The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1875-03-18
for some time; their liberal potations sur

for some time; their liberal potations SUI
mounting their discretion.
"Dick," they called back as they wer
driving of, "a cool twelve hundred apiece
throw out your old shell and join tn,
hut"
The driver mumbled something, bu
the whisky had tbickened his speech Sc
that it was unintelligible to me.
Ii he did attempt to move the coffin.
was lost
They kept within hailing distance fol
some three or four miles,-Dick rattlins
the wagon along at stunning gait; and
expected every moment that nv shell
would be jostled out
BY and by, there was shout off to the
right OF "tallyhol" as if the huntsmen had
sighted the quarry. Nothing but an un
warrantable amount of liquor could have
influenced them to conduct themselves as
they did, for no sooner had they called out
from the right, Dick came to sudden
halt, leaped from tbs seat, and ran off to,
ward those who were hallooing.
Fol-. an instant my heart stopped beat,
ing at the thought of the hazard l was
about to run. The next moment spranp
from the coffin to the ground. A few
llghtning-like strokes, and / had severed
the traces and the hold backs of the har-
ness.
The whole scene is vividly pictured in
my mind. The moon-ighted prairie, the
little ravine toward which the renegades
were dashing, the wagon standing in the
trail-then the rattling of the falling
thills reached the ears of the party, and
with wild shout they turned toward me.
was on the horses back, but boldly de-
fined by the moonlight. There was the
sharp report of two rifles. l felt sting
In my foot, another in my shoulder, but
the horse was uninjured and the race for
life began.
There was disheartening disadvantage
tor me, for | had no saddle, but 1 was
riding for my life, and l held my stecd be-
tween my knees, and took the broad trail
with the fury of the tornado. But the
issue would rest mostly with the horse.
| knew nothing of the one which I rode /;
knew nothing of those that were pursu-
ing me, excepting my own white-faced
mare. She could run like an antelope and
out-wind hurricane
On and on my steed, desperately spur
red by the point of my knife, bore ahead,
actually causing me to gasp for breath !;
and not two hundred yards in the rear
rode my would-be murderers.
On the rolling prairie now, and my ami.
NAL took the declivities with a plunge,
and the elevations with sure, fierce stride
ACROSS the brawling ford-but crack
came another rifle echo, and again a
stream of fire seemed to strike my should.
er. They are closing in-closing up.
could now make out only two horsemen
following me. One of these had dis
charged his rifle at me, the other knew
was held in rest for them to come Just a
few yards nearer
A momentary dizziness Topped me over
upon my horses neck. The rufians yell.
ed triumphantly behind, but a distant
echo brought me up, and giving my poor
beast stinging blow, emitted the wild
long, fierce yell of the border rangers, and
sped on again; but my horse had that
peculiar squirm now and then in his gait
that told me he was faltering.
Again that echo reached me, swelling
out on the rising wind-it was the shril
squeal of the fife and the rum-diddle-um
did-e-um-dum-dum, dunn of infantry re-
turning from some expedition to Fort
l.. Again | sent out that long, wild
border yell, and | knew by the quicker
breathing of the fife, and the rapid pulls
ing of the drum, that the soldiers had
broken into the "double-quick" in heed OF
my cry,
A parting shot fired at random, and
the two desperadoes turned; but one of
them, at least, was not done with.
called my horse with a peculiar whistle;
repeated and repeated it, and then heard
him crashing again in pursuit, while his
rider shouted and lashed him, and tried
to pull him round the other way. For /,
brief time the desperate wrestled with thu
animal, lashed, goaded, and roared at her
but my incessant, jerky whistle-call KEEP
her mind and head toward me. He onl,
gave up the fruitless struggle and leapet
from her back when squad of infantr,
dashed over a billowy swell of prairie, ant
rushed down towards us at that steady
measured run which is so effective in con
trast with disorderly gait
'Its Wolf, boys" exclaimed, as the,
came up with me-for l knew his voice
| had no need to tell them there was
price set upon his head, as it had beer
clearly proven that he had stirred up the
savages to commit more than one mas sa
ere of the settlers; and dozen of them
uttering a yell of fury, started in pursuit
while the others, noticing my swayins
about on the animal which rode, begar
to think that l had found something seri
Gus in my race for life. In fact the plaiI
was rising and falling and shutting abou
50 that it took great amount of nerv,
and equipoise to sit as [ ought. They
got me into Fort Laramie, however, will
uncle's promissory notes all safe in m,
breast pocket; with my boots full o.
blood, and the CALLING flesh wounds in m.
shoulder, accounted for the odd maneu
verings of the plain while | was on horse
back.
After brief but desperate conflict
Bill Wolf was brought in, and passed
over to the proper officers "to have and
hold, !" until there should be meted out t,
him the measure he had given others.