Wolcott LeCléar Beard

“ A narrow shadow, for it was barely past noon—a shadow just broad enough to cover the slender path, making it appear almost in twilight when contrasted with the brilliant sunlight which lighted up the jagged masses of black rock littering the steep incline that broke down from its outer edge. The day was burning hot, even for Arizona. The horseman who moved slowly up the road did not seem to mind the heat—appeared rather to enjoy it. ”

“ Outside, knots of men stood about, talking or uncinching their saddles. Many cow-boys there were, with their leather leggings and big-belled spurs. Vaqueros, dressed in tight-fitting trousers and short jackets of copper red, their broad-brimmed, peaked-crowned sombreros heavy with a year's wages in silver. Prospectors, hoboes, ranchers, and all classes that go to make up the sum of frontier humanity were represented—all except the saloon man. ”

“ Farther, it had been asked of Wet Dog as a favor that the horses should stand facing the finish instead of pointing the other way, and having to turn at the start as the custom was, and as a favor he had granted it, but he would rather have given his second best horse—the one he was riding—than not to have had it so. Then, the night before, a panther had sprung on a colt and had been shot by one of Wet Dog's sons; there could be no more fortunate omen than this, as everyone knows. The horse of the white man must be in that tent, but why thus house the beast? ”

“ Racing, especially with horses, has always been a favorite sport with the Western Indian. The love of it was strong with Wet Dog, and so was the sentiment of tribal honor. When, for the great semi-annual races, the neighboring tribe of Papagos had entered their famous little cream-colored mare, two of Wet Dog's ponies, trained as carefully as his nature and knowledge permitted, ran against her, heavily backed. The mare added another victory to her unbroken score, and the Apaches lost heavily in blankets, ponies, and other valuable things. ”

“ The first races were quickly run; then Indians and whites gathered about an open spot opposite the tent near the finish, forming a living ring around it. Into the middle of this space strode Wet Dog, followed by a squaw leading three ponies, their manes and tails gay with feathers. At her lord's feet she drove a picket pin, and securing the neck-ropes to it, retired. This signified that they were offered in wager, and a tall Papago placed a saddle by the pin, but Wet Dog regarded it scornfully. ”

“ Besides, an Indian, more especially one of a tribe that occasionally varies the monotony of reservation life by the murder of defenceless settlers, one must not shoot, for they draw Government rations and are protected by Federal laws and officers, A Mexican, however, is different. No one protects him, or wants to, and Pete looked at the swarthy faces about him for a sign of levity, but more dejected appearing specimens of the Latin race it would be impossible to find; so he retired to his saloon, closing the door after him. ”

“ Somewhat like one, to be sure, but bigger and more fierce; behaving in such a manner that their hearts became as the heart of a squaw. If anyone disbelieved, there was the den. It was at home, and if it was a panther it might be shot. But no Indian would try it.
Then spake Wet Dog. The white men said that this was a puma. Very good. He, Wet Dog, said that it was not. If any man was foolish to prove what it was, he, Wet Dog, would back his opinion with a wager. ”

“ To lose them was bad enough, but that they should have gone to increase the wealth of the Papagos, the natural prey of the Apaches, a tribe that never fought nor killed anyone, and so was not esteemed even by the Government as worthy of rations, that was addicted to the wearing of hats, cultivation of the soil, and other unnatural and degrading practices, was unbearable, and even now Wet Dog grew indignant at the thought. ”

“ Every waggle of the donkey's enormous ears seemed to express his unalterable determination to go no faster, in spite of the prods and blows administered in measured cadence with a long stick by his master, who thus punctuated his rendering of a revival hymn, which he would interrupt from time to time in order to assail the unfortunate animal with epithets the most abusive his Virginia dialect could shape. ”

“ Rifles and blankets were plenty, and the cartridges, hitherto treasured, were now used to shoot rabbits. To Wet Dog this was due, so his people honored him; his horses were three where there had before been one, and the bunch grew larger with each successive race, until no Indian would bet against this strange horse from the East. So he had come to Cactus City, where the white men were to hold a fiesta. There were to be races, and therefore wealth would result to him ”

“ Wet Dog stooped and lifted the bag. It weighed well, and he was glad, for of all men, he would rather despoil this one, and he signified that the wager held. But who was to carry out its terms? Not the Indians, for they had specifically declined doing so, and the reverend jockey seemed to have little inclination in that direction, so there was a pause of some seconds, broken by Pete.
"Stand by to help, boys, if I don't kill," he said, and, turning, he walked toward the cave. The Indians drew away, except the squaw, who still stood by the horse's head. ”