JIM BRIDGER'S ALARM CLOCK AND OTHER TALL TALES

Jim Bridger's alarm clock happens to be a slab-flat mountain: moving south on a night so bitter cold that a spark from his fire gives him frostbite, Jim calculates just how far from the mountain he should camp so that eight hours later his own wakeup roar will come echoing back. Later Jim uses the same mountain echo to can the music of a sulking fiddler who won't play for the town dance but will show off for Bridger earlier in the day. And, sure enough, when desperadoes rob the town bank on the 5th of July, the sound of last night's celebration drives them straight into jail, certain that the whole U.S. cavalry must be after them. A trio of mile-high mini-tales from the master you'll never catch nodding.