The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-09-15


in the big cities. Though he never
told me till later, 1 was already sure
that he had never been in the states.
but he was so keen for information.
so ambitious for work, so apt in /
ideas, that l never could |
make up my mind to believe that he
had any Indian blood in him.
When l left him that time his mind
was fully made up to go prospecting
for asphalt, and sorry as l felt for
him, 1 couldn't help but admire the
splendid optimism which seemed 20
surmount all his strange i'll luck and
lead him always on to new enter
prises. / gave him two or three adj
dresses, where letters might reach
me during the next year, and prom
ised in case he should find consid-
cradle deposit of asphalt, to rejoin
him, and if possible unite with him
in the business of acquiring leases
and developing the property.
1 was in Pittsburg late that sum-
mer, when l got letter from Baflin.
dated at Ardmore, in the Chickasaw
country, telling me that he had found
a great and hitherto unknown depos-
it Of asphalt in the black hills above
Taila, ard seven miles to the north
west by the trail. 1t was nearly six
weeks later, after days mean rid
ing, that l got well up into the rocky
hills into which the trail had led me.
had pack mule, besides my saddle
pony, for 1 didn't know how Baffin
was situated, and | had stopped with
the intention of frying some bacon
for my dinner when l heard rifle
shot sound across the valley, rever
berating against the high rocks with
a roar that fingered like receding
thunder. / looked about and at last
-saw Baffin standing on point of
rock far above me, his rife on his
arm and eyes searching across the
deep canyon. | called his name, and
was astonished to see him drop fat
on his face like a man pursued, and
peer over the edge of his hiding
place.
/ scrambled into my saddle and was
soon within speaking distance of him
l noticed that there was a hunted
look in his wide, black eyes. and some
gray hairs above his temples that /
had not noticed before. He asked
me if l had heard the shot. "Of
course" said /, what were you shoot
ing att" But he said that he didn't
shoot at all, that it was somebody
/ ale I1I ho
| passageway between the rocks till
we came into a little clearing at the
! top. 1 saw that he had built a good
shanty there, and | also saw that the
old squaw was yet with him, for she
was sitting there by the front door
as if doing in the westering sun
light.
But l was not prepared for the
sudden change that came over Baffin
when he saw her. With an awful
oath he stopped me, and when
looked at him his face was asher
and his fiery eyes were fixed upon the
old bag. l was afraid he was i'll
and asked him, but he said no, ant
then. becoming quite calm, he sa'
down on a shady rock and said:
did you ever hear that story, wha
you might call legend, about thu
massacre of the Tonkawas?"
1 thought it queer, irrelevan
question, but l sat down and sal,
/ had not.
II never believed it," he resumed
"and l never heard it before, but II
rather you heard it from me thai
from someone else. 1t is said tina
in the old days the Tonkawas at
their prisoners. They were cannibal:
as you call them. 1t must be a lie
But the Apaches and the Iowas, a
well as the Comanches, wish to be
: lieve it. l don't know how long age
but some time when the Tonkawa
were at war with the Comanche:
they stole baby from the Comanch
village that was in the West Cache
near the foothills of the Washits
and cooked it for the Tonkawa chic
1t was two nights later that 600 X
owas and Comanches fell upon til
Tonkawa camp in the rock gorge O
Bloody mountain and massacred tn
whole tribe. They slew and burne
till there was not a Tonkawa left
and when they had counted tn
scalps they knew that every fghtin
man was dead. But when they cam
back into the valley they found tina
one woman and her baby had E,
capped"
There were tears in his eyes whe
; he looked across the sunlit cleariu
toward his shanty. and, pointing hi
big. brown hand at the old squav
said:
; There she sits. She was the las
of the Tonkawas, unless / can b
called Tonkawa."
"You?" 1 said, not understanding
I but he went on: "She was my mott
er's mother. My father was Geral
Baffin, an English trapper. He ma
ried the Tonkawa baby. But the c,
manche followed them as they hay
followed me. They shot my motht
!. while she was nursing me. My fatht
. disappeared, but old Shaiga hid n
and l have repaid her well till now
I "She must be very DID," said, n,