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Show 46 TALES OF THE COLORADO PIONEERS. bottle containing about a quart of 'valley tan' whisky, and intimated that if he drank that all down, the beans wouldn't get a chance to kill him. He looked at the bottle as if suspicious of its contents, and tipping it to his lips, put himself outside of perhaps two-thirds of the compound, and then pulled out for the sick bed of his brother. "The howling increased, and with the screeching of the squaws and barking of the dogs, produced a veritable pandemonium. "When the twilight shadows were stealing over the broad plains, Mr. Lo, who so shortly before ate at our table, a welcome guest, passed in his chips and went over to the majority, a victim of the seductive sweetness of trTe 'Bostonian's pride.' We did not wait to attend the funeral lest the infuriated Indians might wipe us out at 'one fell swoop,' like MacDuff's chickens. So while they were forgetful of all else save their dead brother, we thought it prudent 'To fold our tents like the Arabs And silently sieal away,' Leaving them alone with one good Indian." " One story of a kind produces another," said Mr. M., "and as this gentleman has brought up the subject, I'll ' keep the stone rolling' by relating a reminiscence of my own. In the early days on the plains, it was customary for freighters to go by some nick-name; their most intimate acquaintances in many cases knew them only by such names, and I doubt not many a poor fellow lost his life there, whose real name was never known to his frontier acquaintances, and whose people advertised in vain for news of his whereabouts. I was forced to think ser- |
