The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-06-02


NcE ries. And, anyway, this
no-account story which !
have to tell is only about British
lord which I met with once in Ari-
zona. 1t lays no claim to Sunday-best
English, but only stakes itself out
for being truth.
Away back in sc, me being restive
in old Texas and wishful just to See
the ocean, I pulled out Oh the long
trail for California.
! In the first hundred miles or so 1
was no way adventurous. I reckon
the good traveller SHES clear OF dan
gers before they come, and the most
exciterents happen or the worst mans
Journey. Still, sometimes a danger
comes along pressing and insists on
getting right in the way. Before l
I left Texas bad man tried to get my
outfit, pointing his gun from behind
rock, but he was hurt when We part
ed and needed a surgeon bad.
Then, in New Mexico, bear hap
pened into my camp, and, not dis
turbing me, politely walked off with
my provisions. Further on, the water
holes seemed to stray out Of my course
: q whole lot, or else they saw me COM
ing along thirsty and dried up eau
tious. Near the edge Of Arizona one
I OF my ponies died Of rattlesnake, ag-
gravated by bullet through the head.
Still on the whole, I didn't get scalped
by Indians OF wiped out by border
rufians or diminished by hunger and
thirst to any great extent. The bet
ting was in favor of my winning
through to the Pacific Ocean.
The day after my little mares death
Il was riding along and driving the
pack horse, when heard in the silence
the small voice of rife far off to
the left. Maybe some hunter was miss
ing deer in the distance, so I pointed
that way to inquire. After mile or
80 L heard the rifle speaking again,
and three guns answered, splutterins
quick A1d excited. That sounded
mighty like a disagreement, so con-
cluded I ought to be cautious and roll
my tail at once for foreign parts. l
went on slow, nearing little hill.
Again a rifle shot rang out from just
beyond that hill, and two shots an
swered- Misunderstanding guns. At the
same time the wind blew fresh from
the hill, with whiff of powder, and
something else which made my horses
shy. Heap bad smell" they snuff
fed. "Just look at that!'' they sig
nailed with their ears. "Ughr' they
snorted.
"Git up! said I, and charged the
slope of the hill.
Near the top I told them to be good
or I'd treat them worse than a tiger.
Then went Oh afoot with my rife,
crept up to the brow Of the hill and
looked over through clumD of cactus.
4 At the foot of the hill. two hundred
feet below me, there was standing
water, a muddy pool perhaps half an
acre wide, and just beyond that on
the plain a burned out camp fire be-
side couple of canvas-covered waS-
ons. 1t looked as if 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
q struggling heap. AS watched, a
rife shot rang out from the wagons,
aimed at the hillside, and when l
looked right down I could see nothing
but loose rocks scattered below the
slope. After I watched a moment a
brown rock moved. caught the shine
on an Indians hide, the gleam of a
gun barrel. Close by was another
Indian. painted for war, and beyond
him a third lying dead; 50 l counted
from rock to rock until made out
thirteen of the worst kind Of Indians
s-Apaches, all edging away from cover
to cover to the left, while out Of the
wagons two rifles talked whenever
they saw anything to hit. One rife
was slow and cool. the other scared
and panicky, but neither was getting
much meat.
For a time I reckoned. sizing up the
whole proposition. While the Apaches
down below attacked the wagons, their
sentry up here on the hill had forgot
ten to keep lookout, being too mucn
Interested. He never turned until he
heard my horses Gathering up the
rocks, but then he yelled a warning
to his crowd and bolted. 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 reacn
their ponies. They are making OH
to the left, in search of their ponies.
OF a hundred yards to the left was
the sentry, boy with bow and ar
rows. running for all he was worth
across the plain. 4 hundred yards
behind him, down in hollow. was a
mounted Indian coming up with 4
bunch of ponies. If the main body OF
the Apaches got to their ponies they
could surround the hill. charge end