OCR Text |
Show FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. 29 Grand Railway now crosses it. I shot myself acciden-tally ; the wound was one of the most dangerous possible, not to prove fatal. When I found where the ball had entered my clothing, I took out the other pistol from the holster with the intention of " finishing the job." The ball had struck the waist button of my pants as I was standing by the side of my mule. I was placing the pistol in the holster, after saddling up, when the hammer caught on the edge of the holster, pulling it back slightly, when it slipped and went off. The ball ranged downward, entering the groin and thigh, passing through some four-teen inches of flesh. Some good spirit told me to hold on, that I would live. Almost everyone in the company expressed the belief that I would die. We were about to cross the river, which was up to its highest mark. We had to cross on rafts made of half decayed cottonwood logs which made it very dangerous. I suffered terribly during the day, once having the lock-jaw. I could hear remarks being made that I was dying. When I rallied enough to speak, the first use I made of my tongue was to give all a good cursing, telling them I would live longer than any such a set who were so willing to give me up. I felt at the time that I would try and live just for spite, for I fully realized I was looked upon as an incumbrance. They could not see how they were to take care of me, as we were traveling with pack animals. I was left most of the day entirely alone, all hands being occupied in rafting over the provisions and baggage. I lay in the shade of a cottonwood tree, think-ing that my companions wanted me to die, so as to get rid of bothering with me. I was some distance from them, and every half- hour I would give a yell just to let them know that I was not dead. Before night I was placed on a raft and floated over to camp. There had |