Sharp County record., 1903-11-27

as well as q disposition so quarrel
some, that at about the age of IS.
after having at various times infiict-
ed serious wounds on other gamins,
ne cut white boy very badly, and
the Tombstone vigilantes told him TO
make himself invisible, which he did.
For several years Juanito was not
much in evidence; but it was known
that he had joined a rowing band OF
Apaches who attacked a party of
freighters near Benson, and were
driven off.
Juanito was hailed by one OF the
freighters who knew him, and re-
piled insultingly, but paid for his in
suit hy the passage of "forty-four"
bullet through his cheek.
After that he got bad"
Depreciation and murder followed
each other rapidly; now here, now
there; until he had left his earmarks
over nearly all of the central and
southern part of the territory, and
even as far north as near Skull Val
ley and Camp Verde.
At last, after n particularly cruel
murder, followed by the theft of one
of the favorite horses at the 20 L"
cow ranch, he had in his rapid fight
through rocky canyon broken his
horses leg and had TO walk to this
the nearest water. and now he sleeps
peacefully, expecting that in the
morning the cowboys will ride away.
But Juanito is reckoning without
his host, and his hunters are not sub
ject to the orders of-well-anybody.
They know that other parties have
all the other water holes within a
radius of hundred miles under rigid
surveillance, and they know that II
Juanito is anywhere within that ter
ritory he must come soon to water.
All they have to do Is to keep an
unfailing watch on the water hole.
and sooner or later Juanito, if near,
will come; but Juanito had not been
used to that kind of a hunt, and has
been wondering for the past two days
what could possibly keep those idiot
Gringo's in his way.
And now, at the end of the third
day, his water Is all gone. The last
two days it has been unssvory, for
water does not keep sweet long in
Arizona, but while IL lasted it WAS at
least wet. but tonight ~ hnd drunk
the last Of II.
Tomorrow he could stand II. II he
had to, shaded as he was by the mes
quite thicket, but If the Gringo fools
did not 60 by tomorrow night, San
gre de Christie save him." he would
have TO risk trip to the water hole.
So Juanito reasoned with himself
MS he prepared TO go to sleep; a
sleep that WAS filed with troubled
dreams, and pictures of flowing wa
tiers.
At the first peep Of dawn he awoke
with dry tongue, and. after listen
ing for some minutes and hearing
nothing, he concluded that the hated
Gringos had gone; when horse
neighed and he sank back with low
groan. full we'll realizing that day
of torture was before him. His jerky
was nearly gone, but that gave him
but little concern; he could do with
out food for several days, but water!
All, yes, water he must have, for
none may live long on these arid
deserts without it.
AS the sun rises, Juanito blesses
his patron saint that he has the
shade Of the mosquitoes; here 1t will
be possible for him TO endure the
day, but out there In the scorching.
burning sun, carramba! no!
Slowly the hours creep by, but the
sun seems to get hotter very fast,
and Juanito's blood gets more fiery
as it courses more rapidly through
his veins, while his tongue gets more
and more dry and parched with each
hot breath.
At last Juanito Is desperate; he
realizes the trap he is in, but no mat
Ter; perhaps he can succeed in get
ting to the water hole unseen, but
If not--well-desth from a bullet is
far better than this torture that he
knows will get a thousand fold worse
as the day wears on; and II he fails
he has his trusty Marlin, and no
doubt he can at least make the score
an even one.
Meanwhile the cowboys have not
relaxed their vigilance. Just before
the moonrise the night before they
had silently gathered from their dif-
ferent points OF surveillance and in
low whispers discussed the situation;
Curly, the leader, giving it as his
opinion that II the "-- Greaser" was
there he would soon show up.
Don't break away for minute,
boys" he said, III he's round here he
must be nightly near O. water, an
we'll purity sure git him tonight or
tomorrow"
SO they had silently crawled back
TO their posts, where in pairs one was
ever on the alert.
Thinking OF the water that means
life to him, Juanito slowly creeps out