The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-02-21

4AB1 blkn 0CtCCt64 bLlo Adck b16s Ol bu0
northern side no holes had been pierced
for rides. This fatal omission ON the
part of Ferguson when he built the
house was the result of an intention to
add wing on that side. Three Bears
knew that there was but one way in
which he could capture the house-by
FIRE; and knowing as he did from the
fate OF the Little Serpent that the place
was defended, although be did not know
by what force, he made up his mind to
attempt setting the building in blaze.
Dismounting from his horse, and bid.
ding his warriors wait for him, he threw
himself upon the ground, and, taking
advantage of everything that would
shelter him, erawled toward the build
ing. In doing this himself Three Bears
was actuated by somewhat mixed emo
tons. A desire to show his warriors
that he took the greatest danger upon
himself was mingled with wish to do
the first thing done. ,t.-r-
Mrs. Ferguson stood within the house,
anxiously Watching. After seeing the
Little Serpent fall, she saw the Indians
move away, and although she watched
the holes In three sides of the house, she
could neither see nor hear them. The
suspense was terrible. just as it seemed
to her that she must, at all hazards, 90
out to see if the savages had gone away,
she WAS conscious of peculiar cracking
sound on the north side. Straining her
ears to listen, she heard q faint noise,
gradually getting louder aud louder, and
the truth flashed upon her that the In
dams had set the house on fire. The
wood kindled slowly at first, but as
surely rs slowly, and before long she
saw the board on the inside turn black,
then reddish, and then, with almost a
flash, the flames caught the side and
fairly ran up the wall. She tried throw.
ing water upon them, but her little
stock was not sufficient to even check
them, much less put them out. In less
time than it takes to write it the side of
the cabin was blazing, and Mrs. Fergu.
SON was forced to open the door and es-
cape with her children to avoid being
burnt alive.
It took but few minutes before the
trembling woman and her three chill
dren were surrounded by the savage
band Indian pride and Indian dignity
prevented their displaying any Of the
signs of triumph they would have shown
had the captive been a man. In fact,
for some minutes they stood in silence,
anu bAAOh u III GO JChLo Sdio- SIOWly
''Let the Black Wolf and Hua che-ka
take the white squaw and her children
back to the lodge of Three Bears. Then
they can join the Arrapajos among the
white lodges to the east" As Three
Bears had said, so it was Early the
next morning the two Indians named,
together with Mrs. Ferguson and her
children, separated from the band and
struck to the west. They had mounted
the woman and two children on a mule,
while Tom trotted alongside, being
fastened by q rope to one of the Indians
horses. All that day they travelled, and
at night when they camped they fas-
tened their captives to the ground by
ropes tied to pegs, and stretching them
selves out by the camp fire, went to
sleep.
Mrs. Ferguson had no idea of allowing
her three children and herself TO be car
ried away into Indian slavery. She
waited until she thought the Indians
were sound asleep, and then began to
try the cords by which she was bound.
After pulling for while she found, to
her great delight, that one of the pegs
to which her hands were fastened seem.
ed to be loose, and exerting all her
strength, managed to tear it from it
hold in the ground. To unfasten the
other hand, and then her feet, was the
work of but few minutes. Then she
lay still, rejecting what was best to 30
next. She knew she could kill one OF
her captors, but she was not at all GER
tain about the other. Tom, after his
long tramp, lay fast asleep, and waking
him, without making too much noise,
seemed hopeless. Finally her brain,
prompted by the mother instinct wheu
her children were in danger, hit on
plan. Arming herself with two heavy
stones, she crept cautiously to where the
two savages were sleeping, and raising
herself to her feet, she dashed the stones
on them. The stone from her right
hand took one of the Indians fairly on
the forehead, stunning him. That from
the left struck the other on the neck,
and before he could recover from the
shock the woman mad caught the stone
again, and striking him with all he-
strength upon the temple, he was stiiled
forever. Seeing that the man who was
stunned was coming to himself, Mrs.
Ferguson caught hold of piece of rope
and tied him hand and foot before he
could make any resistance. BY thii
time Tom was awake, and, to his in.
tense surprise, saw his mother lie down
almost in faint. Toms terror at this
did not, however, last long, for in few
minutes Mrs. Ferguson was sufficiently
recovered to tell him TO bring up the
mules and the horses. Mounting her
whole party, and leaving the bound In.
dian to keep his dead eomrade com.
pany, she started on the back track,
steering by the stars.
About five O'Clock the next morning,
Mrs. Ferguson and her children rode
into Fort Phillips, where her husband
was. 1t did not take long for her t.
tell the story of the raid, nor for the
officer in command to send out party
after Three Bearss band. That even.
ing, or, rather, the next morning, they
met the Indians, and, after a sharp
fight, defeated them, Three Bears being
Hlled.-N. Y. Ledger.