The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-11-01
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s'Maybe you had to obey orders,
Kit. But I'd never think it Of you.
Your brother Nose never would have
done that-you know that as well a.
I do"
''Well, it's done," snapped Kit,
much put out at the rebuke, $50,
anyway, there's no use talking about
it. Where you goin', Henry?"
Bowie had risen, picked up his RI
Ne and was shaking his legs. "I'm
going, just as ! told you, up the
river to Suffers
''But, bears m Injuns, hold your
horses till you talk to the old man"
''I'm not talking to him, Kit. He
can't hire me to murder decent
peaceable boys like the De Haros."
SSH don't talk so loud, you old
bullfrog. Stay overnight and think
it over. You've picked on the only
mean job he ever put on me, Hen
ry."
exit, I'm on my way" No effort
at persuasion awaited. Bowie shook
hands with Kit and his friends and
exchanged raillery with them but
went his way.
Everything at Suffers Fort
pleased him. Captain Suffer had
charged the whole atmosphere with
his own magnetic personality. When
he persuaded Bowie to remain for
a time with him it was to be on
Bowels own terms, if Bowie would
name any. In the end Suffer named
for his new recruit so liberal a per-
centage on his fur business that
Bowie himself insisted on reducing
it.
Captain Suffer had at his COM
mand the services of former mis-
sion Indians who, on the despoiling
of the missions by the freebooting
Mexican politicos, had found them
selves adrift and thrown on their
own resources. Some fell back into
savagery and pillage, initiating their
Mexican despoilers. Others, of the
better stripe, sought service where
they could; many were in the en-
ploy of Suffer. These men were
tractable and were expert with the
bow and the gun. Even Bowie, who
was placed in sole charge of these
hunters, was often amazed at their
skill. No less a source of amaze
ment to him, although he had
thought himself familiar with the
country, was its limitless wealth in
game and fur-bearing animals. Elk
supplied tallow worth more COM
mercially than that of cattle. Deer
were pest, and bears were hunted
for their heavy pelage.
The rivers and, the tule beds
swarmed with beavers and land OF
ter. The quantities of skins brought
in by the Indians astonished Suffer
himself, and with every shipment
down the river he deposited with
Nathan Spear, his factor at Yerba
Buena, a sum of money for Bowie's
credit. For to Bowie, Suffer ascribed
the unlooked-for increase in the re-
turns from his Indian contingent.
The lively frontier atmosphere at
the fort-the daily excitement owing
to the constant succession of stran-
gers, wanderers and travellers ar
irving, singly and in groups, in large
and small companies with amazing
stories of hardship, adventure, con-
fict, discovery, treachery, starva-
ton, stark tragedy and even canni-
balism - served to keep Bowie's
mind busy with interest in the
strange frontier characters he en-
countered and in their strange tales
of deserts, mountains, valleys, rivA
ers, snow and ice.
AL their stories had a common
feature-their deserts were vast,
their mountains towering, their val
leys like paradises, their rivers
swift, treacherous and mad to de-
stroy. Some told of trees so great
of girth and so tall that no listener
could believe his ears; others Of
mysterious valleys where boiling
water gushed hundreds of feet into
the air and ice froze on the edges
OF their pools.
But even marvels lose their thrill.
Even the adventure Of the chase be-
comes commonplace when at last
routine. For nearly two years Bowie.
made an active part Of the enter
prise of Captain Suffer. Still, some
thing suppressed but gnawing at
his feelings urged him to seek new
scenes, new excitement, to deaden
q vague sense of loneliness. When
he told Captain Suffer he was leav-
ing him there was an explosion. But
it was q good-natured one, and the
two parted friends. Bowie promised
to come back sometime if he could
make it.
Leaving the valley with one pony,
Bowie worked South along the ST.
erras, sleeping under the stars and
killing such small game as he need
ed for food until, passing the Te-
hachapi range, he stopped at the
Mission San Gabriel, only to learn
that state Of war existed between
Mexican factions and that the south
ern end of the department was, for
one side or the other, under arms.