The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1864-10-08
"ritten expressly for the Montana Post. ~
rive Days Beseiged by Indtans

while in the employ of the Fur Comnso I :
IN getting out saw logs for Fort B---. and
mad very narrow escape from BEING car.
tured by the Indians, and feeling sure tha
none OF those who shared the danger will
ever forgot the circumstances. write nh,
account, trusting that it NAV meet the av.
OF some of my companions, now scattersf
b,y the hand of Destiny, far and wide 'ove,
the face Of the globe. The simnle and ,,,'
adorned narrative of our trials and deliy.
erance, may perchance recall with feel;ns,
Sl pleasure, the memory of our Friendships
curing the days OF our wanderings among
Our shanty was of triangular shape. bull,
close to the banks of the Missouri. The
entrance was from the river side, the bach
OF the building presenting square face
towards the dense woods which stretched
FOR three miles back to the foot of the Bluffs.
10 get out the requisite number of logs
would have taken us about Is davs so we
started with ten days provisions, depend
ing on killing some game with which we
calculated to exc out our supply for the re-
naming five days. ~! .''''i -.
We We're getting along finely, and had
one half of our raft aAoat, when on the
seventh day, we were startled by the hasty
return OF the man who was attending to
our stock, who brought the alarming intel
lIgence that he had seen a war party of In
dlans, but whether they had seen him or
not ne could not tell. All that remained
for us to do, was to prepare, as we'll as pos
slble, for all emergencies. We could not
leave by land, as the Indians were between
US and our horses and to try to escape on
foot would have been madness. Having no
boats Of any kind, we could not hope to es-
cape by the river. So we were forced to
remain in statu quo, and await the denoue-
ment, which was not long delayed. Among
my six comrades there was one, a Spaniard.
who deserves especial mention. He was as
brave man as ever met with, and had we
followed: his advice, several lives would
have been spared. As night closed in, we
increased our watchfulness, and soon we
deserted the forms Of the Indians moving
stealthily along through the underbrush.
The moon went down about midnight, and
hardly an hour had elapsed ere we became
aware of the near approach of the red
devils. We had kept ourselves ready for
action ever since dark, and when the In
dians with terrible yell, made rush for
our little fortress, the crack of seven rifles
somewhat astonished them. Not expecting
so determined resistance, they withdrew
and left us undisturbed for the rest of the
night. At day break, we all felt like sleep
ing, but, by order of the Spaniard, whom
we considered as our commander, two kept
watch while the others sought repose. As
We began to suffer from thirst, he conclud-
ed to 60 for water, it being but about thirty
feet to the river, and a steep bank inter-
venlng between our shanty and the stream.
He supposed he could creep along unob-
served, but he was mistaken, for as soon as
his body was fairly out of the door, twenty
shots were fred at him simultan cously, for
tunately without effect, and in another mo-
ment he was in our midst. During the day
several attempts were made bv him to get
to the water, but all failed. During the
night the pangs Of thirst became an addi-
tional source of trouble, and we also OBJ
served with the greatest CONSERVATION the
smaliness of our stock of provisions,
During the day, the red skins Kept them
selves out of range of our guns, but when
the second night closed in on US, we had the
satisfaction of seeing one of the Indians
fall by the rife of the Spaniard. After the
moon went down and darkness covered the
woods, our leader was fortunate enough to
slip unobserved to the river, and return
with bucket full of the long coveted
water. Never did think more of the Mis-.
souri, water than did that night. We were
left undisturbed during the remaining hours
of darkness.
The second day at noon, the Spaniard
concluded to try to make his escape to the
Fort and get assistance. He started, and
was gone not more than one hour, when we
heard him coming through the dry brush
and tall weeds at full speed, the Indians
not twenty yards behind him. They must
have been determined to get him alive for
rs he says, they could have shot him several
times. ,r @it
Things now began to wear desperate
aspect. Our provisions had failed, and the
Indians seemed determined to starve us out.
We dared not leave the shanty, not know
ing how many of the red devils we had to
contend with. Never did feel so faint as
on the evening of the third day. In the
evening, we could see the Ind ians moving
through the woods, and shortly after they
opened fire on us. The thickness of the
ogs prevented this from doing any harm,
Ind shortly after we saw them retreating |
lown the river bank. We were thinking
hat We had got rid of our beseigers, and
started out next morning for the fort afoot,
,ut hardly had we left the shanty, when we
we're received with shower of bullets,
which luckily did US no fatal injury, only |
Tounding one man in the thigh. With diff |
iculty we dragged him into the shanty, and |
made up our minds that we would sooner |
lie the slow death of Starvation, than be |
,aptured by our savage foe. Our captain |
hen proposed to make an attempt to get off
~ the way of the river. To this We all
greed, and he promised to lay his plans
before US in the evening. Hunger being /
low felt much more keenly than ever, we /
ore off the coles eff our moccasins, which
we're made of raw bull hide, and being
oaked in water, were cut into strips and /
;reedily devoured BY the whole party
+ such proyender did not satisfy our. hun
,er, it at least kept us alive. Night came /
IN once more, bat the moon shining bright
y till early in the morning we had to defer
'ur escape till about daylight. The Span
ard led the way, but hardly had he left the
Al, - =. a.