Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-07-09
A LORD ON THE RANGE.
EY ROGER POCOCK.

wiiirli | met with once iii ARIZONA. IL
laws no claim to Sunday-best English, but
only stakes itself out for being truth.
Away back in 81, me being FESTIVE in
old Texas ana wishful just to see the
ocean. ! pulled out on the long trail for
California.
In the first few hundred miles or so /
was ito way adventurous. reckon the
good Traveller SHES clear of dangers he
fore they come, and the most excitements
happen on the worst mans journey. Still,
sometimes Il danger comes along pressing,
and insists on getting right III the way.
Before | left Texas Il bad man tried To
get my outfit, pointing his gun from he
hind a rock, but he was hurt when we
parted, and needed surgeon bad.
Then. in New Mexico. "a bear happened
into my camp. and. not disturbing me-
politely walked off with my provisions
Further oil, the water holes seemed to
stray ont Of my course Whole lot, or
else they saw me coming along thirsty,
aud dried UP cautious. Near the edge Of
Arizona one of my ponies died of rattle
snake. aggravated by II bullet through
the head. Still. on the whole, | didn't
get scalped 10y Indians or wiped out by
border ruilians, or diminished by hunger
aud thirst to any great extent. The bet
ting was in favor of my winning through
to the Pacific Occ: H.
The day after my little mares death
was riding along and driving the pack
horse. when | heard in the silence the
small voice of n rife far off to the left.
Maybe some hunter was missing deer
in the distance, 50 | pointed that way
to inquire. After Il mile or 50 / heard
the rifle speaking again. and three guns
answered, spluttering quick and excited.
That sounded nightly like disagree
mcnt, 80 | concluded ought to he eau
tious and roll my tail Mt once for foreign
parts. | went on slow, nearing Il little
hill. Again II rifle shot rang out from
/ lust beyond that hill and two shots am
! swered- muzZle loading guns. At the
same time the wind blew fresh from the
hill. with a Whit of powder, and some
thing else which made my horses shy.
Heap bad smelr' they snufiled, Just
look at that they Signalcd with their
ears. Ugh they snorted.
"Git up!' said /, and charged the slope
Of the hill.
Near the top | told them to be good or
I'd treat them worse than a tiger. Then
| went on afoot with my rifle, crcpt up
TO the brow of the hill, and looked over
through a clump of cactus.
At the foot of the hill, 200 feet below
me, there was standing water, a muddy
pool perhaps half an acre wide, and just
beyond that ON the plain burned out
u
cred wagons. 1t looked as il the white
men there had just been pulling out OF
camp with their teams all harneSsed for
the trail. for the horses lay, some dead
some wounded, mixed up in a struggling
heap. AS | watched Il rifle shot rang
out from the wagons, aimed at the hin
side; but when | looked right down I
could see nothing but loose rocks scat
tered below the slope. After | watched
a moment a brown rock moved, caught
the shine on an Indians hide, the CLEAN
OF 4 gun barrel. Close by was another
Indian, painted for war, and beyond him
third lying dead: so | counted from
rock to rock until | made out thirteen
Of the worst kind Of Indians-ApacheS,
all edging away from cover to cover 10
the left, while out of the wagons two
rifles talked whenever they saw anything
TO hit. One rifle was slow and cool, the
other scared and panicky, but neither
was getting much meat.
For time | reckoned, sizing up the
whole proposition. While the ApacheS
down below attacked the wagons. their
! sentry up here on the hill had forgotten
TO keep lookout, being too much inter
ested. He never turned until he heard
my horses gathering up the rocks, bat
then he yelled warning To his crowd,
and holtcd, One Indian had tried to
climb the hill against me and been killed
from the wagons: now the rest were
scared of being shot from above before
they could reach their ponies They are
making off to the left in search of their
I ponies. on a hundred yards to the left
was the sentry, Il boy with bow and ar
rows. running for all he was worth
across the plain. \ hundred yards be-
yond him, down in hollow. was n
mounted Indian coming up with q bunch
of ponies. IL the main body of the
n ~..f 4I,g.s
surround the hill, charge. and gather in
nay scalp. | did not want them to take
So much trouble with me.
OF course, my first move WIS ia mn
/ and bolt along the ridge To the left until
! | gained the shoulder of the hill. There
/ | took cover and said: Abide with me
/ and Keep me cool, it You plcasc." while
( J sighted: took a steady bead and let tiv
+ AT the mounted Indian. At my third
/ shot he came down Hop on his nony's
/ neck, and that was my first bird The
bunch OF ponies smelt his blood, and
stampcded promisruouS
! The AnaChcS, being left afoot coultIn' 7
attack me none. Ii they tried To STAN
. pedc they would he shot from The wag-
onS, while ! lowered mpieasantly above
: their line of retreat. and if they STAYED
/ | could add up their scalpS like 4 sum
IN arithmetic They were plumb sur
/ priSed at me, aud some discouraged. for
they knew they were going tn have dis
agreeable times. Their chief rose IN to
: howl. and shot from the wagons lifted
him clean off his feet. Ii was getting
very awkward for those poor BARBARA
and one of them hoiSted rag on his
gun by way of surrender.
Surrender? This Indian play was roh-
berry and murder. and not the honest
game of war The man who happenS
lmplndent into his own beer trap is not
going ia get much solace by claiming 10
he warrior and putting up white flags.
The game was bear traps. and those
ApacleS had got to play bear traps now.
whether they liked it or not. There were
only two white folks left alive in the
wagons. and one ON the hill. so what
use bad we for a dozen prisoners who
would lie low till we gave them chance
and then murder as prompt! The man
who reared up with the peace flag got a
shot from the wagons which gave him
peace eternal
Then | closed down with NV rifle. tax
ing the Indians by turns. as they tried
Ia bolt. while the quiet gun in the wagon
camp arrested fugitiveS, and the scary
markSman Splashed lead at the hill most
generous. Out of sixteen Apaches two
Iud their hoy got away intact. three
god nd hA