The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-08-19
A Scouts Long Fast.

"Big Foot" Wallace, the noted Texas
scout, tells the following strange story:
In the year 1862 ] was in the north
western portion of Texas, a private in
Company X, Duff's regiment, G. s. A.,
and stationed at Fort Davis. While on
scout two companions and myself
became detached from our company,
and camped on Providence creek. few
miles northwest of the fort. We were
attacked at night by the Indians, my
two companions killed, and our horses
stampeded. / escaped in the darkness
with only the clothes on my back, my
revolver and bowie knife. The next
morning while attempting to reach a
pool of water in a rocky ravine l tell
and fractured my left leg about midway
between ankle and knee, both bones
being broken. At the edge of the water
pool was deposit of tough, tenacious
wet clay. 1 bound my broken limb
with my shirt torn in strips, and then
plastered it over Tricky with the clay,
keeping the limb as quiet as possible,
and frequently renewing the clay poul-
tice. After the second day | expert
enced no pain from the fracture. Dur
ing the first three or four days suffered
much from hunger. used water spar
ingly, and kept my belt comfortably
tight about my waist, which apparently
afforded me relief from the gripping pains
that occasionally annoyed me. For one
day only, l think it was the ninth or
tenth, became tlighty at intervals, but
not sufficiently so to hanisb from my
mind that absolute rest of the injured
limb was necessary. The twenty-fi first
day after the accident 1 removed the
bandage, and found, to my greal JOY, the
broken bones were reunited. After few
efforts raised myself erect, and stood
on my feet, holding on to little tree
until became satisfied could trust the
Injured limb. l then cautiously and
slowly, with the assistance of a torked
stick that answered as crutch, worked
my way for several hundred yards,
when | became exhausted and sought
the shelter of shelving rock where |
soon dropped into fitful sleep that l
was aroused from by the bowling of
cayote wolf. which was but 81 few yards
from me. | took as good aim at him
with my revolver as my nervous and ex-
hausted condition permitted and blazed
away, providentially killing him; then
l cut his throat and sucked his blood
until had swallowed pint or more,
when was compelled to stop by violent
cramps in my stomach. After suffering
untold agonies for an hour or more the
pain gradually subsidized, and l fell into
a sound and refreshing slumber. This
was the first food that had gone into my
stomach for twenty-one days. When |
awoke it was late in the night. An al
most Unsuitable desire seized me to fill
MY stomach with the raw flesh of the
wolf. l knew. however, it would be
death to do so. and partially relieved my
hungry cravings by chewing the flesh
and only swallowing the juice. As soon
as daylight appeared | collected brush
and wood, made rousing fire, and svon
roasted the hams Of the wolf, on which
| subsisted for the next two days, swal-
lowing very little of the flesh, hut al
the juice / could extract by constant
chewing. During the two days walked
eight miles and reached the fort, where
| was received as one of the dead.
was put in the hospital, and under the
kind care and skillful dietary manage
ment of DIR. Arthur Stevens, surgeon, 9,
S. A, slowly recovered my health and
strength. My ordinary weight prior tc
my starvation was about 205 pounds.
The second day after my return to the
fort | weighed l26! pounds. My height
is six feet one and half inches.