The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-01

Pluck and Qdpenfure.
T4$T4S4TT7TTFVEVE74V4T47
THE STORY on A WORD.

lliE1 NH URELY we are fearfully
~G and wonderfully made, as
the psamist says" re-
erR4=I marked the Pascagoula
tIaA l9l!J philosopher to a couple Of
gentlemen who were discussing the va
rious kinds OF timber used In building
boats. "How simple, Indifferent
word can act upon the mind like n
spark OF fire on key Of gunpowder,
causing an explosion and reyiying
memories lying dormant In the mind Of
many years and supposed TO be COM
pletely obliterated was stretched
out on bench opposite the two men,
whose c0nversati ton did not in the least
interest me, but prevented me from
dropping into a nap, when the word
Juniper struck my ear and started a
cOn6agration within my mind, making
me jump up to my feet wide awake.
My friends, whose conversation l had
so suddenly interrupted. were startled
at my action, and wanted TO know
what was the matter / then told
them. 1t was away back I'm the sew
enth decade Of the last century, when
was on an expedition for the Denver
and Rio Grande Railroad out In Colo
RADIO with 100 burros, four saddle
horses and twenty-five Mexican burro
drivers to distribute them among four
engineer corps locating railroad lines
for that company through a wild,
mountainous country. After reaching
the head waters of the San Juan River
my route was down that stream, along
narrow trails, where we had to march
single file, crossing and recrossing the
stream, and occasionally following its
bed until we came to a narrow canon
with perpendicular walls of rock about
thousand feet high on each side.
From there our trail led up a steep
mountain side, covered with juniper
shrubs and an occasional stunted 1uni-
per tree, large one Of which, with n
trunk nearly a, foot in diameter ana
dense round top, looking somewhat like
Chinese umbrella tree, stood on the
edge OF mesa on top of the canon
near the precipice A protracted
drought was prevailing and everything
was as dry as finder, When near the
top, within a hundred feet of that jul
niper tree, fortunately on my feet,
leading the horse Il was generally rid
ing) by the bride, the top of that tree
suddenly exploded, suffering flames
in every direction and soon setting the
whole mountain side ablaze. My horse
reared and turned several somersaults
down the mountain side, its descent
being arrested by another juniper bush
at the edge OF the precipice. where 1t
regained its feet, while the frightened
burros rushed pellmell for the river.
We all had TO run for our lives, pur-
sued by the rapidly advancing conha-
grafton, until we reached safe shelter
in the canon, where we camped all
night and witnessed the sudden start
ing of forest fires on the other side of
the river, spreading with amazing ra-
pidity, which Antonio, the chief of the
burro drivers, declared was the work
of Apache Indians Not long after that
the Meeker massacre at the White
River Indian Agency and the annFhi-
lation OF Captain Thornberg's com
mand. going TO it's relief, occurred, and
/ now wonder that am here tonight
to tell this story OF my hazardous mis-
sion, which l successfully accom-
pllshed. New Orleans Times.Demo-
craft