Tales of Aztlan; The Romance of a Hero of Our Late Spanish-American War, Incidents of Interest from the Life of a Western Pioneer and Other TalesHartmann, George
General
Tales of Aztlan; The Romance of a Hero of Our Late Spanish-American War, Incidents of Interest from the Life of a Western Pioneer and Other Tales
Hartmann, George
Short stories, American; Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Fiction; Western stories
I looked straight down on a man who was
walking near the house and appeared no larger than a little doll and
his dog seemed to be the size of a grasshopper, but we heard the dog
bark and heard the cackling of hens quite plainly. On one side of this
pit there was a break in the formation, which made this curious place
accessible by trail.
We had been advised that we would find a natural tank of rain water in
the vicinity of this place and camped there at nightfall. We turned our
stock out, but our herders did not find the promised water. Our cook
reported that there was not a drop of water in camp, as the spigot of
his water tank had been loosened by the roughness of the road and all
the water was lost. Now this would have been a matter of small
consequence if Don Juan had not been taken ill suddenly. He threw
himself on the ground and cried for water. "Agua, por Dios!" (Water,
for God's sake) he cried, "or I shall die." "Why, Don Juan," I said,
"there is no water here. I advise you to wait till moonrise when the
cattle are rested and then leave for the next watering place, which is
Beaver Head, at the foot of the mesa; we ought to reach there about ten
o'clock to-morrow morning. Surely until then you can endure a little
thirst!" "Amiga, I cannot, I am dying," moaned Don Juan, in great
distress. As I suspected that he had lost his nerve on the Navajo
reservation, I felt greatly annoyed, and when he became frantic in his
cries I promised to go down to Beaver Creek to get him a drink of
water, for I recalled to mind his little daughter who bid me farewell
with these words: "Adios, Senor Americano, I charge you with the care
of my padrecito. If you promise me, I know that he will return to me
safely."
I set out on my long night-walk, stumbling over rocks and boulders in
the darkness. It was a beautiful night, the crisp atmosphere was laden
with the fragrant exhalation of the nut pines and junipers and there
was not a breath of air stirring. I got down to water at midnight, the
time of moonrise, filled my canteen and started on the return trip.
Slowly I reascended the steep mesa, and when I reached the summit I sat
down on a rock in a thicket of junipers. The moon had now risen above
the trees and cast its dim light over an enchanting scene. The sense of
utter loneliness, a homesickness, a feeling of premonition, stole over
me, and weirdly I sensed the presence of I knew not what. From the
shadows spoke an owl, sadly, anxiously, "Hoo, hoo! Where are you? You!"
and his mate answered him tenderly, seductively, "Tee, hee! Come to me!
Me!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account