New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-06-04

was small military station, number
OF whose officers and soldiers could bo
seen gathered outside the stockades,
and taking IN the progress Of our Wild
games with feld-glasses and telescopes.
8 Shem must have satisfied himself
ct the outset that my grip on the thong
was the stronger Of the two; for the
third time th3t we had raced over the
entire ground, and were nearing the
cottonwood dump farthest from the
camp, he tried his first mean trick
upon me by unexpectedly dinging him
self far over in front Of me, and then,
as he suddenly checked his mustang
with 9 shock, gripping me about the
neck with his left arm. was too
quick for him, though. and before he
could grid my throat completely / shut
my teeth into his forearm like . wolf,
and at the same time brought him such
blow in the neck with ,ny left that he
was glad enough to release me, and fall
back upon legitimate principles.
- As we rode back, rather loosely,
and both Of Us gray In the face and
breathing hard. it would have been my
right to demand my opponents with
drawal on the ground Of his having
first attempted foul tactics, it being
against the rules of Aicha to make q
clutch at the throat; but / contented
myself with merely stating what had
occurred. and expressing my willing
ness to 60 on If accorded the right Of
infringing the rules upon myown part.
This was generally agreed to, and
away we cut again, helter-skelter, un-
til we gradually closed, face to face, in
atremendOus struggle and in full view
Of the whole camp.
= felt that was rapidly wearing
him out, and at the same time I was
backing him slowly toward the edge Of
the river bluff, which tended to increase
his wildness and anxiety. II he had
been content with fair play, would
have been able to unhorse him legiti-
mately in few minutes. But, Just at
this critical moment, he gave an awful
whoop, and, suddenly clutching the
thong with both hands, he threw it
over my head and neck before could
guess his trick, and then hung on,
twisting and twisting, screwing and
screwing, with all his might.
Notwithstanding the glaring foul
ness OF this dastardly act in the eyes of
the whole tribe, not 8 man Of them
rushed to my aid, as they all should
have done. was strangling fast-I
felt my eyes popping out Of my head
there was 9 roar of eternal waters in
my ears-I could indistinctly see the
hideously murderous look and indis-
tinctly hear the fiendishly triumphant
oaths Of my torturer!
In another moment would have
been dead. But, girding myself up for
. last mighty effort, struck him full
in the face with my loft hand, and then
got grip with my right upon his
upper right arm.
He fell back q little, but uttered q
deep, wild-beast sort of growl as he
still chung to the twisted hide, knowing
well that I was nearing my last gasp
for breath, while his mustang began to
rear, with its hind hoofs on the crum-
bling edge of the bluff. But even then
I tore the muscle out of his arm, and,
striking him again in the face as 1
spurred my horse full upon him. over
they rolled, horse and rider, down TO
the bottom of the ten-fOot bluff, with
the horse on top.
- tore the strangling thong from
my throat In time to see that nv an
tagonist had undoubtedly broken either
his neck or back by his fall, and myself
surrounded by q mob of angry, excited
Chickasaws, prominent among whom
were the two remaining brothers, yell
ing out Murderer! assassin at the
top Of their voices, and otherwise
bounding them on to vengeance with
threatening cries.
:. ] knew it was all up with me if L
didn't get out of the scrape at once;
and / didn't mean to get out of it with
ont carrying away my hardly-earned
>hon0rs with me, either. I wheeled my
horse as quick 40 thought and dashed
right up TO where old Yellow Dog was
still sitting, snatched the tomahawk
from his ,belt-the only weapon he had
upon him-and then rode him down
under my horses hoofs.
. To cut the lariat Of the prize pony,
fling the Swan-squaw upon its back and
light out boldly for the river, was but
the work Of an instant. Most OF the
braves, having left their weapons back
at the lodges, and being completely
taken by surprise at the boldness Of
my move, separated wildly to let me
through; but both Ham and Japhet
had had long hunting knives concealed
In their leggings, thus showing conclu-
5siyely that they had intended further
foul play in the event Of the games
going against them, and they both
brandished them over their heads and
sprang at my bridle-rein from either
side, Japhet shouting out: You
would bring murder among the Chick
tasaws. as you did among your
Cherokees, would your and at the same
time making lunge at me over the
horses neck. s
80. Ny blood was up, and I had self
defense in my favor. Without deign-
Ing . word in reply, evaded his blow,
split his skull with my Ratchet, and,
before Ham could use his knife or get
out Of the way, ! fetched him . blow,
also, that laid him in the grass. Then,
calling upon Mattawantee to follow
without fear, 1spurred right over the
edge Of the bluff, cleared the narrow
beach below it and dropped plump into
deep water, the little squaw splashing
In ct my side almost ct the same in.
slant.
g The currents favored Us, and, be-
fore any Of the tribe could run to their
lodges and back again with their rifles
or bows and Arrows, we were ont Of
reach and resting ourselves upon lit
tie Island IN the middle Of the river.
From there We had no difficulty In
reaching the fort on the farther shore,
where the Commandant, on heaxingmy
story, readily promised mo his protec-
tion. OF course, the facts Of the case
- related by mo wore soon corrobo-
rated; but the Chickassws were 60 wild
Tor revenge that, acting on tho Cons
mandant' o advice, 4 presently found e
soonycnientst to Join mother and far Dis
tant hibe But little Aattswantee ac-
companied me on the pony, and mads