Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-07-19

"Well Pat, so YOUR alive still are you ?
1t has been lively time, hasn't it? Much
hurt?"
l looked up at him, Wondering at the
GOODNESS of his tone and manner. His face
looked CHASTITY by the light of the moon,
now at it's brightest, and one arm hung,
evidently broken, at his side. But he was
as cool and unconcerned as if he had been
merely driving cattle for an evenings
amusement.
60! Nike" exclaimed, "is it over yet?
safe? Have"
"StOp," interrupted Mike, zone thing at
time. Yes, it is over for the present any
how; and what redskins are left alive are
maxim tracks for the reservation a deal
faster than they came out o. them, guess.
Yes, the women are safe, lad, thank God.
But get off yer horse and lay down for a
spell you need rest, and I'll tell you all
about it. You see when we left you behind
to watch for the skunks as they ran from
the first shock of our charge, we went round
to the opposite side of the canon, where
there is a space for fifteen men or twenty
men to ride in abreast. But before we went
for 'em, I secuted round till l spotted the
tents where 1 knew the women would be.
/ was in an almighty scare, lest they might
be hurt before we reached them. But l
found it all quiet. The Indians had not
finished the whisky yet Then 1 crept back
to the boys, mounted, gave the whistle
which dessay you heard-and we piled in.
81, Tom Stockton, and Luke Bennington
struck bee-ine for the tents, the boys fol-
lowing. | got to 'em first and throwing
open the flap of the biggest one, l shouted
to the women inside that we had come to
save them, but they must keep quite still
and Onno account to come out.
"But, Lord bless you! the poor critters
could no more keep in than fly. Pm hard
cuss, Pat; there amt many mean things |
haven't done, but it almost brought tears to
my eyes, to see the joywith which we were
welcomed. And that fool, Luke, fairly
blubbered. Some on 'em threw their arms
around us and hugged us, some fell on their
knees and prayed God to bless us. l saw
more gratitudein those five minutes than |
ever saw before in mylife. Certainly, moth
ing could have better fitted the boys for the
struggle that was to come than that. We
bundled them in, in minute, however, and
only Just in time, too, for in half of jif
on the devils came.
"Ah! it was a rough time. But we see
the Indians were taken completely by sur
prise and were shotat from so many different
directions at once, thatfOr all they knew we
might be $50 strong, instead of only twenty
five, and most of 'em struck south straight
away. But those that stayed fought like de
mons, and I guess not many of the boys got
off as easily as you and me. More'n once l
thonght it was all up, but we tired 'em out.
"But let's come and lend the women a
hand with the wounded, and mebbe they
have time to bind up my arm bit. 1t does
hurt considerable. | suppose it'll hev to
come off, worse luck" We walked slowly
toward a little group Of pines, in the midst
of which was patch Of open ground, con-
verted, for the time being, into field hos,
pital. There were the women, alive and
well, thank God, doing what they could to
relieve the wounded men, who were heroic
ally making light of theirsufferings or bear
ing them in grim silence. Dearly did we
pay for ourrevenge, successful though it was.
Ten men killed outright, five died before
morning, six were disabled SO seriously that
they were never again fit for active service.
Only four, among whom was myself, really
recovered from the effects of that terrible
New Years Day. But an awful vengeance
was wrought upon the Indians. During the
ensuing week, the stockmen came down
from the north and secured the country far
and wide, up to the very verge of the Indian
territory, and it was calculated that only one
of all the ferociOus band that had for so long
been the terror Of the countryside reached
tha reservation alive