The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-08-18

| Ihe INDIANS are all arOunQ us, ana we
must take to the rocks ON foot. 1t is
our only chance"
l did as directed, but felt pang at
leaving my noble beast, which was bleed
ing from a wound in the side. We dared
not shoot our horses, for that would dis
cover our movement to the enemy.
Grouard advised this proceeding. With
celebrity which was only possible to men
struggling for life, and to escape dread
full fate, our party obeyed their orders,
and, in Indian file, retired through the
wood and fallen trees in our rear, toward
the east, firing volley and some scat
tering shots before we moved out, to
make the Indians believe we were still in
position. Our horses were evidently
visible to the savages-a circumstance
that facilitated our escape. We ran for
mile through the forest, waded Tongue
river (the headwaters) up to our waists,
and gained the rocks of the mountain
ridge, where no Indian pony could fol-
low us, when we heard five or six scat
tering volleys in succession. It was the
final fire of the Indians before they made
their charge at our slate corral" to get
our scalps. "We are safe for the pres
ent," said Grouard, with a grim smile,
"but let us lose no time in putting
more rocks between us and the White
Antelope" We followed his advice
with a feeling of thankfulness which
only men in such trials ever know. How
astonished the Indians must have been
when they ran in upon the manned
horses and did not get single scalp.
Even under such circumstances as
we were placed in, we had a little
laugh at their expense. But we had
escaped one danger only to encounter
another. Fully forty-five miles of
mountain, rock, and forest lay between
us and Crooks camp. We could not
carry single particle of food, and had
to throw away everything superfiuous in
the way of clothing. With at least 500
Indians behind us and uncounted preci-
pices before us, we found our rifles and
100 rounds of ammunition each suf-
ficient load to carry. The brave
Grouard, the ablest of scouts. conducted
our retreat, and we marched, climbed,
and tumbled over places that at other
times would have been impossible to us,
until midnight. Then we halted under
in immense. pile of rocks on the top of q
mountain, and there witnessed one of
the most terrible wind d-storms that can be
imagined.
Long before dawn we were again
stumbling through the rocks and forests,
and at daylight reached the tremendous
canon cut in the mountain by what is
called the eastern fork of Tongue river.
Most of our men were too exhausted to
make the descent of the canon, so
Grouard led us through an open valley
down by the river, on the left bank, for
two miles as hard as We could go, for if
discovered there by the savages we could
only halt and die together. Fortune fa-
vored us, and we made the right bank of
the stream unobserved, being then about
twenty-five miles from Crooks head
quarters. In our front were the plains
of the eastern slope, full of hostile In
dams, while our only avenue of escape
was to climb over the tremendous preci-
pice which formed the right side of the
canon. But the dauntless Grouard was
equal to the crisis. He scaled this
gigantic wall diagonally, and led us along
mere squirrel path not more than q foot
wide, with an abyss 500 feet below, and
q sheer wall of rock 200 feet high above
us. After an hours herculean toll we
gained the crest, and saw the point of
the mountain, about twenty miles dis
tant, where lay our camp. This, as may
be imagined, was q blissful vision, but
we were half dead with fatigue,
and some of us were almost
famine-stricken. Yet the indefati-
gable Grouard would not stop until we
reached the eastern foothills, where we
made dive into the valley to obtain
water, our only refreshment on that
hard, rugged road. Scarcely had we
slaked our thirst when Grouard led us
up the hills again, and we had barely
reached the timber when, around the
rocks, at the point we had doubled
shortly before, appeared another strong
party of Sioux. This made us desper-
ate. Every man examined his rifle and
looked to his ammunition. We all felt
that life would be too dearly purchased
by further fight, and following the ex-
ample of the brave young Sibley and
the two gallant scouts, we took up our
position among the rocks on the knoll
we had reached, determined to sell our
lives as dearly ss possible. "Finerty, y
said Sibley to me, "we are in hard luck,
but, d--n them, we'll show the red
scoundrels how white men can die.
Boys Cunning to the soldiers), we have
a good position let every shot dispose
of an Indian"
At that moment not man among us
felt any inclination to get away. Des
peration and revenge had usurped the
place of the animal instinct TO preserve
our lives. In such moments mind is su
perior to matter, and soul to the nerves
But we were spared the ordeal. The
J Sioux failed to observe us, as, very for
tunately, they did not advance higl
enough to find our trail, but kept east
ward on the lower branch of Tongu,
river. Thoroughly worn out, we al
fell asleep, excepting the tireless scouts
and awoke at dark somewhat refreshed
, Not a man of MS, Sioux or no Sioux, coult
3 endure the mountain journey longer
| so we took our thirty jaded, hunted live
' in our hands and struck along the valley
, actually wading Big Goose creek MP :.
+, our arm-pits, at 3 o'clock Sunday morn
= ing, the water being cold as the noun
y tain snow could make it. Two men
Q Sergeant Cornwell and Private Collins