The Religious Life of the Zu?i Child

to conjure with in the middle sixties. His tragic story

the first markets to attract attention. The problem of reaching them seemed almost hopeless of solution. Immediately to the north of them the country was trackless and practically unknown. The only thing certain about it was that it swarmed with hostile Indians. What were the conditions as to water and grass, t

te no landmark, and left behind them driven stakes to guide their return. An elevated tableland averaging about one hundred miles wide and extending four hundred miles north and south, it presents, approaching anywhere from the east or the west, an

Absorbing thirstily every drop of moisture that falls upon its surface, from its deep bosom pours a vitalizing flood that makes fertile and has enriched an empire,-a flood without which Texas, now producing one-thir

sually are started. It therefore seemed a desperate undertaking to enter upon the ninety-mile "dry drive," from the head of t

nging a load of gold and stories of hungry markets in the north that meant fortunes for Texas ranchmen. This was in 1866. It was the beginning of the great "Texas trail drive

dians, or such of them as were not on the war-path. Here, on his drive in the Summer of 1867, Loving made a contract for the delivery at the post the ensuing s

had participated in many a bloody raid of reprisal, had more than once from the slight shelter of a buffalo-w

cattle of fit age and condition, by the end of the month they reached the head of the Concho with two he

eef, flour, beans, and coffee; the men's blankets and "war sacks," and the simple cooking equipment. Beneath the wagon was always swung a "rawhide"-a dried, untanned, unscraped cow's hide, fastened by its four corners beneath the wagon bed. This rawhide served a double purpose: first, as a carryall for odds and ends; and second, as furnishing repair material for saddles and wagons. In it were carried pots and kettles, extra horsesho

r wood remained, but, all splinted and bound with strips of the cowboy's indispensable rawhide, they wabbled crazily along, with many a shriek and groan, threatening every moment to collapse, but always

xhibitions of plains life. Lean, wiry, bronzed men, their legs cased in leather chaparejos, with small boots,

nemy. Another characteristic trait was his profound respect for womanhood. I never heard of a cowboy insulting a woman, and I don't believe any real cowboy ever did. Men whose nightly talk around the camp-fire is of home and "mammy" are apt to be a pretty good sort. And yet another quality for which he was remarkable was his patient, uncomplaining endurance of a life of hardship and privation equalled only among seafarers. Drenched by rain or bitten by snow, scorched by heat or stiffened by cold, he passed it all

ibe. Perhaps he was a bit too frolicsome in town, and too quick to settle a triflin

ers along the sides push in the flanks, until the herd is strung out for a mile or more, a narrow, bright, particolored ribbon of moving color winding over the dark green of hill and plain. In this way they easily march off six to nine miles by noon. When they reach water they are scattered along the stream, drink their fill and lie down. Dinner is then eaten, and the boys not on herd doze in the shade of the wagon, until, a little after two o'clock, the herd rise of their own accord and move away,

de the guards, jingling their spurs and droning some low monotonous song, recounting through endless stanza

system is changed. In order to make the journey at all the pace must be forced to

n well grazed and watered, the water barrels and kegs filled, the herd was thrown on the trail and driven away into the west, without halt or rest, throughout the night. Thus, driving in the co

the heaviest work, are refreshed by an occasional sip of the precious contents of the water barrels-as long as it lasts. By night of the second day of this drive every drop of water is con

ised, ears pricked up, eyes brighten; the leaders step briskly forward and break into a trot. Cow-hunters say they smell the water. Perhaps they do, or perhaps it is the last desperate struggle for existence. Anyway, the tide is resistless. Nothing can check them,

addened state they would bowl over one another down a bluff of any height; and they often do so,

utfits lay at rest for three days to recuperate at Horsehead Crossing. Then the drive up the wide, level valley of the Pe

ays or two weeks old, which left ground for hope that the war parties might be out on raids in the east or south. After travelling four days up the Pecos without encountering any fresh "sign," they concluded that the Indians were off on

horse; then, each well armed with a Henry rifle and two six-shooters, with a brief "So long, boys!" to Goodnight and the men, they trotted off up the trail. Riding rapidly all night, they hid themselves just before dawn in the rough hills below Pope's Crossing, ate a snack, and then slept undis

ove the mouth of Dark Ca?on. Here was their mistake. Had they ridden a mile or two to the west of the trail and dismounted before daylight, they probably would not have been discovered. It was madness for two men to travel by day

omanches was out and on the move early, and, as is the crafty Indian custom, was riding out of sight in the narrow valley below the well-rounded hills that lined the river. But whi

d Jim hov

nce, but the trained eyes of these savage sleuths

elivered two or three miles farther up the river, where the trail swerved in to within a few hundred yards of the stre

ing to a low round hill a quarter of a mile to the west of them, remarked, "Thar'd be a blame good place to stan' off a bunch o' Injuns," they w

came a band of forty or fifty Comanche warriors, crouching low on their horses'

best. The Indians were gaining at every jump and had opened fire, and before half the distance to the hill was covered a ball broke Loving's thigh and killed his mule. As the mule pitched over dead, provi

under his horse, and turned and poured a stream of lead out of his Henry rifle

ced him in as easy a position as possible within the shelter of the wallow, and behind the fallen carcass of the mule. Then Jim led his own horse to the opposite bank of the wallow, drew his bowie knife and cut

d can down half o' them before they

man. We'll make 'em settl

uffalo horns and streaming eagle feathers for their war bonnets, no warriors ever presented a more ferocious appearance than these cha

le and horse's mane in the left hand, curled his left heel tightly into the horse's flank, and dropped down on the animal's right side, leaving only a hand and a foot in view from the left. T

opened a fire that knocked over six horses and wounded three Indians. Balls and arrows were flying all about th

in the afternoon, they resorted to the desperate measure of a direct charge, hoping to ride over and shoot down the two white men. Up they came at a dead run five or six abreast, the front

unlikely to attempt another attack until dawn, and so they decided to attempt to reach the stream shortly after midnight. Although it was scarcely more than fifteen hundred yards, that was a terrible journey for Loving. Compell

