The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1879-08-30

Il
hopeless tangle with the wheel AM
{ mails, and his complications with Tn
harness were II pathetic mixture of help
lessness and Ignorance. As to hi
helplessness, it was unique and com
plete in its way. He seemed utterl.
incapable of doing anything withou
advice and assistance. mo efn'
1t Is, perhaps, needless To say tina
these characteristics, however origina
and amusing In themselves, We're no
such as To elevate theirpossessor In thu
esteem of the party. In less than
week from the day of departure tn
man from Kentucky had warned navi
not To come near him again At the risl
of being crippled for lie. At the enc
Of a fortnight, I~grieve TO say, he hat
been kicked by an irascible member o
the party, and the propriety Of desert
ing him on the PLAINS had been seri
ously discussed. Hardly man spoke
to him, and he seemed very pariah In
the camp,
After we had been three weeks out
there were not wanting signs of the
proximity of hostile Sioux. Signal
smokes were seen i'm the evening, and
small clouds of dust low down upon
the horizon Indicated the presence OF
scouting bands. In the mid-aftelnoOn
of a sunny Sunday. as we were slowly
ascending a low ridge in the prairie
the advance scout came galloping i'm
with ball through the arm, and mo-
ment later q yelling band of Sioux be-
gan to circle about the train. To dis
! mount and form the three wagons into
a triangular barricade was the work OF
but a few minutes. Most of the men
knew their danger and how to meet it.
The Sioux were i'm large force, apd mar
rOwed their circles i'm the assurance of
an easy victory. Their bullets began
dropping in almost Immediately. In
three minutes after the ball opened
several of the animals had been killed,
and Johnson, our leader, lay under a
wagon with bullet through his head.
As i said, all the party were heavily
armed. But should have excepted
Davis, who not only was unarmed, but
from his general character was deemed
quite capable of grOveling in the dust
at such u time. In the hurry of the
moment he had been lost sight of and
now, when he slipped forward to pos
sess himself of the dead mans gun, the
man from Kentucky told him with an
oath to drop it, or give it to some one
who would use it. Davis did not drop
| it, however, but took his station at the
rear end of one of the wagons. In q
moment more the spirally decreasing
circle of savages broke suddenly, and
swept i'm wild charge toward the
train. And as we turned toward the
point of attack to see two of the adj
vancing warriors drop to the quick re-
port of Davis rifle, / think surprise
and establishment would have render
ed us Incapable of resistance, had not
the Indians swerved from their course
and began circling again, as they did.
But the man who had turned the at
tack never stirred from his post. His
slouching aspect seemed somehow to
be shaken off, as ne stood there erect
and firm as rock. His infirm under
lip closed up lik steel trap into hard,
straight line. His pale blue eyes wore
cool, decided look. The man from
Kentucky looked at him moment,
and went back to his post with NUT
tered, "Well, I'll be blankedw The
guide tying his wounded arm i'm a
sling, said he'd "give it up" The
whole party breathed freer
But the whistling Of bullets and the
yells of the Sioux continued. In a
short time the canvas tops of the wag-
Ons looked like gigantic selves. The
circles of the savages widened only to
contract again. Whenever a reckless
brave approached within fair range, the
sharp crack of the Winchester from
the rear of the wagon sent a ball into
his painted body. There was no ran
dom firing from that rifle; every shot
brought its man. The repeated charges
of the Sioux grew less frequent from
the fact of the loss of two or three of
their number under the deadly aim of
those pale blue eyes. 1t was after the
fifth or sixth charge of this kind that
the man from Kentucky expressed the
unanimous sentiment of the party
when he said: FiUfif = 2
"Hadn't yer better get further under
cover, Davis? It's purity open thar"
But Davis shook his head without
changing position.
The evening wore slowly away. The
minutes went by to an accompaniment
of shot and yell. Some of the animals
were living dead beside the wagons.
The spokes of the wheels and the beds
of the vehicles We're riddled and splin-
tered with bullets. Charge after charge
had been repu.sed. Three men were
lying badly wounded inside the trian-
Gle. The victims of the deadly Win
chester formed a Struggling line almost
from its muzZle to the circle of discOm-
flied but not defeated Sioux beyond.
Its owner had hardly spoken a word
inal that time, but had stood there
like statute of Fate. Night came on,
and low moon wrapped the landscape
in dusky crayons. The savages retain
ed their circular guard prepared to re-
new the attack on the morrow. Shad-
Owy forms crept warily through the
tall grass and dragged away the dead
The wounded began to plead piteously
for water. and there was none to give.
1t was at a call Of this kind from the
man who had kicked him from his
place ut the camp fire a few days pre-
vfotis, that Davis left his post to come
forward and ask if no water was to bt
had. He was told that there was none
that the nearest water was small pOnC
at the foot of the ridge, Just within the
surrounding circle of Sioux. Taking 6
bucket from the wagon, Davis sale
quietly, "I'll get some" Not man o
the party spoke. Everybody realized
that something heroic was about to bt
done. Good God! To go to the ponC
was to go to almost certain death
And vet no one babe him stay.
think every one was impressed will
the fact that it would be useless.
i, We crept back to our posts in 81
, lence. ,.-.
: Even the wounded ceased thei
, means. We watched the tall figur
: striding straight through the shadow
!. till it was lost in the gloom. Thel
: Icame an interval of silence-awful, ap
r D ,lIing-broken at last by shot and
!, wild chorus of yells. In moment al
p | the demons of the prairie seemed lie