The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1880-05-06

ptN'UNio VI uD ubidCN WHICH VIC nll
little hopo Of being able TO resist.
For the Uncapapns were now being
Ijpinei by numbers of tho worst
characters from other neighboring
tribes Of Sioux, who. like hungry
wolves, were drawn to the place
whore there was prospect of blood.
shed.
Meanwhile cold weather came on,
aul the river frOzs over. There
was not much snow, but Just u thin
layer Of it over the hard frozen
ground and ice. For more thna a
month no couricra from below hld
come to us, nor bal dared to eeul
out messengers. But at length it
became necessary, in view OF the
threatening hostility Of the Indians,
to communicate with Forts Uuion
aud Bnf3rd, at all haztril.
On tho mJroiny Il tho nineteenth
OF November, the mcu wcro called
together, aud after telling thom of
my dislike to detail ono Of thom for
such a service, / inquired whnlher
either OF thom would volunteer to
take a dispatch to Fort Uai0u a
distance Of nearly OF qnito ono hun
dred miles,
There was hesitation, IA ! had ex.
lpccte1. M one responded fo: soIua
minutes. Presently Il private FREQ,
liDan 4. Starbifd stcppal from the
line AMI said he wDIIl try it, il he
could be furnished with u god pair
Of skates.
Sisrbirl was y yolns man OF
lab)ut twonty three. from one of t1r
. H,slern States. New iiamp .h'ra. !
think. Ills naao was fre'nlu
imariah Snrhird. I remember oho
middle nam distinctly, bactlso tUo
boys usol iJc1saly TO cal him "Aou
Maria from the similarity o, tae
sonnds.
lie vas a long.loggoi, rather tail
yonngstor, with a c,elc, brown com.
,pilyiQn, black cyes aud black hair
u good sol iior, who took what came
ani never Grdubled.
Can you skate, atacbir1 2? ! ask
ed.
"Oh. | naei to skate u little, said
| ho. ii rather guess eau g't jbwo
to Fort Union by niEh'--.fi lon !
come 10 toe many opca stretches"
And III" red ahiNs t3a ttA1oi NoH
rom tho bank, sp'oh ono IN ta,
I.inc ailyi, v.ry gI.ably.
"iup w'!I hardly reach Fort Ca'
ION in one ''s'. J. sail. b'' ".4
o'ly to- g.li 10 accept iaa ''Ier II
',is services,
w. " The IN 'jan ~ ni and
trader at th' pot, ha ! ~ b." st'a..
-nue skates. Tr2tu these 5.Hbl"'
4, !aclcc!ed II pai"; uni m"a1'in,
vroto l'spltcn TO "l,Di L -----, NJ
Fort Union, iIf1ruio.s h1m ol tu'
p"ril we were in.
Within twenty mln1les 5'afb.r,
was hu"El'1g ou hlS tkit 10 'n'
river bank, IN t'nlty tnErf''s
stuffed wi;h broad lni meat. ani It
revolver AMI knife ~ has h"l', c)u'
pIotea lis cq1i2nsntS' jumping e
his feet, he ci'c!od ont cp'n the !iT
81, then coming rouni, h8 dnshr.
past us, With smart military ealu'"
sni skinned away down lha hraa.
stream, at tho rat Of i.Ilcen ML5
an hour.
Tho snA had risen bright in th'
auzo like winter hr2a. Every bn5'
sparhlci with i,o5ty pendants
rhcre was in4t u dust OF dry snow
on the smooth ica, not ououIh t.
inpcde skates. Away went our mnI
ronnd high bluff, at bend, hall
mile below.
We hoped, and rather thought
that ho might not fall in with any o
the indians and no very great un
easiness was folt for him. Had w
known, however, what perils he wa
passing through that morning. on
hearts would have thrilled with fenr
For the first twenty or twenty iiy
!. miles below the fort, the river is yer.
crooked, howing IN series OF grea'
bends, or bows as they arc term
ed hrst to north' then 10 s2ntu
hound these bends Staroird giide'
h ~ racing pace'ior no w was if1In II ,'n' "l'
= luo morning was o'He,uS' io n"'
8 gone se'en or eisn' l'iiIe' Wnon, u
4 no was uOuDIlDR pOiuL CpFCTe'