The “Kid” told the boy to wait in Mesilla till he and Segura got there.
It was the fall of 1876. Mounted on his favorite gray horse, “Billy the Kid” started at six o’clock in the evening for the eighty-one mile ride to San Elizario.
A swift ride brought him into El Paso, then called Franklin, a distance of fifty-six miles, before midnight. Here he dismounted in front of Peter Den’s saloon to let his noble “Gray” rest. While waiting, he had a few drinks of whiskey, and fed “Gray” some crackers, there being no horse feed at the saloon.
Now for the twenty-five mile dash down the Rio Grande river, over a level road to San Elizario. It was made in quick time. Daylight had not yet begun to break.
Dismounting in front of the jail, the “Kid” knocked on the front door. The Mexican jailer asked; “Quien es?” (Who’s that?)
The “Kid” replied in good Spanish: “Open up, we have two American prisoners here.”
The heavy front door was opened, and the jailer found a cocked pistol pointed at him. Now the frightened guard gave up his pistol and the keys to the cell in which Segura was shackled and handcuffed.
In the rear of the jail building there was another guard asleep. He was relieved of his fire-arms and dagger.
When Segura was free of irons the two guards were gagged so they couldn’t give an alarm, and chained to a post.
The two outlaws started out in the darkest part of the night, just before day, Segura on “Gray” and the “Kid” trotting by his side, afoot.
An hour later the two desperadoes were at a confederate’s ranch across the Rio Grande river, in Old Mexico.
After filling up with a hot breakfast, the “Kid” was soon asleep, while Segura kept watch for officers. The “Kid’s” noble “Gray” was fed and with a mustang, kept hidden out in the brush.
Now the ranchman rode into San Elizario to post himself on the jail break.
Hurrying back to the ranch, he advised his two guests to “hit the high places,” as there was great excitement in San Elizario.
Reaching La Mesilla, New Mexico, the two young outlaws found the boy who had carried the message to “Billy the Kid,” from Segura, and rewarded him with a handful of Mexican gold.
Chapter III.
“Billy the Kid” and Segura Make Successful Robbery Raids into Mexico. A Battle with Indians. The “Kid” Joins His Chum, Jesse Evans.
After a few daring raids into Old Mexico, with Segura, the “Kid” landed in La Mesilla, New Mexico.
Here he fell in with a wild young man by the name of Tom O’Keefe. Together, they started for the Pecos river to meet Jesse Evans and his companions.
Instead of taking the wagon road, the two venturesome boys cut across the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation, which took in most of the high Guadalupe range of mountains, which separates the Pecos and Rio Grande rivers.
First they rode into El Paso, Texas, and loaded a pack mule with provisions.
A few days out of El Paso, the boys ran out of water, and were puzzled as to which way to ride.
Finally a fresh Indian trail was found, evidently leading to water. It was followed to the mouth of a deep canyon. For fear of running into a trap, the “Kid” decided to take the canteen and go afoot, leaving his mount and the pack mule with O’Keefe, who was instructed to come to his rescue should he hear yelling and shooting.
A mile of cautious traveling brought the “Kid” to a cool spring of water. The ground was tramped hard with fresh pony and Indian tracks.
After filling the canteen, and drinking all the water he could hold, the “Kid” started down the canyon to join his companion.
He hadn’t gone far when Indians, afoot, began pouring out of the cliff to the right, which cut off his retreat down the canyon. There was nothing to do but return towards the spring, as fast as his legs could carry him.
The twenty half-naked braves were gaining on him, and shouting blood-curdling war-whoops.
Like a pursued mountain lion, the “Kid” sprang into the jungles of a steep cliff. Foot by foot his way was made to a place of concealment.
The Indians seeing him leave the trail, scrambled up into the bushy cliff. Now the “Kid’s” trusty pistol began to talk, and several young braves, who were leading the chase passed to the “happy hunting ground.” The “Kid” said the body of one young buck went down the cliff and caught on the over-hanging limb of a dead tree, and there hung suspended in plain view.
Many shots were fired at the “Kid” when he sprang from one hiding place to another. One bullet struck a rock near his head, and the splinters gave him slight wounds on the face and neck.
Reaching the extreme top of a high peak, the young outlaw felt safe, as he could see no reds on his trail. Being exhausted he soon fell asleep. On hearing the yelling and shooting, Tom O’Keefe stampeded, leaving the “Kid’s” mount and the pack mule where they stood.
Reaching a high bluff, which was impossible for a horse to climb, O’Keefe quit his mount and took it afoot. From cliff to cliff, he made his way towards the top of a peak. Finally his keen eyesight caught the figure of a man, far away across a deep canyon, trying to reach the top of a mountain peak. He surmised that the bold climber must be the “Kid.”
At last young O’Keefe’s strength gave out and he lay down to sleep. His hands and limbs were bleeding from the scratches received from sharp rocks, and he was craving water.
Being refreshed from his long night’s sleep, the “Kid” headed for the big red sun, which was just creeping up out of the great “Llano Estacado,” (Staked Plains), over a hundred miles to the eastward, across the Pecos river.
Finally water was struck and he was happy. Then he filled up on wild berries, which were plentiful along the borders of the small sparkling stream of water.
Three days later the young hero outlaw reached a cow-camp on the Rio Pecos. He made himself known to the cowboys, who gave him a good horse to ride, and conducted him to the Murphy-Dolan cow-camp, where his chum, Jesse Evans, was employed. In this camp the “Kid” also met his former friends, McDaniels, Baker, and Morton.
Here the “Kid” was told of the smouldering cattle war between the Murphy-Dolan faction on one side, and the cattle king, John S. Chisum, on the other.
Many small cattle owners were arrayed with the firm of Murphy and Dolan, who owned a large store in Lincoln, and were the owners of many cattle.
On John S. Chisum’s side were Alex A. McSween, a prominent lawyer of Lincoln—the County seat of Lincoln County—and a wealthy Englishman by the name of John S. Tunstall, who had only been in America a year.
McSween and Tunstall had formed a co-partnership in the cattle business, and had established a general trading store in Lincoln.
It was now the early spring of 1877. Jesse Evans tried to persuade “Billy the Kid” to join the Murphy-Dolan faction, but he argued that he first had to find Tom O’Keefe, dead or alive, as it was against his principles to desert a chum in time of danger.
For nearly a year a storm had been brewing between John Chisum and the smaller ranchmen. Chisum claimed all the range in the Pecos valley, from Fort Sumner to the Texas line, a distance of over two hundred miles.
Naturally