Red Saunders: His Adventures West & East

Produced by Al Haines
His Adventures West & East
Henry Wallace Phillips
1901
A Chance Shot
Reddy and I were alone at the Lake beds. He sat outside the cabin, braiding a leather hat-band—eight strands, and the repeat figure—an art that I never could master.
I sat inside, with a one-pound package of smoking tobacco beside me, and newspapers within reach, rolling the day's supply of cigarettes.
Reddy stopped his story long enough to say: Don't use the 'Princess' Slipper,' Kid—that paper burns my tongue—take the 'Granger'; there's plenty of it.
Well, as I was saying, I'd met a lot of the boys up in town this day, and they threw as many as two drinks into me; I know that for certain, because when we took the parting dose, I had a glass of whisky in both my right hands, and had just twice as many friends as when I started.
When I pulled out for home, I felt mighty good for myself—not exactly looking for trouble, but not a-going to dodge it any, either. I was warbling Idaho for all I was worth—you know how pretty I can sing? Cock-eyed Peterson used to say it made him forget all his troubles. Because, says he, you don't notice trifles when a man bats you over the head with a two-by-four.
Well, I was enjoying everything in sight, even a little drizzle of rain that was driving by in rags of wetness, when a flat-faced swatty at Fort Johnson halted me.
Now it's a dreadful thing to be butted to death by a nanny-goat, but for a full-sized cowpuncher to be held up by a soldier is worse yet.