Show B B P By B iB P P Bli B BI BB s l I A AR Race Witt Life Old If RA bT Freedom and Money Timer S Story tory Told From 0 By Arizona Arizona y P. P iP OR TH THE f CONTRACT as 8 Stakes I IBY t BY DY II II- A. A THOMPSON I i This Is 10 a u story told b by Capt Henshaw lieu Hen representatives I Ii thaW shaw one ot or the thc best Arizona old timers as we wc luy lay ot of the i I in camp one fine fino October afternoon I 1 pitched on an outer Our tents slope alone o ot the Juniper Range and the he I was southeastward to country countr before us like a relief relic map mal Im- Im out at our feet lay ay u a broad upland up up- up i rocky and aud dotted wb b valley land and alo distance of or scrub growth At a patches I Sf valley broke brok- of three or four miles mies aley tumbled ca cas- cas of r in a long C j avo away ov-av a I still sun ilko terraces toward a pr lo like cade-like j w we position fovel elevated Wi ovel om Ironi ti tbt UIE t the it was wa possible to trace occupied 1 wal 1 cutting t these bese ter ter- of a gorge dl with toward to to- and de wih it the plain c The ravine sha shallow lov ward nt at first then thenor steep and nd was some somo sovin n nor deeplY and clef sided and by shIel miles in length or eight ib accumulations It the storm means c or lI in the rin ot of the UPPEr discharged v upon Ulion thu lower j n a camp he be sat on Capt Capt and gazed Intently as nt at tim the tool alil only which wa was prospeCt vol of towering a cliffs 1 by the tho distant thirty awny aVay mesa some or of n venerable yet ct lu in- was a picture f J i forceful manhood Years of I exposure had tanned his skin to the hue of an Italian peasant but the song ong white beard which swept s his bis lonG chest nn and the brad broad deeply lined forehead gave him an expression of Re b benevolence and nud exper lence He had whiled awn away man many a 3 t tedious dious hour on our long Journey over the thc plains and through the hills with with narratives suggested by br localities wo we w passed and now as is he be arose from rol I his stool and stretched himself upon upun a 0 blanket with sith Will his lis back bace against a bedroll bedroll bed bed- bCd I roll rH we v-e knew that a n story stor was coming com corn lag ing and silently nUy awaited its arrival arrival 1 said the That gulch yonder capala cnn cap cap tain ala with a gesture which followed the windings of ravine Is Isas 5 could couldwell us as s unlikely a racecourse as one well fel select ct but it I was there that once In tn the early seventies I rode an Involuntary race for the stakes of money freedom r c and adlo life In those days m I was wan a partner with John Deboe In the contracting business bust busi ness and we ne bad lad recently a profitable piece of or road building over overto overto overto to the tho Mogollon Him Nearly all aU the roads constructed In the early euly history of this territory wore surveyed b by mu- mu mi- mi Harv and paid for tor with wih government gov soy Tho people who travel money the mountains and plateaus of ot this region legion owe a 3 debt and gratitude e to the and skill of or these officers enl rg sieH ar army who accomplished difficult feats in the face of danger often ofen and nearly n aya a under the experience of C hardship Af r the completion of our contract there seemed to be no 10 more moe road building Iu to sight so o wo we concluded r to move mo our le headquarters to the tle hills his i north of the Juniper Jumper mountains Largo Large deposits of ot s silv r had been I I In that locality and we contemplated going into the mining business busness Du Bu Bue Duwe we e discovered ered that all 01 the best claims I had been appropriated before our ar arrival arrival ar- ar arl rival and more moro by bj 1 necessity than I choice we turned our attention to the matter mater of or hauling supplies to the tho tn mines In six months we had lad a regular line Une of heavy teams between Prescott Prescott Fort Fort hippIe it was wa then then and and Juniper Camp I This however was n a 1 slow alow aloway way ay of ot making maling mone money The freight to be carried was not sufficiently heavy and tho the much more profitable passenger and express business was In the hands i of oC William Owens who operated a stage line lino over the te samo sarno saro route We Ve welcomed then tho Information 1 brought In II by one of or our teamsters that tho the government was about to con cou- road from r Fort ort WhIppie WhIp WhIp- tract a military roa hl pIe plo to Fort Jort Mojave But Dut our enthusiasm asni was dampened when tho the man told us ua us In his bis slow way war that the bids bils were to be open d and the contract awarded on tho the t tu euty of the current month for It was then the second and tho the distance to lo Fort Whippie Whippie Whipple Whip- Whip pie was a n good hundred and fOtty miles mies I 1 was greal greatly surprised that Col Cot Morton the commandant at the post lOSt who had the thc letting of tho contract contract con con- tract should have hae neglected to notus not us us In ample time and In o a regular manner of or the proposed worl ork especially es cs- cs as he ho had hal always expressed I himself himsel as well rel pleased with wih the te way In which wo we C performed our contracts Deboe and aud I agreed after