The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-07-17
IN UNWILLING HIGHWLYMAN.
BY FRANKLIN WEnLEs CALK1Ns.


along with forty years as freight
en-" said Uncle Dick Weymeier, Il
put in ten years as government scout
and guide and in guarding coaches
and stage stations. A year or so at
ten the triweelkly was established be-
tween Independence, Missouri and
Santa Re, the Kiowas and Comanches
made guards necessary at stations
along the upper Arkansas.
with seven others ! was station
ed as guard at the adobe ranch ON
Wolf Greek. There was NO military
fort nearer than Leavenworth, and
the passengers, about dozen usual
ly.-the driver and messenger or con-
ductor of the big Concord coach had
to dock out for themselves between
stations. An arsenal of Colts re-
vOlvers and rifles with revolving cyl
fnders was furnished to each coach by
the mail contractors, and pretty often
these guns had to be used in stand
ing OF the hostiles.
For several months the stage be-
tween Wolf Greek and the Picketwire
was attacked as often as once week.
A number of times we were ratified
out in the night to go to the rescue.
3One might, in spite of man on
picket, our ponies were stampeded,
breaking out of a pole corral and run
ming of, some up and some down the
Arkansas. When we discovered that
the animals had been scared by wolves
instead of Indians, several of us set
out on foot in search of them.
II went down on the trail side of
the valley, hunting out the ravines,
and was halfway to the Picketwire
and near to the mouth of Big Sandy
when night came on. There'd been
fierce rain UP this creek, which in
the rainy season sported itself one
day as a harmless little rivulet, and
as rip-roaring river the next
THAT evening it was river, and
knowing its bottom across the Arkan-
sas fats heap better than the driv-
ers ON that relay, / meandered down
70 the stage road to pilot the coach
across, and incidentally to earn a ride
up to Wolf Creek.
1.-THE trail crossed Big Sandy right
at the edge of the footballs and about
q hundred and fifty yards above It's
mouth. It wanted, by my reckoning,
about half an hour Of stage-time at
the crossing. proposed to swim
over to meet the coach ON the east
hank, and / was passing over broken
sage-bush ridge. to get down to the
crossing, when, going into little dip
tn front, ] caught a glimpse Of what
appeared to be the backs of several
horses.
ut was we'll on toward dark, and
knowing that / could not hope to ap-
Droach loose horses from behind,
doubled over and scooted round a crest
Of the rise. ! took a peep, and see
Ing nothing OF the animals, entered
. little ravine which though would
enable me to head them OF, as they
had appeared to be moving slowly.
When ! thought had gone far
enough, and still neither saw nor
heard anything of the ponies, turn
ed and went up the slope of the ravine
In a direction opposite the one in
which they had been travelling. And
when had come to the level, l saw
some shadowy figures which seemed
to be wcgmfng and wiggling among
the sage-bushes. l hadn't time to
speculate before low voice, gruff
and angry, spoke to me in the Kiowa
tongue, bidding me get down ON hands
and knees.
~ lost no time in getting down. The
Indian had taken me for one OF his
fellows, and evidently none of the
crawlers had taken a second glance
at me. for had on a wool hat and
cit4zenis clcthes-