The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-12-21


stealthily approached the place where
his horse was picketed, he hit on ruse
for outwitting them at their own tao
tics.
Feeling sure that In few minutes
they would be on his track, he slid
down from his perch on the bluff and
ran back to the creek, to the point
where he had left 1t In pursuit Of the
bear
Here he resumed his way up the
creek, taking care to leave a plainly
marked trail through the wet grass, with
here and there footprint In the mud
and sand, just as II he was leisurely pro-
ceeding along the banks, looking to his
traps.
But he ran on fast, and never slack
ened his pace till he had covered dis
tance of at least ten miles from the place
where he had seen the Blackfeet cross
the creek. His surmise was that the
savages on discovering his trail, would
pursue him, but would expect to come
upon him at every trap, and hence
would follow on stealthily, and at no
great speed Mu
Having thus planned out ten-mile
chase for them, Markhead ran back
across the narrow meadow, and climb
ing the bluffs, made detour for his
camp again, keeping mile or over
from the creek, back among the sand
hills and cliffs.
Being a fleet and practiced runner, he
was not more than an hour and half
making the trip back to the vicinity of
his camp, among the cottonwoods, the
tall tops of which he could see at great
distance.
After taking breath few minutes,
and looking to his rifle, Markhead crept
out among the boulders ON the crag
overlooking the camping place; for he
expected the Indians would leave one
of their number to watch the horse
That one he was prepared to deal with.
From the crag he soon saw the six
! ponies down among the timber. They
were hitched up near his own HORSE
Nor was he wrong in his conjecture
|
number with the horses. The packs
had been taken off the ponies backs
and after looking few moments, he
espied an Indian sitting in the shade of
a bush, on heap of buffalo skins and
peltries.
Watching the Indian little, Mark
head crept down, noiselessly as fox, to
a large cottonwood, rather nearer the
horses, and then, steadying his piece
against the tree-trunk, was just about
to shoot the unwary sentinel, when the
Indian turned partially, and to his great
surprise, he saw that 1t was not Black
foot warrior, but plump and very
comely squaw.
Markhead often admitted that, for the
instant. he was quite nonplussed He
did not know whatto do, for he would
not shoot the squaw. AT length, he
gave shout, and rushed toward her.
The squaw bounded from her seat, and
seeing the trapper close upon her, "yell-
ed like pig" as Markhead said, and
started to run away. But she had not
got many yards before Markhead seized
her by her long hair at which the poor
woman, thinking no doubt, that her
last hour had come, crouched on the
ground, and begged piteously,in choicest
Blackfoot, for the white to spare her
life. sal b5s s.aa3sI ilr. .F sttsls NV
Markhead led her back to the ponies,
and drawing his knife, intimated to her
by most emphatic dumb show that her
top-knot would assuredIy come off If
she made the least attempt to escape.
With that the squaw protested, with
every gesture she could devise, that she
would never try to get away she would
be like a little dog, and run at his heels
she would be like the pony's tail, always
at his back, and inseparable from him.
Finding that her life was in NO I'M
mediate danger, the squaw rapidly re-
covered from her fright, and in answer
to signs, gave her captor to understand
that the five savages had gone on his
trail up the creek, just as he had surmis-
ed they would, and had been so conf
dent that they would find him, that
they had left only the squaw to sit by
the ponies.
Markhead thought over the distance,
and concluding he had a full two.hours
start of them, resolved to take IL easy -
He made the squaw unpack some cold
venison which they had in one of their
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