Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-16

"When we fired our volley of buckshot
while ago at little. tom-tit, l was thinking
of a week once spent in New Mexico, near
the head waters of the Pecos river saio
the westerner who was tramping the Long
Island marshes for snipe and marsh bros.
THAT was only two years ago, and nave
every reason to believe that the same condi-
lions still hold good. When you start out
on a sporting trip there, you never know
inst what you're hunting until you meet
vonr game. 1t may be bear, 1t may be ante
lone or deer or panther or 1t might be rat
t,esnakes and Indians. The week l spent
ont there came near including all OF them
.I was spending some time looking over
the country on the upper Pecos, represent
ing a syndicate that thought OF gong into
sheep raising thereabouts. MY reports al
forward were unfavorable; why Will develop.
NV headquarters were on the Los Cuerhos
rancb which is owned by wealthy Mexi-
can of Guadalajara, who shows up there oniy
about once year. His superintendent was
a haIf-breed. and the vaqueros were mostly
Mexican Indians, so they mad no interest III
misrepresenting things to me-
lone day expressed desire to go out on
a z,eel,'s hunting trip, and the supeflnteno-
ont detailed two vaqueros 10 go with me;
He wanted me to take more but protested
ged his shoulders.
1--WE set out one morning ana traVeied
oil dav inward into the mountains with
o,,t seeing a thing bigger than a ground
oe,,irreI and | was beginning to think
there wasn't much game in the country. :,
.arbat night we camped beside poor
r. a drv creek bed. The Indians said we
might find something there CUTIE me din.
1ysted and tired, SO l rolled up in my
blankets shortly after our supper OF Jerhea
beef and coffee, and was soon asleep.
"Just what woke me don't know, put
T remenber dreaming that I heard the
walls of the lost souls from the bottomless
nit I awoke gradually, and even then the
long. agonizing yells continued. Ihen
sat ilp with start, fully awake
.Srhe fire was pretty low, but both In
d,ans Juan and Leon, were alternately
piling on more brush and blowing the coais
with a nervous haste unusual 10 the IN
Alan temperament The horses had been
tethered close by us to the tree whose limbs
snread over us, but now they were plung-
ing and neighing and Juggling at their MAJ
ters in a frenZied panic. Beyond the glow
that the fire spread about on the ground
and the leaves overhead everything was SO
dark that we seemed to be in cave.
''At first 1 thought it was the neiGhins
and efforts of the horses to free themselves
that had awakened me, but suddenly, even
above their noise, came the same unearthly
racket that I had taken for the walls Of
losr souls in my dreams-a tremendous
chorus that rose and fell like the cries OF a
mob.
II Jumped to my feet, and my body was
covered with goose flesh. The whole camp
was circled by wolves, and as my eyes gnt
used to the dark, could see them, daring
each other to rush in Several times saw
a big. husky beast sneak up almost to the
heels of the horses, but each time he re-
ceiyed discouragfng kick from hoof.
II now saw why the two vaqueros were
working SO frantically at the fire. 1t still
refused to blaze up. Then Leon tore on his
Jacket and ripped out the cloth lining. He
carefully fed it by bits to the Goals. and at
last tongue of fire curled up among the
sticks Both Indians gave grunts of relief.
But the brush was green, too sappy to
blaze readily. and we had more anxious
moments.
suddenly there was wild scream from