Year: 1878

Tom, with two friends, Joe and Jake.
was making a painful journey from Pine
Grove, in Esmeralda county to Eastern
Nevada. They camped one afternoon
by some hot springs near Walker lake,
and, discovering a hole half full of cold
water near one of the hottest springs,
turned the hot water as it flowed out of
the spring into the hole, until the hot
and cold water blending made exactly
the right temperature for bath. Then
they plunged in and enjoyed the de-
hciOus water as only those can who have
travelled over dusty alkai roads for sew
eral days. When they had eaten theirsup-
per and lighted their pipes the theme of
conversation for long time while they
smoked was their bath and the wonder
full refreshment which it had brought
them. They spread their blankets on a
grassy spot behind some willows, a few
yards away from the springs, and fell
asleep.


Tom was up with the dawn. The
memory of the bath was fresh in his
mind, and so he bounded from his blank
cts, and with a skip and jump plunged
! into the clear water and sank to his neck.
Then came howl of anguish, and he
sprung upon the bank with all the agili-
| ty of a wildcat. In the meantime his
fair skin had changed to the color of a
picked lobster. The hot water had been
running all night; all the cold had been
neutralized hours before the dawn, and
now the water in the hole was almost of
! the same temperature as the water in
| the boiling spring from which it flowed.
Tom was in a terrible state. He says:
'EI thought was picked" But he did
not hesitate as to the course he should
| pursue.


With infinite care he drew on his
pants and boots. Forcing back tears of
anguish he managed to walk back to
camp. Though it wrung his heart, he
put on his -old-time frank smile as he
neared the rendezvous, for Jake was Just
then sitting up in his blankets, gaping
and stretching. Seeing Tom approach,
Jake asked where he had been. Tom
replied that the recollection of the mag
nifcent bath of the previous evening
was so vivid in his memory that he
could not think of breaking camp with
out repeating it, and added: "It's Just
lovely, Jake"


Jake did not wait to hear more, but
sprung from his bed and rushed away
toward the spring. AS swiftly as Tom
could, ne followed, and from behind the
willows kept covert watch. He saw Jake
throw off his few clothes, spring into the
water, heard a yell of anguish, and then
saw him with wonderful haste emerge
and spring upon the bank, and vainly
try, by swift application of his hands to
different points of his body, to arrest the
intolerable pain, swearing and crying all
the time.


At l@t Jake managed to get into his
clothes and started for camp. Meeting
Tom, he began with fierce invective to
upbraid him for his deception. "Hush
up" said he; would you bawl like a calf
and give us away when l want to cook
the other son-of-a-gun up in campp


Soothed by this, Jake grew quiet, and
both leisurely proceeded to camp. By this
time Joe had commenced to rouse up,
and, seeing the others approach, asked
them where they had been. Tom an
swered cheerfully Che was holding his
pantaloons away from his body in the
rear at the time): "Do you think we
could break camp without one more
magnificent swim? Not much"


At this Joe, getting up, cried: "Not
much, you betp and dashed away toward
the spring.


AS he disappeared behind the willows,
Tom sprung for his pistol, and said to
Jake: "Get your gun, quick; it will
mean business when Joe comes back"
In few seconds Joe did COME. He was
crying and cursing furiously, and never
stopped until he caught up his pistol.


drop il" said Tom. II have dead
bead on you, and so has Jake. Besides,
I took all the caps off your gun"


The difficulty was finally adjusted
but the trio took their breakfast standing
that morning, and to spare the mule,
they did not ride much for the succeed
ing three days.