Tales from Prospector Pete
Noah's Poesies
It can make you weep, the majestic sweep
From the floor to Mogollon's Rim
From the sun's first rays thru the blistering haze
Til evening and the nightbird's hymn
There's places in the desert that ain't nothing but sand,
and stones and pebbles and such.
The only things sharp are the thorns that prick
and warn you not to touch.
They's snakes and spiders and them dang red ants
To make you twitch and shout
But there's things out there in the desert, my friend,
That you ain't never heard about.
Let me tell you 'bout one, that'd make you run,
This critter was covered with grue.
So sit down on your fist and lean back on your thumb
And I'll tell this tale to you.
You might meet him at night when the time is right
And you've run plumb out of luck,
Redskins call him 'two legged thunder'
And he's one ugly son of a buck.
Now, I want you to know it was a time ago,
But the yarn, I remember it still,
'Bout a boy named Ramon, his old granddad,
And a friend of a friend named Will.
"He ain't my friend!" calls Sandy.
And a rotten sun-of-a-gun named Will.
"That's better!" Sandy says.
"Hey!" complains Will.
They was stranded one day, in a wandering way,
they was purt'near dyin' of thirst,
Was a long way to town, with the sun blazin' down
and them fly-bugs made it even worse.
Ridin' three on a hoss when they made that rise
just a'fussin' and feelin' mean.
All of a sudden they couldn't believe their eyes
They was a critter like they ain't never seen!
It stood high as a barn, on two big legs
like a lizard that's been overfed.
But it's mouth was all full of big shiny teeth
and they knew it was run or be dead.
This critter looked around and they could tell
that it hadn't ate grub fer a week
Cause it lets out a huff and it lets out a yell
and comes after them, 'fore they could speak.
Now, that red hoss knew what it had to do.
It turned its tail and it ran.
But carryin' three was slowin' it down
It looked like they'd lose a man.
They was all squirming to keep out of those teeth
Their stomachs was tied up into knots.
With that beast a'hollerin' and a'cuttin' up behind
Didn't seem like the time to draw lots.
But, as fate would have it, they found a ravine
and hid, without making a sound,
Ramon shoved the other two off
and told them to hide underground.
While he heeled that hoss up out of the draw
and caught that critter's eye
He'd lead the beast away from them
although he'd probably die.
Now, that old man was a witch, I'd heard
and he could have done something right
To make this big critter leave them alone
but they was already out of sight.
This critter was big, and this critter was fast
and his breath was scalding hot
Ramon knew, and his hoss did too,
Sure's shootin', they's going to get caught.
This thing had claws on the end of his feet
Left footprints forty feet apart
It was flying low and it was flying fast
n' that hoss ran with all his heart.
This thing made good time on the straight-away,
The pursuit was dangerous and hot,
And when it hit that bend an' them claws dug in,
It sent gravel screamin' like buckshot.
(added) ------------------------------------
Ahead, in a draw, they was having a spat
With Apaches everywhere they could hide
The ground in between them was barren and flat
And soldiers dug in on t'other side.
Soldiers' muskets loaded and primed
Apache arrows ready to sing,
When they heard a racket and looked up to find
Ramon, his hoss, and that thing.
That thing was hot on his heels, ready to bite,
Them teeth looked jagged and mean,
When an accidental shot
Started the biggest ruckus you ain't never seen!
They was the boom of a musket and the splat of a ball
That just rolled off that critter's hide,
Everything stopped. Ramon thought now
Was his best time to tuck and ride.
Them soldiers picked up their butts and fled,
Wisest thing they could have done,
But them Apache, they was as good as dead,
Weren't no place they could have run.
'N then one of 'em stood, Hits Standing by name
All by his lonesome, he said to the sky,
"You want to take a bite of this man?"
"Two-legged thunder, you'll die!"
(not complete, drat it. will go in chapter 40 of Macho Caballo when finished.)