The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-12-25
The Scouts / at Shot.

The Scouts last Shot.
IT is 10 O'Clock in the morning. The
honey-bees are darling over the prairie
in search Of the sweet flowers, butter.
flies float on lazy wings, and birds are
singing their sweetest songs. 1t is q
scene Of deepest peace. Away to the
right is the Little Bear Range of noun
tains--to the left the prairie ocean OK.
tends as far as the eye can reach. Ten
miles ahead is grove Of cottonwood
trees and spring-behind are thirty
half.naked sayages on horseback.
Here is frontier scout as pivot on
which the scenery swings. On his way
from fort TO fort with dispatches his
trail has been struck BY q war party Of
Pawnees, and they have hung to it since
dark last night, following it across the
levels and over the swells at slow but
never.ending gallop. They knew that
he was q full hundred miles from help,
and that his bloody scalp would add an.
other to their trophies.
"You're rubbed.out man," said the
scout as he looked back at dusk and
saw them coming at slow gallop over
his trail. They could not have Overtak-
en- him in a dash Of two miles, but in q
gallop Of fifty they would tire him out.
At an easy gallop Of five miles an hour
the mustang forged ahead through the
long and weary night, changing his pace
only when the rider got down and ran
beside him.
Two miles behind him, riding thirty
abreast and covering a front OF half a
mile, followed the implacable foe, gain.
ing a little, losing little, but ever con-
tident.
When the sun came up from his prai.
RE bed not a savage was missing. The
scout turned in his saddle and counted
them, looked ahead for landmarks and
coOlly said:
"You took the chances and you have
lost, but you will die game.
The mustang was almost blown. For
the last half hour he had labored heav-
lily, and had almost been held up by the
bits.
"The grove would have been better
place, but the end would have been the
same," said the scout, as he drew up
and dismOunted.
The Indians were two miles away. In
ten minutes they would be within rifle
shot.
"GOOd.by, old pard-I must do it,"
said the scout, as he took hold OF the
mustangs head and drew his knife
across the faithful equinc's throat.
He wanted breast-work, and here he
had it. Two minutes were time enough
to cut bride and saddle to pieces, and
then he mounted the body Of his dead
friend and calmly waited the approach
of the Indians.
No shout Of triumph was sent across
the prairie as he was brought to bay.
That had been a strange chase. They
had suddenly appeared on his trail with
out q sound, seeming to rise out of some
assure in the flOwer.covered prairie.
Not once through the long night had the
scout heard from them except as he
dropped from the saddle and placed his
ear 10 the ground. But for the steady
thud! thud! of their horses feet he
might have almost made himself believe
that he was being pursued by shadows.
"Sixteen bullets in this Winchester
and six in the revolver" soliloquized
the scout as the Indians were within q
mile Of the spot. Did they mean to ride
him DOWN. Each rider was bent over
his horses neck, and each horse kept
the pace he had had for hours.
"My sculp is worth the sculp of ten
Indians" said the scout, as he raised
his rifle, "but mebbe can't get over
six or seven.''
Straight at him rode the line Of thirty
redskins until he raised his rifle for =
shot. Then the band divided right and
left and inclosed him in circle. Not .
shout from any tongue. 1t might have
been called q still hunt.
The line was out of rife-shot at first,
but it gradually worked nearer and
nearer, and at last the report Of the
scouts rifle broke the stiffness Of the
morning.
"Twenty.nine LETT" he said - be
threw out the empty she'll.
Not . shout came from the Indians In
reply. Every warrior threw himself on
the opposite side Of his horse, and the
hardy ponies followed the circle at Z
steady gallop.
"Twenty.eight LETT" said the scout
~ be fired again.
No shout Of shot In reply, but the cir
Gle was growing narrower.
"Twenty.seven left!"
Three Of the horses In the ring were
galloping without riders.
"Twenty.six left!''
The scout had fired coolly and delib.
sratsly, shooting every victim through
the head. His rife had longer range
than those Of the Indians, but now they
were near enough to open in reply.
"Twenty-nve lett!" he said - anoth.
q savage lell into the grass with . wild
scream Of rage and pain.
Five Of the thirty were dead. Now q
yell runs around tho circle, and every
horse turns bio head towards the com
mon center and charges the scout. 8
"Pnh! bang! pulf! bang! bang
bang!"
Three horses went down and tw<
more riders lell backwards from theil
saddles.
"Twsnty-thres lelt!" counted TIL
scout, q he dropped the gun and lev
eled bis revolver.
They we're upon him. They shot 2
him, struck at him, and tried to rid
over him.
"Puf! bang!" "Puf! beug!"
Five shots struck men or horses, an.