The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-04-05
A Western Adventure.

remember that the far-away reports
Of rifles reused us from sleep III the gray
of dawn, and as we stood on our feet ana
listened more intentiy, we could now anu
then catch the echoes of an Internal war
whoop.
There were twenty of us, miners all,
and we were in the foot hills OF the
Rockies, not more than half milo from
the great. Overland trail.
"Boys, them sounds means an lnJun
attack and butchery," whispered our
leader as we listened; and without an
other word we picked up our traps and
headed for the spot at half run.
Two immigrant families, farmers from
Indiana, who had starred for the land OF
gold and had separated from the train
from within or accident, had encamped IN
bit of green valley beside the trail.
There were thirteen souls OF them, and
one might wonder if the bravest among
them did not shudder with fear rs the
night crept down and the howl OF the
wolf came from the rocky hills.
The men had seen their danger. and
both had set out to act as sentlnels
through the long night. Hour after
hour had passed away without an alarm,
and Just as dawn was breaking the mer-
CHESS savages, creeping along like snakes,
had found one of the sentinels asleep.
A thrust from knife finished him so
quickly that he did not even throw up his
arms. Perhaps he uttered single cry
or a groan and alarmed the other, for the
second was shot while running toward
the wagon.
Then, with both men dead, came the
rush upon the women and children.
Only fiends could do such work as was
done there, and when we came to look at
it the strongest men in the party grew
white and faint. Every head but one
was scalped, and no doubt the scslps
had been taken while the victims lived.
The bodies were hacked and gashed-
hands and arms severed. brains beaten
out-children flung into the campfire,
and the spectacle was one to live in
memory when all else had been forgot
ten.
The fends had finished their work of
butchery before We were near enough to
open fire, and it WAS poor consolation to
save the wagons While all the bodies
were yet warm, life had departed from
each and every one. We were collecting
them in q heap, to make ready for burial,
when q sudden vail startled everybody.
"Ow-ow-ow-oww came the sound. and
each man looked in the air above, and on
the ground below.
That ere noise proceeds from baby,
or % not the father of thirteen children
back in Ohio exclaimed Jackson, a. he
made for the nearest ~aso1-
He was right. Down beside chest,
almost smothered unisr bed quilts, vas
q year-old boy baby, but AlIs- When De
was handed out ve found TIA. he had
been fatally vounisi bT 4 ballet JACK
son sat down On tie --ass adj cnI-ped TO
him and rocked hin - All fro. while The
rest Of rs l0ok=4 u II vonGer and
doubt, but II a qlI-.er Of II hour the
baby VA dead. &c EI-i gone 70 sleep
the night before = Bis mothers Arms, a
battered old rzttls box clatehed fast n
his tiny hand, AL be never let 20 Of il.
There il vas in his hand as death scitfsn
ed his fingers aro1rd t.
Well, there vas general breaking
down when We saw tia. the little one
vas going. He threw up his hands,
gasped once or twice, and then settled
back with such smile on bis face "a ba-
bles wear when their dreams are sweet.
Old Jackson was crying ike a child, and
some Of the men hid from each other
behind the wagons. 1t was long time
before the old man arose, laid the little
body among the prairie flowers, and
huskily whispered:
We'll bury him by himself. One OF
them bodies out there was his mother,
but as We can't tell which from which
TELL MAKE no nnistake
There was one large grave for the mu-
tilated remains, and when the earth had
been pressed down above them and rocks
had been rolled down TO prevent the
work OF the wolves, we went y the cen
ter OF the dell and there, under lone
pine we followed out resting place for
baby. When all was ready, Jackson
took the body mp in his arms, dropped
his hat on the grass, and look around
and said:
Hats of, men We are nearer seein'
angels this mornin' than any Of us will
ever come agin =
Slowly-tenderly- the little
form was laid away. and it was Jackson's
coat that came off his back TO cover il
before the earth was filled in. Every
single man in our band took the shovel
by turns to fill in and round up the grave
and protect it, and before we went away
there was a head-board TO mark the spot,
and on the board knife had engraved
the single word: "BABY !"
The Venus Ely.rrap.