ailed bandits
in the chaparral, and rushed in on their camp-fires at night, as two big
bullet-holes in his skin will attest. He it was who arrested Polk, the
defaulting treasurer of Tennessee. He rode a Spanish pony sixty-two
miles in six hours, and arrested Polk, his guide, and two private
detectives, whom Polk had bribed to set him over the Rio Grande. When
the land of Texas was bought up and fenced with wire, the old settlers
who had used the land did not readily recognize the new regime. They
raised the rallying-cry of "free grass and free water"--said they had
fought the Indians off, and the land belonged to them. Taking nippers,
they rode by night and cut down miles of fencing. Shely took the keys of
a county jail from the frightened sheriff, made arrests by the score,
and lodged them in the big new jail. The country-side rose in arms,
surrounded the building, and threatened to tear it down. The big Ranger
was not deterred by this outburst, but quietly went out into the mob,
and with mock politeness delivered himself as follows:

"Do not tear down the jail, gentlemen--you have been taxed for years to
build this fine structure--it is yours--do not tear it down. I will open
the doors wide--you can all come in--do not tear down the jail; but
there are twelve Rangers in there, with orders to kill as long as they
can see. Come right in, gentlemen--but come fixed."

The mob was overcome by his civility.

Texas is to-day the only State in the Union where pistol-carry ing is
attended with great chances of arrest and fine. The law is supreme even
in the lonely _jacails_ out in the rolling waste of chaparral, and it
was made so by the tireless riding, the deadly shooting, and the
indomitable courage of the Texas Rangers.

THE BLUE QUAIL OF THE CACTUS

THE Quartermaster and I both had trouble which the doctors could not
cure--it was January, and it would not do for us to sit in a "blind ";
besides, I do not fancy that. There are ever so many men who are
comfortable all over when they are sitting in a blind waiting on the
vagrant flying of the ducks; but it is solemn, gloomy business, and, I
must say, sufficient reason why they take a drink every fifteen minutes
to keep up their enthusiasm. We both knew that the finest winter resort
for shot-gun folks was in the Southwest--down on the Rio Grande in
Texas--so we journeyed to Eagle Pass. As we got down from the train we
saw Captain Febiger in his long military cloa