Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1866-11-02

COLONEL PFEIFFER.
must introduce you to one more char
tacter, scarcely less famous than Kit Carson,
for his personal prowess and wild life OF
adventure. He walks with cane; and
there is stiffness in his movements which
betrays the soldiers honorable wounds
J; This is Albert H. Pfeifer, Lieutenant Col
onel of Carson's regiment. Born in Fries
land, he came to this country quarter of
a century ago, and during all that time,
he has served his adopted government in
various stations; as private in the ranks,
as an explorer of new countries, as guide
through passes known only to him and the
Indians, as an Indian fighter, or paciica-
tor, as the case demanded.
You will not wonder at his limp and
his stiffness when you know that he is
scared with nearly twenty wounds; that
he carries, embedded in his body, some
Indian souvenirs of bullets; and that two
Ifrightful scars show where an arrow has
lpierced him directly through the body,
lust below the heart-and his countenance
will loose that ghastly appearance when
you have heard the old brave talk for a
few moments, and tell you how it became
so shockingly SCARED; his very slight ac
cent gives piquancy to the low smooth
tones:
THE coLoNEL's NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURE.
eyes, l will tell you about it, if you
really want to hear it-though I don't Of
ten care to think of it at all, for it was
nasty business. 1t happened in 1868,
when was captain in my regiment, and
was stationed at Fort McCrae, in New
Mexico. Those id red skins had put
some of the poison-what they use for
their arrows-where l handled it, and
Ipoisoned my face and hands. 1t was
dreadful, that sickness; and l went to
bathe in the sulphur springs, near the fort.
They are very good for such things. l
took few of my men with me, for protec-
It;on, and to keep guard-for we must be
very watchful there-there were so many
of those red devils about. My wife-she
was Mexican girl-had come with me,
though | had begged her not to expose
herself to this danger; but she had insist
ed on it, and would not allow me to 90
alone"
His voice is very low and distinct here,
as if he would hnger awhile.
"My corporal-he was good and faith
ful soldier, God save him-had also his
Mexican wife with him.
at was sunny, bright morning, and
two of my peons-some Mexican servants
had brought-were packing me in
sheets at the spring. 1t was about twenty
yards from the tent. The sentry had
been called in from the bluffs to his break
fast, and the rest of the party were scat
tered about. At once, without one word
of warning, comes a volley of musketry
and shower of bullets and arrows from
the rocks. My poems fall dead, but the
bullets, they pass over me, as l am lying
down. l spring up, naked as was born,
and see fifty or sixty of those Internal
Navahoes burst from the bluffs, and run
down, some of them at me, some for the
tent.
'Every morning before this l have
taken my arms with me to the spring,
but just tins one time l have not done it;
I run for my tent, and, as l run, they fire
and l fall flat, to dodge their balls. So
my men they think l am killed, they all
run away to the fort; all but one see
standing there. 1t is my brave corporal
he stands; for, you see, dose devils have
his wife now, and mine; run on; it is
close race between me and the Injuns; but
l am in the tent, and l grab my gun Just
as they slit up the back of the tent and |
rush in on me- So | rush backwards to
my corporal, and we face 'em ALL They
stand there, afraid to come on, for they
k7,ow my rifle. Yes, they stand there and
fire on us, until my corporal is wounded
three times, his arms broken and he falls.
And all this time can't fire at them, be-
cause a big rascal holds my wife in front
Of them. You see why can't fire? But
at last make her understand that want
her to drop down; so she falls to the ground,
and l shoot the big rascal just between the
eyes. | start to run to her; but just then
some have got behind me, and shoot me
this arrow through and through my body,
so the point sticks out in front. l try to |
pull the id thing out but Ican't move it. |
''Then they come on, and | see l have
no chance but to run for the river. AS |
am running / trip and fall, and at once
big Indian stands over me, with his bow |
bent and arrow at my very heart. In one
moment sir, it is true, in one moment |
see life and death. | wonder in lazy
way what the future can be; it is a wild |
dream, sharp frenzy-and l know noting
for second till | am on top of that Indian,
and his arrow lies broken on the ground.
pick up stone to beat out the rascaIs +
brains, but they come on; have no time
to kill him, and l go for the river. 1t is
thirty feet down from the bluff, and l
can't swim; so jump down and walk
along the bottom, and come up two or
three times to breathe; SO 1 get across;
and when walk out those internal fellers
all yell like mad, for they think l am
drownded; but l am better than many
dead men yet walk across the bottom
and up the hill more than mile, till l am
come where there are plenty of rocks
and all dis time l can't get that arrow out.
"Then l am weak, for | have bled SO
much; so stop, and make all around
me little breastwork with stones. And II
when they come up l crouch down behind
it, and they can't hit me. | have only
the stones for my wee-pons-for l had
dropped my gun in the river-but dose
id towards didn't dare to come on. So
there sat for more than six hours under
their bullets and arrows; and the burning
sun pours down on my naked body-and
all that hot, hot-oh, it was hot, sir-day, Il
| beat 'em off wild the stones. The blood .
about my wounds had clotted, and l
couldn't any how-try as hard as l could
i couldn't get that id arrow outw #
He was indignant at the arrow: Ii