The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-02-11
.emed as if its beatings could be heard :

peril, and [ would have wagered my
chances against rush.
! Softly, Bob and we crept Oh IN the
darkness. We had gone a good halt
mile away, and [ began to have hopes Of
! getting clear off from the savages whom
| [ knew must have enclrcled US, when a
| distant rumble met my ear, and III a sec
ond more a fash of lightning SO vivid
| that it lit the prairie round me like noon
day. With sudden neigh Of the arm,
my horse plunged forward. and in a mo-
ment more there came up from all sides
a veil that demons only can utter. | had
been proceeding directly on body of say
ages, and had the lightning revealed me
to them, | should have rode into their
midst in a few yards more.
With a quick jerk OF the rein, we pass
ed to the left, and then commenced a
chase through the darkness and storm
that Will ever live present in my memory.
On, at speed | never dreamed him
capable of, few my horse, and close behind
him came the yelling demons. Letting
go the reins, and pracing myself firmly III
the saddle | drew and cooked my other
navy. Close behind heard the tnud OF
boots, and turning, jast us another flash
of lightning came / nred three shots IN
rapid succession. One OF them ut least
told for | heard the sharp, shri!l neigh
that horse gives only when mortaliy
hurt, and directly alterWard heard Il
heavy fall Then [ got voiley IN return.
Whiz! zip zip! Right then and there is
where | lost and lett Il poTJion OF Lny lett
ear the other balls Went screeching
over my head For u mile they kept up
a fu5llade on me firing at almost every
flash of lightning Their bullets were
we'll aimed, out the first wound L received
was the only one | now began to teeI
that | was gaining In the chase slowly
but still widening the gap between me
and death at the stake. Putting up my
revoivers, / bent forward III the saddle
and devoted myself to encouraging BOD
to KEEP up his terrific gait. lie had not
been practlced on mile heats best
three In ive, for nothing. \ quarter u
an hour OF this terrific speed, and the yell
OF the Pawnees could no longer be heard.
They had hauled OF the chase, probably
arguing that better scheme Tor biooI
ana sca!.,s existed among my comrades.
When / deemed that al Immediate
danger vas passed, / drew my horse down
into 4 steady 'Iope that knew ne
could maintain for d whole day, turning
his head again TO where / judged Lara
ME sbUuid be. All that night except
once, when Tor I few moments / uIsinuunt-
Ell 10 give iIiIn Il craze and u breathing
spell. BOB Kept up tnag long, a.ead.
"a eNicttl GAIT; ,,t-I Uot as the auu chow
Ell his lace over h. black His, / ..u4.eu
up snort at shallow ford OF Dead ! rap
per's creek. Dialuouutiug L made Il
brief lunch, and then gave any horse the
attention that the poor brute SO sadly
needed. Hiding continually / could reach
Laramie IL thirty hours. Would my
horse hold out, especially if, as was very
probable, we might attract the attention
OF rowing indians, and be put to another
locomotive chaser That question was
never solved, Tor ere | had finished my
rubbing of his swollen muscles, with d
wild whoop and hallOo, there came riding
round grove Of cotton woods Il band OF
horsemen, composed partially Of blue
coats and partially OF prairie scouts
headed by the renowned 'Buffalo Bill, "
and in a moment more | was surrounded
by the curious needy. 1t did not take
me long 20 tell my tale, and, after hasty
breakfast, we TOOK my back Trail to the
rescue OF the cached soldiers. The party
were a band Of Col Chivington's scouts,
and had only met NE by accident. They
laughed iii glee at the thought OF an en-
counter with their old enemies, the Paw
nces- Taking steady cantcr, on we rode
all day, stopping halt an hour at dusk for
Craze and lunch, and then forward all
night | had described the landmarks
surrounding our important fort TO-. Buf-
taio Bill, and, at the head of the col
umn, he rode onward, straight as an
arrow.
just at daybreak we heard rafting
fusIlade mingled with yelis and whoops,
and guided by the sound we charged
down upon the fort. Surrounding it,
mounted and on foot, were horde of
hungry PaWneeS, determined to capture
it by mere force Of numbers. Twice dur
ing each night, and once on the day sue
ceedlng my escape, had detachments en-
deavored to capture or Kill the brave
little band crOuched behind the insignlti-
cant earthwork. Every horse had been
shot, and the plain around was strewn
with half-naked saYages and their dead
ponies.
In the midst of the terrific combat we
put III our appearances. And it was IN
good time. Half score Of Pawnees had
leaped the frail breastwork, and were
lighting hand to hand inside. With Il
loud yell we charged into their midst.
Five minutes. and the only indians IN
sight We're either those dead, wounded or
dying. When the plucky defenders real
lied that assistance had arrived, there
went up our old battle cry, and such
tossing OF hats aud shaking Of hands |
ne5er witnessed before. But there was
a sad drawback Stretched out, side by
side, We're four poor fellows who had
fallen in the several battles, while five
more were grooming IN the agony Of
wounds. y camp was formed near by,
and here we waited for eight days, until
Il body OF the scouts went through to
Laramie and brought back surgeon and
ambulanccs. The killed we buried just
outside the fort, leaving them to the care
of the wild sava9es and the hungry
wolves, with not even a board to mark
the names Or deeds OF men whom Michi-
/