a 0 ha consultation that we wc must muse at least make the attempt to enter a bid for forthe forthe the construction of or the tho new now road and anil it was decided that I was to go so to Fort as the tho te representative of or the firm using m my best endeavor to reach It before the tho time limit mentioned Inthe Inthe in inthe the advertisement wh which our teams tar had seen expired Military men do donot donot donot not walt wait on u a 1 lard tardy comer corner and if I we vo were to have havo any chance It i was nee nee- to utilize ever every moment especially es es- es as B I should bo be obliged o nW after r reachIng tho Fort to learn tho the specie spec covering the tho work to be dono done I and to make an estimate of ot tho the amount I for tor which we would ouid agree to undertake It it I owned at the time a mare marc which was reputed to be bo the fastest long didi distance distance dis did I i tance s saddle horse borso In lu Arizona She Sho came of or thoroughbred stock possessIng possessing possess possess- ing Ins both the tho endurance and aud speed characteristic of the lineal descendants of Ab Abdallah aJab He bod body was close knit and her le legs s cleanly chiseled as those ane of a Grecian statue were springy y as a steel while the tho intelligent ent oy 0 B 6 the and tho the white star small curved ca ears s ad on on the broad forehead indicated the th purity of or her bor strain I called her Diana Diana While Deboe packed lacked my saddle saddlebags ad le bags with food I made ready tho the mare and my few traps for the trip trip- It I was ten o'clock at night when our teamster Imparted his information arid and about half hal past eleven I rode awu nw The moon was at its is full fun the night cool and invigorating and the thc nor norse nore e spirited I held Diana down dow for the first few rew miles increasing the pa pace gradually then as she sho to her work I 1 relaxed the tension on the reins and the low buttes and occasional occasion occasion- al trees that marked the way rising Inthe inthe In lu the tho dusk like Uke of ungainly and Id mythical beings approached B ly Iy and passed to the rear Thero There is it an Indescribable charm about a moonlight lt ride rde Tho soft calm of ot the night eliminates cilia elim elm elm- mates that sternness from existence which in the blare of ot the tho daylight face The Tho air airIs airis seems to stare one ono in the nil Is 18 full tul of ot subdued sounds of life which soothe rather than arouse the senses The glory of the moon casts a glamour about all rough features of the land The easy motion moton of ot tho thoroughbred thor thor- horse I rode scarcely corcel disturbed dis die the long reveries into which I Itel fell and it i was with wih a sense of or surprise surprise sur Bur tel prise that I saw the ga gray shadings of the tho east cast which announced the coming comins of the tho dawn I You remember that short cannon inthe inthe in m the Junipers Juniper that we traversed today and the spring to which I called your attention It I was there I stopped on un that morning moring nearly nearl thirty years ears a ago aso to rest my horse and cat my IY OW own owa breal breakfast bi Diana DJana after ater her ber six eix s1 hOUN hours gallop galop showed no signs of oC rat fatigue e. e and she ate her feed of or barley with grateful An hour later I saddled up again Ihan and following the route rute we vc took today soon emerged Into this open valley which lbs llos before be- be toro fore us If It you rou look closely you OU can CID trace the tho trail trai which leads awa away from us u cC the tho open toward the te head of oi LL r n yonder bl big ravine through which It low continues downward to the tho plain be be- be After getting clear cear of or the tle hills hia 1 I 1 glanced back once or twice and observed ob oh- served with surprise that columns of ft smoke were ero rising from several o different different differ differ- I ent spurs of the mountain range I bad ha lad Just left lef The Indians ae as IE I Iwas Iwas Iwas was aware had two or three campa camps not far awn away and I would have havo attached at at- no particular Importance to- to to what I saw had bad It t riot not Jot beon been for tor tho fact of or something peculiar in Iu these thelo ce co- co co- co of smoke which Impressed mo am that they wore were intended as as signals I Idid I did di not however occur to me th that thet t this signaling had an any reference to to- myself or to my ray movements Th Tb The were at peace with wt tb UK whites and were accustomed to protest pro pro- test though test though I put small faith aUh In It- It I- I that tho they would nevor never dig up the hatchet hatch t to raise It against their paleface paleface pale pale- face brothers brothers Really Reay they were In Ina 1 a aa a Q small smal wy way the most mos treacherous Indiana Indian with wih whom hom I ever came In conI contact con con- I tact and were always on the alert aler for foe io plunder or cattle catte stealing You may observe o that just this side the head of oC the gorge orge there Is a slight rise in the ground on either Continued on rn reso C 15 tS r r I f FOR THE CONTRACT T Continued from Page 1 IT 71 side by small patches of timber Umber Just there thero I was vms confronted b by six