The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-03-16
4 STORY OF THE FRONTIER,

| fighters ana mtnefS-SHt around camp
| tire on the trail to Dcatlwood. Soft flakes
! of snow sailed IN eccentric co,irses through
| the night air. aud finally settled down into
| the sputiefIug fire ar upon the cold earth.
There were other men ou the tail beftnc
and behind. Men rush wherever the pre-
| cio,is metal is discovered There were bro
ken wagons, dead horses and human skeic-
| tons :rlong every mile of he rail and fierce
| eyed Indians looked ont from every raviuc
| and down upon travellers from etcry hill.
The doZen gathered closer as darkness
shut down and the SHOW flakes came faster,
| and by aud 10y an old mau with grizzly
| locks and piercing eye said, as if speaking
! To himself:
.Cusier went in to kill. 1t was an awful
| thing 30 do--to rush three hundred men
| down upon five thousand reds--but lie did
| It, and meant - win. No other man Will
J ever take such chances
/ Aud yet one WAS uc:ir by who meant .te
take greater chances. So cat like WAS his
! step that lie had nost entered camp be-
| fnie the seninels sa W him. He was - giant
| III size. and, as he halted where thp iig.ihof
! he tilc shuf,e full in his face three or four
| men uttered cxciamai iuIis OF surprise and
| horror. There was blood ON the strangers
! fhcc--6ln,ni on his great r"u@b hands
| blood over his clothing clear down To his
BOOTS. IT, Was terrible sight, anl yet, as
J If something further WAS needed, the S.ran
saw tha' AN attempt had been matte To scalp
! nim. 'N ater-ioud - he whispered assiie
| look ed from face iu face.
Both were given him, and after drinking
| full quart of water he gIaspcd loaf of
| bread and hunk of mca.. aud tore them
with his teeth ds a Wolf would lave done.
I BY and by, when his hunger had Jecn
| newhat appeased, he said
lit happened off this way, nigh totwen.
! " miles. Il LOST The trail somehow. and The
| iniuns swooped down me ut noon to-day
| The old woman and five children were in
| The wagon. There were forty "r fifty reds,
| aud it WASH three minutes befuIc the hull
| family was dead all hut me -
His eyes biazed with fury he seemed to
grow in height, and, casiing the remnants
of the food iutoiho fire. he ferc,.ly shouted:
"fhink of the old wonnan having Ecr
brains beaicn out by HE ficnds ! Think uf
the children being Iaul,d uut'n IL wagon
and scall.etl aud stabbed and ihcir thruais
cut from To- ear Come om-cJme with
me -
| He lcaped over the fire and bounded away
INTO he darkness. bat presently returned
md said in calner voice
Il lit, of course. 1t was which for who
lint they were fifty tn oHc. drove 'cm
from The cnrpses. | dubbed 'em off Will,
| my rife. hut they were too many. They
shot and stabbed mc /; they rum me to iiie
npon."
The giant trembleh like n leaf and the
| fresh blood ran from his wounds aud trick
| led down in red paths over his neck aud
! checks and clnthug. The leader of the
! party tIied to s"othc him, promising aid as
| soon daylight came. but the stranger
| waved his arms and iied out :
"What can you do? The wolves are
! feeding on my wife and children to Mig III;
| their scalps arc back in the hills with the
| Indians. Can You bring life back to them?
| Give me gun and an ax -
! No one moved for two or three seconds
/ being speii-bnuud hy his wild look and
! words aud the stranger picked up IL c.,val
| ~ carbine aud ils box OF ca:riidGes, seiz. q
| the light AK used about The campfire, and
! in another minnie was lost sight Of in the
darkness. calling back. as his step was lost
! to hearing 1T is which for " ilo ~
Next day, about mid aitcIn"un, the par
/ ty came upon two dead ludIan ponies. ly-
/ ing beiwcen The trail ani the fout-hills to
| the right. y few ,aitis further an was a
great stain of blood un the two inches ni
| snow covering the grass. warrior had
J fallen here and been carr led oil 10y his
! comrades There was the trail of Il white
/ man on foot, heading Cor the foot hills bat
| moving slowly. aud there were ilaiu traces
that the MAJ. had halted! every few rods to
! use his weapons. All along the trail we've
the hoof tracks Of ponies aud an old hunter
shook his head and said:
''l5 is the man who left our camp last
| night Back thar is whar the ,cds first
J sighted him, and he sto,,i III his tracks aud
| killed two pennies and one Iniun. There
was gang of forty or fifty reds and the
white man moved to git among the hills
! and have fair play. Jst look tharr'
Fifteen or twenty rolls ahead were three
| dead ponies. lying close together. The
| band "i redskins had matlea charge upon
! the lone mau at this point aud he had met
! them bravely. The SHOW told everything
Standing in lis tracks. and not lifting Il
| foot, except 10 mhcel around he bad whip
! ped the whole gang There were three
| dead ponies Within a hundred feet Of the
white mai's position, and again the snow
was crinSuucd with two great pal clics Of
! bioo0 where The warriors had fallen.
''Great ,1cd bat how he fit - whisper
ed the old huuter. as he saw l,ew the snow
had been .ramplei down 'but they
wounded him here"
So they had. He had rctrented slowly
seeming to have NJ fear. aud along his trail
was a track of blood. The first hills were
mile away. and straight for the hills ran
the blood path through the snow. There
was no sound of couflct---io red demons in
sight. (which for whn'' had met them
catly in the morning. and the tragedy. had
been played befnre the sun was two hours
old. Again, between the hree dead Islnies
and the first hill the white man had Iren
charged by the full band. Tey hid cir
! cled around him and then charged at
common center. One lone man. armed
with carhine and an AK. that center.
Thirty, forty. perhaps fifty to one and yet
he had not weakened in the least. On the
tight was dead pony, rhe left two
crimson spots IN the snow. Ahead toward
the hill a horse had allen aud struggled up
and half doz"n trails al blood could i,e
counted. The indians had given away. aud
ut IA STOW pace the white man had resumed
his journey.
''You will see sight 10 make your ilesl,
crawl, over in the hills whispered the
hunter, and the party slowly advanced.
| The lone man bad not hurried his pace.
| The yelling. i,owlins, wko"ping redskins
| galloping around him. firing upou him aud
! sure of his saaln lad rnf stlIk en- his nerve