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

He took the message calm and sweet,
And ever after to his rest
He went with unreluctant feet
The words kept singing In his heart;
They were his comfort and his guide.
oh souli the road thou need'st not fear.
Thy home is on the other sidep'
Mary a. Barr, ts Our Confiaent.
THE RAID OF THREE BEARS.
Three Bears, the Arrapajo, sat at the
door of his lodge brooding over many
things. Three Bears was moody, and
longed for excitement of some kind; he
was disappointed, for the Squawking
Crow, his rival, had been chosen by the
warriors TO go to Washington and see
the Great Father; he was angry, for the
council of old men had resolved to keep
the peace until the Squawking Crow
came back. Three Bears knew that the
young men of the tribe wanted to 90
upon the war-path. and he reasoned
out, without much difficulty, that II be
could persuade them to do so he would,
If successful, improve his own position
and throw discreditupon the Squawking
Crow and his mission. So Three Bears
rose and strolled through the rancheria
-an Indian village-speaking for q
AAAOuChb hCAC huu . LQ6I6 Is ne
came across one after the other of his
savage allies. After making the circuit
he mounted his horse and rode out on
the plain.
AT five O'Clock that afternoon, in the
shadow of q giant butte, Three Bears
and some thirty other warriors were
sitting around the council fire. A fiery
speech from Little Serpent prepared
them for one from Three Bears; and as
he rose, throwing back his robe, painted
on the inner side with rude pictures OF
its owners deeds, and standing before
them in his leggings fringed with scalp
locks, his necklace of grizzly bear claws
around his neck, and a single eagle
feather in his long black hair, he looked
the picture of savage warrior.
3. stMy brothers, I" he began, @know that
many moons have passed since the Ar
rapajos have struck the war-post-sincs.
the Arrapajos heard the scalp-yell.
There is no need for me TO tell warriors
that the blood of the whites has red.
dened the tomahawks and knives of the
Arrapajos before now. Nor shall
speak of what might be again now. Our
old men have decided that the hatchet
shall be buried, and who am I, Three
Bears, to speak against themP They
have sent the Squawking Crow to the
Great Father to say it Is peace between
us. Three Bears is content-he bows
before the old men. Three Bears would
like to show the white men that the Ar
rapajos are not women but the old men
say 1t Is peace. Three Bears sees before
him men who never turned Gheir backs
in battle. The Little Serpent has many
scalps, but he did not find them in the
mesquite-grass. The White Buffalo has
keen knife; who ever saw the Black
Wolf miss his aimpn
A low murmur of applause went
around the circle.
"Yet our old men have said it is peace.
The time was when, If the Arrapajos
went on the war path, the tribes trembled
and their hearts became water. Now It
is no longer so. The Arrapajos have
become women, and the tribes laugh at
them. What is Three Bears's wronep
Is it that our old men are mistaken, and
there is no peaceP If this be so, indeed,
then is Three Bears rejoiced. Let the
Arrapajos show their enemies what
they are. Let the warriors say who they
will follow and who shall strike the war
post first. Three Bears has Done"
AS the subtle speech ended, the Black
Wolf sprang to his feet and said:
"The warriors will follow Three
Bears, and him only :" and the applause
which followed showed the choice was
unanimous. Dropping his robe and
stepping out of the circle, Three Bears
began a slow dance around the post
which was hastily erected. As he danced,
he sang. His song was long recital of
what his tribe had done before, and in
1t he mentioned the deeds of each of the
warriors present, together with q long
catalogue of his own. Ending it, he
struck the post with his tomahawk. As
he did so, every warrior sprang to bis
feet, and rushing at the post, hacked
and hewed it to pieces in n few seconds.
The war party was formed.
Far away from the rancheria of the
Arrapajos stood the cabin of James
Ferguson, alone upon the prairie. In it
was his wife Mary and her three child
rem, aged respectively ten, seven and
four. Jim himself was absent, having a
contract to supply fort about sixty
miles away with hay. The work of the
little farm at that time of the year, con-
fined chiefly to what we call sschores,"
was carried on by Mary and her eldest
child, Tom; and although Mary would
have preferred, of course, to have her
husband with her, she was content with
his absence, as she knew the reason.
Both he and she had known the trials
which beset settler at first, and the
money which was to be paid by the Gov
ernment for the hay wonld be exceed
ingly welcome.
ssMammie," said Tom, running into
the house, ''thar's some men a-comin'
on horseback cross the PRAIRIE"
Mrs. Ferguson looked out Of the door
and saw the party the boy spoke of.
More as a matter of precaution than any
thing else, for she was far from antici-
pating any trouble, she told Tom to
bring his brother and sister into the
house, and to help her close the heavy
inside shutters. This was done leisurely
Then she told him he had better fill the
water bucket; but before he got back to
the house from the well Mrs. Ferguson
who the visitors were. Call
ing Tom back, she bolted and barred
everything, and then stood, with beat
ing heart and anxious mind, watching
one of the musket holes in the
door. Three Bears and his band rode
mp, hideous in their paint. Stopping
Just beyond rifle shot, the war chief sent
the Little Serpent to the house to de-
mand admission. As he approached
Mrs. Ferguson shot him dead in his
tracks. Three Bears at once prepared
for an attack, and riding around the
building to reconnoiter it. his keen In