Prowling along the margin of the stream, Jim found one of these recesses wide enough to hold them both, and deep enough to afford good defence against a fire from the opposite shore, Above them the bank rose s

eapons, only to find it deserted. However, the trail of Loving's dragging leg was plain, and they followed it dow

posite bank too exposed and dangerous for attack from that direction. Burning brush dropped from above failed to lodge before the re

t relief they must inevitably be starved out. It was therefore agreed that Jim should try to reach Goodnight and bring aid. It was a forlorn hope

a mile. Then he crept out on the bank. On the way he had lost his boots, which more than doubled the difficulty and hardship of his journey. Still he struck bravely out for the trai

totally unable to go farther, Jim lay down in a rocky recess

ler" during the night, and Jim's brother Bill was left behind to hunt them. Circling for their trail, he found and followed it, followed it until it brought him almost upon the figure of a prostrate man, nearly naked, bleeding, and apparently dead. Dismounting an

instantly ordered six men to shift saddles to their strongest horses, left the outfits to

he bluff, firing beneath their horses' necks. It was a miracle Loving was not hit; but, lying low and watching his chance, he returned such a destructive fire that the Comanches were forced

y to reach the trail at the crossing in the big bend four miles north. Here his own outfits might reach him in time. Therefore, he started early in the night, dragged himself pain

carried him through. And so, late the next afternoon, the afternoon of the day Goodnight started to his relief, Loving reached the crossing, lay down beneath a

rt Sumner to Fort Stockton, arrived and pitched their camp near where he lay But Loving did not hear them. He was far

darkness one Mexican, thinking he saw a big mesquite root, seized it and gave a

vienen por el amor de Di

was very low, however, and the mescal given him as a stimulant did not serve to rouse him from his stupor. But the next morning, rested somewhat from his terrible hardships and strengthened by

e one of their carretas and convey Loving through to Fort Sumner. With the Fort still more than two hundred miles away, there was small hope he could survive the journey, but it must be tried. A rude hammock was improvised and slun

d returned to the outfits, and, after staying with them a week, he had brought them through as far as the Rio Penasco without further mishap. Th

im. The medical officer of the post was out with a scouting cavalry detail, and only a hospital steward was available for the operation. To trust the case to

with hostile Navajos, for whom the freight trains were the richest spoils they could have. Offer what he would, Goodnight could find no one at the Fort bold enough to ride through alone and fetch a surgeon. He finally ra

r then furnishing wood and hay to the post. Coming in from one of his camps and le

est thing on the Pecos. I'll be in Vegas by sun-up to-morrow morning, and I'll be back here sometime to-morrow night with a doctor, if the Navajos don't get us. Pay? Pay be damned.

oodnight, "I never will forget it, nor wil

me over to my camp a spell and look over some pa

ficers and other bystander

y old Scot ha

nobody could hol

give out, but God help him when he starts back with a doctor

earth can make it, be

ort Lyon. One of the biggest-hearted, most amiable and generous of men, ha was know

ond the Bosque Redondo. Then getting out on firmer ground, the mare well warmed, he gave her the rein and let her out into a long, low, easy lope that scored the miles off famously. And so he swept on throughout the night, with only brief halts to cool the mare and

ut, but, a friend's life the stake he was ridin

wn were out of bed, Scot rode into the plaza of L

daylight journey through to Sumner, for he well knew its dangers. Scarcely a week passed without news of some fearful massa

ot and the doctor were rolling away into the south on the Sumner trail before seven

ley. Enteros Ca?on is about three miles long, rarely more than two hundred yards wide, its sides rocky, precipitous, and heavily timbered, through which wound the wagon trail, exposed at every

half dozing with fatigue, the doctor, unused to the plains, alert and watchful, they suddenly turned the

t, look! For Go

pon some were tied lances and on others arms. All were dripping with sweat and heaving of flank, their knife-marked ears drooping with fatigue; not more than five minutes could have elapsed sinc

, the doctor cried:

s our only chance

We're safe as if we were in Fort Union. If they were laying for us we'd be dead now. No, they are after bigger game. They have sighted a big freight outfit comin

Let's run for Vegas. Any instant we may be attacked. Why, damn

ned to the doctor and quietly answered: "Doc, you seem to forget that Joe Loving is dying, and that I pro

iumph of logic. The Navajos wer

velling toward Vegas. They stopped and gave the freighters warning, told what they had seen, begged them to halt and corral the

them c

athetic evidence of their foolhardiness in a scattered

as. Covering two hundred and sixty miles in less than thirty hours, Scot Moore had kept his word

, but the memory of his heroic ride sho