again,
keep Jest one, er greaser, an it
,lumb locoed him; ever since then he's
lone nothin' but mouth an mouth
bout tn pinto pony what don't leave
no trail. I'd rather be dead than crazy
ike that, seen til pinto myself
nee, but didn't have tn nerve ter
oller i'm in tn canon"
"Thcn how is it that you want to go
iow?" | asked.
He grinned sheepishly, and his face
ushed in spite of its tan. 'I'm-rm
Under figgerin' on gittin' married
ioon's l git er stake ahead" he STAN
nered. "Th' little girls said she'd
nave me; she lives up in Prescott"
"Ho! So that's the way the wind
sets" | laughed. well, If you are
ready to brave the ghost for the little
iris sake, I'm ready to do it for the
;old."
eThen it's er CO." 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, 1t was after nightfall
when we arrived in the neighborhood
If our, destination; all day the noun
tains had come nearer to us with every
itep, and were now towering above us
lose at hand on either side theil
rocky sides and pinnacles cleaning
white and ghostly in the bright moon
light. Except our own, there was no
4 movement or sound to break th'
death like stiffness of the desert. Al
We neared the scene of the amassacr,
/ Of the Morris party, a creepy Sensation
went up my spine, and | shivered il
pite Of myself at sight Of the rougl
stones, each bearing in rudely CHS
lied lines the tell-tale crossed arrows
hat r1orked the graves of the mur
dered men,
This is tn place, pardner," Ley
said in an awed whisper 18th re
devils was up in tn rocks there, o
both sides, an tn pore boys didn
have no mora show fer their lives