The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-09-04

inc, found the stranger added to the
party as the guide, philosopher, and
friend of one of the mule teams. A
glance at the awkward figure was
enough. 1t was Davis. How he came
there was told in single one of his hes
itating sentences.
"You see, Mrs. Davis left me, and
took up with a neighbor of ours. | sup
pose | was too slow for her. But |
thought it might make her uncomforta-
BILE to have me living SO close by; so
came West
Further conversation revealed the fact
that he had tramped most of the way,
and that all his earthly possessions were
wrapped in the flaming handkerchief
which he brought into camp later in the
evening.
1t was apparent from the first that the
characteristics that had made Davis
! conspicuous character in academical
! DAYS had not forsaken him as he had
grown older. He began leaning from
| the moment he came into camp. After
futile attempts upon myself, he trans
/ ferred his weight to a man from Ken
! tuckv-a demOnstrative, devil-may-care
fellow, who was his opposite in every
respect. The first days drive, too, re-
vealed the fact that, whatever may have
been his capabilities as a district school
teacher, they did not assist him in the
driving of mules. More than once he
involved the leaders in a hopeless tangle
with the wheel animals, and his COM
plications with the harness were a pa
thetic mixture of helplessness and igno-
rance. AS to his helplessness, it was
unique and complete in its way. He
seemed utterly incapable of doing any
thing without advice and assistance.
1t is, perhaps, needless to say that
these characteristics, however original
and amusing in themselves, were not
such as to elevate their possessor in the
esteem of the party. In less than week
from the day of the departure the man
from Kentucky had warned Davis not
to come near him again at the risk OF
being crippled for life. At the end of a
fortnight, / grieve to say, he had been
kicked by an irascible member of the
party, and the propriety of deserving
him on the plains was seriously discuss
ed Hardly a man spoke to him, and
he seemed a 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 in the evening, and
: small clouds of dust low down upon the
horizon indicated the presence of scout
ing bands In the mid-afternoon of 6
sunny Sunday, as we were slowly as
cending low ridge in the prairie, the
advance scout came galloping in with {
hall hIe lnr
! later yelling band of Sioux began t,
circle about the train. To dismount ant
form the three wagons into a triangula
barricade was the work of but Il few
!. minutes. Most of the men knew thei
8 danger and how to meet it. The Siou,
were in large force, and narrowed thei
!. circles in the assurance of an easy victO
: ~. Their bullets began dropping in al
!, most Immediately. In three minute
l after the ball opened several of the ami
Il mails had been killed, and johnson, on
: leader, lay under wagon with Il bulle
through his head.
4 As | SAID, all the party were heavil
armed But | should have excepte
4 Davis, who not only was unarmed, bu
Il from his general character was deeme
Y y
!. such time. In the hurry of the me
IS ment he had been lost sight of, and now
e when he slipped forward to possess hin
d self of the dead mans gnn, the ma
% from Kentucky told him with an oath
!. drop it, or give it to some one who woul
ir use it. Davis did not drop it, however
# but took his station at the rear end {
At one of the wagons. In a moment nor
n the spirally decreasing circle Of savage
is broke suddenly and swept in vii
charge toward the train. And as W
n turned toward the point of attack to sc
r two of the advancing warriors drop t
d the quick report of Davis's rifle, l thin
surprise and establishment would hav
At rendered us incapable of resistance, ha
% not the Indians swerved from the
At course and began circling again, as the
m did.
il But the man who had turned the a
o tack never stirred from his post. HI
is slouching aspect seemed somehow to
" shaken off, as he stood there erect an
{ firm as a rock His infirm under Ii
We closed up like steel-trap into hart
so decided look. The man from Kentucb
Mt looked at him moment, and went bae
W Ills pOSI Will IL luuttclcU, w I'll, L
of be blanked!' The guide, tying h
Mt wounded arm in a sling, said he
ct "Give it up The whole party breatl
n ed freer.
ne But the whistling of bullets and ii
n yells of the Sioux continued. In sho
a time the canvas tops of the wagons lool
I'd ed like gigantic sleeves. The circles
ne the savages widened only to contra
re again. Whenever reckless brave a.
no preached within fair range, the shal
is crack of the Winchester from the rear
e, the wagon sent a ball into his paintt
on body. There was no random firing fro
nd that rifle; every shot brought its ma
IS The repeated charges of the Sioux gre
in less frequent from the fact of the loss
of two or three of their number under Il
til deadly aim of those pale blue eyes.
ly was after the fifth or sixth charge of til
of kind that the man from Kentucky e
pressed the unanimous sentiment of Il
a party when he said
St Hadn't yer better get farther und
10 naviSp JffS OI,vtv oman thor