Cattle Brands | Page 7

to see if
I could identify my drivers, without result. They even brought in the
owner of the Pinto horse, and no doubt husband of the woman who
saved my life.
"After a week's time I joined our own outfit, and I never heard a
language that sounded so sweet as the English of my own tongue. I
would have gone back and testified against the owner of the spotted
horse if it hadn't been for a woman and a little girl who depended on
him, robber that he was."
"Now, girls," said Baugh, addressing Carter and the stranger, "I've
made you a bed out of the wagon-sheet, and rustled a few blankets
from the boys. You'll find the bed under the wagon-tongue, and we've
stretched a fly over it to keep the dew off you, besides adding privacy
to your apartments. So you can turn in when you run out of stories or
get sleepy."
"Haven't you got one for us?" inquired the cattle-buyer of Baugh. "This
is no time to throw off, or refuse to be sociable."
"Well, now, that bank robbery that you were telling the boys about,"
said Baugh, as he bit the tip from a fresh cigar, "reminds me of a
hold-up that I was in up in the San Juan mining country in Colorado.
We had driven into that mining camp a small bunch of beef and had
sold them to fine advantage. The outfit had gone back, and I remained
behind to collect for the cattle, expecting to take the stage and overtake
the outfit down on the river. I had neglected to book my passage in
advance, so when the stage was ready to start I had to content myself
with a seat on top. I don't remember the amount of money I had. It was
the proceeds of something like one hundred and fifty beeves, in a small
bag along of some old clothes. There wasn't a cent of it mine, still I was
supposed to look after it.

"The driver answered to the name of South-Paw, drove six horses, and
we had a jolly crowd on top. Near midnight we were swinging along,
and as we rounded a turn in the road, we noticed a flickering light
ahead some distance which looked like the embers of a camp-fire. As
we came nearly opposite the light, the leaders shied at some object in
the road in front of them. South-Paw uncurled his whip, and was in the
act of pouring the leather into them, when that light was uncovered as
big as the head-light of an engine. An empty five-gallon oil-can had
been cut in half and used as a reflector, throwing full light into the road
sufficient to cover the entire coach. Then came a round of orders which
meant business. 'Shoot them leaders if they cross that obstruction!' 'Kill
any one that gets off on the opposite side!' 'Driver, move up a few feet
farther!' 'A few feet farther, please.' 'That'll do; thank you, sir.' 'Now,
every son-of-a-horse-thief, get out on this side of the coach, please, and
be quick about it!'
"The man giving these orders stood a few feet behind the lamp and out
of sight, but the muzzle of a Winchester was plainly visible and seemed
to cover every man on the stage. It is needless to say that we obeyed,
got down in the full glare of the light, and lined up with our backs to
the robber, hands in the air. There was a heavily veiled woman on the
stage, whom he begged to hold the light for him, assuring her that he
never robbed a woman. This veiled person disappeared at the time, and
was supposed to have been a confederate. When the light was held for
him, he drew a black cap over each one of us, searching everybody for
weapons. Then he proceeded to rob us, and at last went through the
mail. It took him over an hour to do the job; he seemed in no hurry.
"It was not known what he got out of the mail, but the passengers
yielded about nine hundred revenue to him, while there was three times
that amount on top the coach in my grip, wrapped in a dirty flannel
shirt. When he disappeared we were the cheapest lot of men imaginable.
It was amusing to hear the excuses, threats, and the like; but the fact
remained the same, that a dozen of us had been robbed by a lone
highwayman. I felt good over it, as the money in the grip had been
overlooked.
"Well, we cleared out the obstruction in the road, and got aboard the
coach once more. About four o'clock in the morning we arrived at our
destination, only two