The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-08-11

valley, ana those That had already
crossed the river were going up very
steep bluff, while others were crossing
after thenNt / saw one man with buck
skin jacket, pants, top boots, and white
hat, and felt quite sure recognized him
as Capt. Tom Custer, which convinced
me that the cavalry was of our COM
mand. $40
s DANGEROUS MISTAKE.
With this conviction stepped boldly
out on the bank and called to Capt. Gus
ter, "Tom, don't leave us here!" The
distance was only few yards and my
call was answered by an internal yell
and discharge of 800 or 400 shots. I
then discovered my mistake and found
the savages were clad in clothes and
mounted on horses which they had cap-
tured from our men. Myself and the
soldier jumped into the bushes (the bull
let's moving down the branches at every
volley) and crawled off to get out of
range of the bullets. In doing 80 we
moved the top branches Of the under
growth, and the Indians on top of the
bluff fired where they saw the commo-
ton, and thus covered us with their
rifles. We now decided to cross clear
ing of about twenty yards and gain an
ether wood, but before doing this took
the precaution to look ont. The pros
pect was terribly discouraging, for, on
our immediate right, not more than fifty
yards distant, saw four or five Indians
gailoping toward us. Near by me there
were two cottonwood stumps nearly
touching each other, and behind this
slender barricade myself and the soldier
knelt down. he with his carbine, with
my revolver, ready to do for a few of the
sayages before they could kill us. We
determined not to fire until they came
so near we could not miss them, and
there we waited. L had given up hope
and made up my mind to it that the end
had come. They had not seen us, and
when the foremost man was just abreast
of me, and about ten yards distant, l
fired.
THEY KILLED TWO INDIANS.
They came in Indian file, and at my
fire they turned rightabout and were
making off, when Private O'Neill fired
his carbine at the second savage, who at
that moment was refining his pony to
turn him back. The private's eye was
true and his carbine trusty, for Mr.. In
dian dropped his rein, threw up his paws
and laid down on the grass to sleep his
last sleep. The gentleman / greeted
rode a short distance and then did like
wise. The rest of the party rode on,
turned the corner of the wood and dis
appeared. We remained in our posi-
ton, expecting every moment that
hundred desperate savages would APP
pear to put an end to us. During all
this time the fire from the bluffs con.
timed, but, after we had fired our shots.
it ceased, and we retired to the thicket,
where we awaited our fate, possessed al
| ternately by hope and despair. From
our position we could see the Indians on
the bluffs, their horses picketed under
cover of the hill, and line of sharp
shooters, all lying flat on their stomachs.
We could hear the battle going on above
us on the hills, the continued rattle of
the musketry, the cheering of our COM
mand, and the shouting of the savages.
Our hopes revived when we heard the
familiar cheers of our comrades, but
dependency followed fast, for we dis
covered that our wood was on fire.
IN THE CRUCIBLE AGAIN.
The sharp cracking of the burning
timber approached nearer and nearer
with awful rapidity, aud we had to shift
our position. We crawled almost to the
edge of the wood, when we discovered
that the fiends had fred both sides. We
moved around until we found a thick
cluster of what they call burberry trees,
under which we crept.
The grass on the edge of this place
was very green, and as it had been rain
ing little before and there was no wind,
when the fire approached our hiding
place it ran very slowly, SO that was
enabled to smother it with my gauntlet
gloves. The fire consumed all the I'M
derwsod around us, and was almost ex-
pended by this time.
There we were in q little oasis, sur
rounded by fire, but comparatively safe
from the element, and with the advan-
tage of seeing almost everything around
us without being seen. We could see
savages going backward and forward,
and one standing on picket not more
than seventy or eighty yards from us,
evidently put there to watch the pro-
gress of the fire. At about 4 o'clock
p. m. this picket fired four pistol shots
IN the air at regular intervals from each
other, which l interpreted as signal of
some kind. Soon after the fire, we heard
the powerful voice of savage crying out,
making the same sound four times, and
after those two signals we saw 200 or
more savages leave the bluffs and ford
the river, evidently leaving the ground.
About one hour after the same double
signals were again repeated, and many
mounted Indians left at a gallop. Soon
the remainder of those left on the bluffs
also retired.
HOPE BIIGHTENs.
Hope now revived, the musketry rattle
ceased, and only now and then we could
hear far-off shot. BY 6 O'Clock every
thing around us was apparently quiet,
and no evidence or signs of any Indians
were near us. We supposed the regi-
ment had left the field, and all that re-
manned for us was to wait for the night
and then pass the river and take the
route for the Yellowstone river, and there
construct raft and descend to the
mouth of Powder river, our supply
camp. OF course, during the thirty-six
hours we were IN suspense we had
neither water nor food at 10 o'clock n.