The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-25
had left twenty miles Of the twenty-five be-
hind Us, and as yet had caught not one

nAu lett twenty mlleS Of Tue LWentysuNeuS
hind us, and as yet had caught not one
glimpse Of redskin.
Darkness was fast gathering around US
and We saw q little spark Of light away on
before, which we knew must be the Light
in the watch tower at Horse Shoe station.
We were congrRtulating ourselves on our
good luck when Just behind US came war
Whoop, which for q moment seemed TO
raise every man out Of his saddle. We
were going at good speed, and had our
revolvers drawn. at onceordered halt,
but no sooner had We checked up than
the yell was repeated, this time in . man.
ner which gave US to understand that we
would have no business with that crowd,
or as Finn remarked: "Begorray it's no
place fur 8 gintleman," and putting spurs
to our tired ponies we pushed on for the
station or block house which We knew must
be near.
The Indians, whose number We could
not ascertain, followed yelling like wolves
and occasionally firing shot from their
old muskets. We fred our revolyers in
the direction indicated by their yells, and
raised such racket that the Sd U. s. In
fantry boys at the blockhouse believed that
we were having dreadful struggle, and 80
telegraphed TO Laramie. Wesoon reached
the blockhouse where we found the boys
with their rifles thrust through every port
hole waiting for chance to shoot.
The gate or entrance through the stock
ade around the stables were thrown open
and we rushed in, and theywere closed be-
hind US. The Indians knew too well the
danger OF approaching within range oil
those muskets and soon left and took to
the hills.
l Immediately telegaphed to Fort
Laramie:
albright, we are here, but had to run the
gauntlet. No one hurt"
There were about twenty-five soldiers at
this block house, which was situated
twenty-five miles northwest of Laramie
and forty miles beyond this was the next
station-La Bonita. 1t must be remember
ed that no settlements, OF any kind were
along this route, but these stations. All
was q lonely, desolate waste Of wild unin-
habited country. There is no timber,
except on the streams which flow into the
North Platte and they are few and far be- |
tween. The country Is billy, and at the
time OF which write, being so thinly set
tied and poorly guarded it was the paradise
OF the hostile red men, and the rayenous
wolf, Who always seemed to prowl together.
After a warm supper and chat with the
BOYS Of the lonely blockhouse, We laid
down on the floor near the large wood fire.
place, and in the few hunks not being oc.
cupied There was soldier here Of the
Sd U. s. Infantry, who had the typhoid ts.
yer, and the poor fellow had become delir.
ious. In his wild rawlings he imagined that
everything and everybody around him
were hostile Indians. The guns were all
kept out OF his reach as much as possible.
In the excitement this had been forgotten,
and we lay down to sleep leaving him with
his nurse, whose duty was to watch him
and administer the medicine which had
been sent up from Laramie.
We were all sound asleep save the lone
guard in the watch tower. The nurse had
become drowsy and had fallen fast asleep
near his now sleeping patient. / cannot
now tell Just how 1t was, nor can any OF the
other boys, but We were all awakened at
the same instant by shot and repeated
yhoops, and the cry Of indians, Indians,
there they are all around the camp fire,
come out boys! turn out frel And then
another ang-bang." The hot Goals were
scattered around the fireplace, and the
bewildered men rushed 10 and fro in
their underclothes hardly able to realize
what had happened or where they were.
But the fact soon revealed itself, and We
saw that the delirious man had
seized one Of the seven shooters
and believing we were Indians he
was determined to make clean sweep oil
the whole garrison. In the excitement
some one. unbarred the door and rush
was made for the outside. A dozen on
more men in undress uniform ran out
around the stockade before the fellow with
the gun was secured. Had the Indians
been near that moment the post could
have been easily captured. We had all
settled down around the fire talking Of the
strange occurrence when red head peer
out from beneath one OF the hunks, and
Finn in low trembling voice said:
"Sure an it's divil Of a sthrange coun-
try where a mon can't live inside nor out
Of the house at all, at all. Is the varment
acured?'
On being assured that the sick man was
disarmed, Film Crawled oatfrom his hiding
place and told how near one oil the balls had
shaved his head. II
The poor deranged man had to be held
in bed all night long, and it was piteous to
hear him plead for his lie, for he imagined
he was in the hands OF the Indians and
would soon be roasted alive on the "big
camp fire" which he saw burning in one
end Of the barracks. i
We remained at this station until the
next evening when we received the follow.
/; AZ. tnIa1roy,1. upopnrt m Hnl Stauu M Ia II
Bonita between now and daybreak to.mor.
row. Telegraph your arrival" |
Great goodness! Did the man think
was made OF iron; or was he drunk Forty
miles through an unknotVn country smarnl.
ing pith indians, and in The night, TOO"
These were my reflections on receiving the
order,
Advice 10 Consumpiives.
A. |