The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-08-10

4
valley, and those that had already
crossed the river were going up very
steep bluff, while others were crossing
| after them. I 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.
A DANGEROUS MISTAKE.
With this conviction stepped boldly
out on the bank and called to Capt. Gus
ter, ssTom, don't leave us herel" The
distance was only few yards and my
call was answered by an Internal yell
and discharge of 300 or 400 shots. I
then discovered my mistake and found
the savages were clad lin 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 so 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
other wood, but before doing this took
the precaution to look out The pros
pect was terribly discouraging, for, on
our immediate right, not more than fifty
yards distant, saw four or five Indians
galloping 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 few of the
savages before they could kill us. We
determined not to fire until they came
so near we could not miss them, and
there we waited. I 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, 1
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 fred
} 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 1 greeted
rode 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-
tion, expecting every moment that a
: hundred desperate Savages would APP
IL 10 oil
this time the fire from the bluffs con-
tinued, 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 fiat on their stomachs.
We could hear the battle going on above
us on the hills, the continued rattle of
the musketry, the cheering of OH 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, and we had to shift
our position. We crawled almost to the
edge of the wood, when we discovered
that the fends had fred both sides. We
moved around until we found 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 l was
enabled to smother it with my gauntlet
gloves. The fire consumed all the I'M
derwood around us, and was almost ex-
pended by this time.
There we were in 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 o'clock
p. m. this picket fired four pistol shots
in the air at regular intervals from each
other, which interpreted as signal OF
some kind. Soon after the fire, we heard
the powerful voice of a 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 q gallop. Soon
the remainder of those left ON the bluffs
also retired.
HOPE BRIGHTENS.
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