, 1877-11-02
An Old-fashioned Indian Story.

Once there was wild Indian chief
called War Eagle, who had band OF two
or three hundred warriors, about the
worst set Of cruel, thieving redskins that
ever raided on ssettler, or stole pony.
They had been dhiug so much mischief
in burning houses and stealing cattle
from the farmers of the far west, that the
General ofthe, army sent company Of
hundred soldiers, commanded by an old
Indian.fghter Captain, and told them to
hunt War Eagles band down till every
one was killed or taken prisoner.
So the captain and his soldiers set off
for the Indian country on horses. Every
man carried @ rifle and bayonet, and two
revolvers, and they used to practice
shooting every day, SO as TO be good
marksmen.
The Indians hunted and fought mostly
with bows and arrows, knives and toma-
hawks, In those days; only u few of them
had old muskets that they had taken
from the soldiers who had been killed in
other wars.
f When the captain got near to their
country, he left his horses in fort, and
went on afoot, because the way was so
rough, rocky, and woody. But he took
along dozen mules to carry the tents,
provisions, powder, and other things.
Inabout ten daysthe soldiers came to
the topof mountain, where they could
see Ithe Indians bark wigwams, or tents,
away down in aldeep valley With spy
glass the captain counted sixty huts, and,
allowing four Indians ito each, he made
out that his hundred soldiers had got to
fight two hundred and forty Indians.
That very night he sent down two of his
guides to peak around and see what they
could find out about Mr.. War Eagle. But
they got little too near, and some In
dians saw and chased them, and shot one
poor fellow dead, about half way up the
hill, but daren't come any further. The
other guide came running into camp aud
told about it, and the captain knew there
was q fight close ahead for him and his
soldiers.
"We'll teach the varmints one Lesson
to begin with, he said. A a.
- He knew The Indians would send back
party to get the dead soldiers scalp
lock, and so he Sent squad of soldiers
to bury him and gave them large can of
powder to put in over the body. They
fixed fuse and percussion cap on little
spring, so that when anybody should pull
on the string bitched to the powder it
would go off like cannon. On the top
of the can they put some brush and
leaves and then threw on dirt lightly to
cover 10 up. p. tsf
Then they went to the top of the hill
and watched. Sure enough, in an hour
or two, as many as fifty ugly red skins
csme running TO the spot, with black war
paint on their faces, and feathers in their
hair--all dancing and yelling ike mad.
80, dig away 7 said the captain, "and
youn learn to let brave soldiers graves
alobe.n UE
They all gathered around and began
paving ont the dirtand brush IN alhurry,
when, All At once, blaze and puff of
smoke came out Of the grave, and then a
roar ike cannon was heard. They had
exploded the po@der.can, and five or six
Of the sayages we're thrown into the air
and killed, and the rest rsa bowling away.
saying. "Ugb dead pale face make big
thunder under groundV
This tickled the captain, but he know
they would bs after the camp next, and
% be got ready. AS night came on he
LET the fires 60 almost out 10 front of the
tents. And he told each soldier to bring
log, wrap his overcoat around it, and
put i down in the blankets inside 50
thatit would look as much like a sleeping
man as could be- in the dusk. The sol,
diers knew some trick was up. and Sc
they liked a lot Of wooden soldiers tina
would have fooled the captain himself, i
he had not known.
Then he gave each Of the soldiers