The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-02-02
! OUR STORY TELLER.
THE YOUNG POST.TRADERS'S ADJ
.gaVENTURE. {lHl
5 BY G, A. STEPHENS. n7

500 Di ~ n. 81 EfhbNS.E H
t1 o.. -A---- .sFN
One night, about the middle of Sep
TENDER, 1876, one OF Gen. Crooks
scouts, named Jim Cummings, set off
from camp on the Little Big Horn, to
go to the supply camp on. the Rosebud.
lie carried an order for the forwarding
ofstores, and was told to return, if posi-
BILE, the following night. A young man
named Seymour. Edes, q nephew of the
post-trader, or sutler, accompanied him.
They started shortly after sunset. 1t
was not supposed that the trip would
beattended by any particular danger, as
none OF the Sioux had been lately seen
IN the section of country to be traversed.
The route lay in part along Little
Big Horn, and could be passed over on
horses. Cummings plan was to leave
the horses at a certain timber belt,
thence to cross the bluff and proceed on
foot to the Rosebud Camp. ~ auH
The night was hazy and rather obscure.
The men proceeded along the river
bottom at an easy canter, with occa-
sional halts, and arrived, little after
midnight, at the place where Jim had
decided to leave the horses. Here they
left their animals securely tethered, and
went up between two steep bluffs,
separated by narrow ravine.
Alter rough ascent of six FREIGHT
hundred yards, they emerged from the
,ravine, and proceeded across tract of
gravel hills. An hour of toilsome walk
ing brought them to the valley of a
small creek, in meadow filled with
willow bushes, with clumps of cotton
wood in the bends. in9I = 8-,la1'Fi
Jim walked rapidly, leading the way.
Both-shad Remington acarbines slung
across their backs. Thus far they had
had little fear of Indians; but as they
went along the creek, Edes began to
feel, as he says, an odd sort of notion
that the redskins were around, though
he had not as yet seen trace nor heard
sound of them.
"Jim," he said, "you don't suppose
there are any Of those red BARRIERS round
here, do your
/" Humphl" muttered the scout.
"Come, hurry up, young fellow, or
we'll get mighty late breakfastp'
But Edes was uneasy. He stopped
occasionally to listen, and fancied, at
times, that he heard sticks crack, and
the muffled tread of moccasined' feet
But, though he strained his eyes, he was
unable to catch glimpse of either
savage or beast-for Jim had said there
might possibly be timber-welf follow.
ing them.
AT length Edes determined to know
whether his apprehensions came from
mere fancy or nervousness. As they
turned bend of the creek, he whipped
INTO willow-clump and stood still
while the scout kept on.
From this shelter he watched intentlv
Tor some minutes, the open space alons
which they had Just come. -
Jim, meantime, was getting long way
ahead. Edes was about to start again
when he saw a file of ,dusky form
emerge from the cottonwood and follow
.stealthily on their trail. There wer,
Tour Indians, and the sight sorrivetet
Edes's senses that he stood watchin.
them, half spell-bound.
i.uT The savages walked SO swiftly tina
they were close upon him before he hao
decided what to do. Dropping to tn,
ground under the bushes, he lay per
tectiy still, save for the loud beathing O
his heart, and in moment the redskin
had passed him.
Kissing on his knees, Edes unslung hi
-earbine to follow and fire on them, bu
3 immediately changed his mind. ant
determined net to risk his life. Just a
THAT instant, however, he heard Cum
mings call to him, bidding him hurry.
line four savages stopped. Rather
than desert his comrade, Edes now re
solved to fire at them. They stood lis
tening, some six or seventy yards dis
tant, and, taking deliberate aim, he fred
AT the report, they all dropped, :
though Edes was by no means sure tina
he had hit either of them.
a moment later he heard a noise il
tne brush, round to the left, and sus
pected that they were surrounding him
lie At once slid down the bank of tn,
creek and dashed through it, the waite
being hardly more than knee-deep. iFf
~ Two OF the savages fired at him as h,
spiashed through the stream, and AT,
ether shot came after him as he sprane
up the opposite bank. The last bulIe
was soweii aimed that he felt it pass hi
ear. ~ r'''''
Dodging behind a cottonwood h,
claPPed cartridge in his breech-loader
AT the same instant he heard shot from
below, fred by Cummings, who had
heard Edes's first shot and ran bacK
his shot probably deferred the Indian,
from crossing the creek after Edes.
Edes listened a minute or two. anc
not hearing the Indians in the creek
took to his heels, fearing they would cut
HIM OF from recrossing the creek below
and listened.
Inc osier copse was thick here, but a