or seven Indians who lined their horses across the trail compell ng me to draw rein to avoid riding them down I Instantly Instant Instant- ly perceived that there wire were others in inthe inthe n the timber to right and left leCt and the whole situation was so 50 strongly sug sus suggestive of ambuscade that lat Int once i reached cached for my r vo ero but I restrained restrained restrained re re- strained this movement as Charlie the local chief whom I kne knew er very well by br sight advanced holding up his hands In token o of frIendship and calling out in a jargon of English and Indian that ho was glad to sc set mo me Halting as we met I said Howand How and we shook hands with at lens lEa r. r affected cordiality he lie Inquired Where you go Cap Fort Whipple Charlie I replied Why Go 00 see Big Dig Knife Chief It was wa thus he designated the cavalry officer office In command of ol the post Yes they are going goin to mal make e r i road to Mojave and I want to do th the work I must hurr hurry or some one will vil get In ahead of oC me me Sure Mojave ho sa said l with a pecullar pecullar pep pe pe- pe- pe p cullar gleam In his eyes tyes Then wIthout awaiting my answer he continued You no hurr hurry sta stay while mak mal talk with red brother There was something In tho the manner manner man man- ner of or the Indian which d rather than aJa allayed ed Dl my suspicious suspicions Glancing cautiously out of the com corner r of my eyes eres as I talked with the chief I noticed that some of his were stealing out of oC the brushes and getting In behind me and In lu the next I two or three minutes I did some ver very rapid and serious thinking The Intention In- In to capture me or strike me down unawares was now able My Iy enemies were mounted and andall andall all save two or three who had muskets muskets muskets mus mus- armed with bows and clubs 1 had a n rifle and brace of revolvers re but the odds against me ins lay Jay in the fact that I was outnumbered thirty to one There was but one possible t l expedient open to me under the cl ci and that was to make malee a run for my life liCe Maintaining an ingenuous air all and keeping the elite chief occupied with talk I slowly edged my 01 horse clear of his leis then plunging the tho spurs SPUIS in th the startled mare I shot awa away down tho gulch you see sep there There were more red rascals in front than behind me but the cover of or the ravine was better than the open plain and too that was the way war which 1 l' l d In the direction of Fort Whipple aud and that contract A yell of rage and disappointment arose as I dashed forward and a dozen of or the closed in to stop m me meThe The raised revolver however scattered them and Diana went through the gaa gap ga like a gust o ot of wind Two muskets boomed and a score of or bowstrings bo twanged behind me as bending low on my hordes horde's hor os o's neck I flew down the grade of or the trail troll and I noted with tha with every stride the walls of oC the ravine I had entered rose higher and higher on either hand Arrows rattled about me on one grazin grazing my left let arm and another cutting t ll e cloth above m my shoulder It was I the first time I had bad ever er rea realy ly put the spurs to Dianas Diana's sides and her running running run run- ning was something remarkable I knew my pursuers would have un chance on a straightaway race but that hat gorge twists and turn turns like a sIdewinder sidewinder sidewinder side winder rattlesnake This pave gave the In- In hans ians an opportunity which they did not fall all to notice of ot cutting me off of at al points which I was forced arced to travel a x long and they the a short distance But the ground on both sides of or the tho canon was rocky broken and In man many places precipitous which was all in my favor Do you see that big sweep in iho th ravine about half wa way of Its length where it seems almost to double on itself asked the captain arising to o his knees that ho e might the better point out the tha feature mentioned It I was there that I expected the would catch me and there they did come so o near doing It that I ly gave Jave myself up for lost A score t of Indians seizing instantly upon the situation sit alt nation made t the e far end o or of the turn their objective point Now and aud then through breaks In the canyon wall I 1 caught sight of or them and It soon be became became bEcame bE be- came evident that they would arrive before me But there was nothing for forit forit forit it except to push on as several of m my foes were following through the gulch yelling and urging their ponies pontes to topmost speed Yonder ravine at t the point of which I am speaking Is walled rock walled the I almost perpendicular sides being about fret apart With twenty Indians lining the verge and find ready to I tb their 11 arrows at me as I passed tho the chance chalice of getting through h unhurt seemed seemed seemed seem seem- ed slender but I 1 dropped the bridle rein rehi on the horn born of the tho saddle drew both bolh revolvers and forward A As I I neared the tho yelling and dancing redskins redskins red red- I skins the animal I rode ratte obedient to h l the pressure of or my mr knees swerved ed std sd I denly to o the he right side Ide of lb the gorge gor I My I- I object |