The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-12
Ta<inr Indians.

Or the Is day Of June, after most
perilous ascent of what our company
called in plain English, the Devils
CASTLE we found ourselves face TO face
with the foe Not an Indian was TO be
seen. Now and then an arrow came
singing through the air and glanced the
malizanita bushes, where we were gath
ering our forces for fight, and now and
then the ugly muzZle of Q gun barked
and smoked at us across the little open
ING and fattened bit of lead on the
rocks around us. But we could not see
even an Indians feather. At last oui
leaders decided on plan of battle, and
the most of us were stationed behinc
trees and rocks to engage the enemy.
while q dashing scouting party, stripped
to the waist, attempted torout the rear.
At a signal from this party we were K
advance and run across the clearing and
charge the rocks and chaparral How
reckless What risk And for what!
Well, / stood there, loading up and pep
pering away slowly. | did not see M
Indian. |. to tell the truth, did moi
pine to see an Indian. Now and then
a bullet would knock the bark off from
my tree and could see an arrow splint-
er on the rocks very frequently. Bu'
one gels uStti I'D SucH iHiIl11S III u
time than YOU would think The day
was hot and sat down and read tat.
tered pocket edition of Byron that | had
picked up in an abandoned prospectors
camp few days before the first that
had ever heard of Lord Byron.
BY and by our boys got a foothold in
the rocks in the rear and began to pour
in their fire. Then we began to heal
groans and yells from the Indians. And
/ tell YOU, it sounded awful! The walls
of the women made the thing ten-fold
more terrible. | sprang up, filled my
mouth full of bullets so as To have them
handy and prepared to join in the
charge across the little clearing. With
a whoop and yell our party darted
forward and | with them my dog bark
inc at my heels An arrow drew blood
in my left limb and my dog fell dead
from stray shot But we poured
ahead, right into the brush and rocks.
But here irregular sluice-head of arrows
met us, and that is about all | remem
Der of my first battle. | had been car
ried out of the fight and laid under the
pines along with a little row of Other
wounded fellows, and Mountain Joe
was cutting off the head of the arrow
which had pierced and passed through
the left side of my face and neck.
When he had done this and drawn out
the arrow from my face, | again became
unconscious from the loss of blood and
do not remember anything more that
happened until next morning, when
they were bundling me off on the back
of a squaW prisoner to be carried down
to the Sacramento River. As we were
about to start one of our party, stout
burly fellow called ''Gabe,' but whose
name [ never knew, held bag up be-
fore my face; heavy bag, half full; a
bag through which oozed and steamed
and dripped on the pine quilts and pat
tered on the leaves blood! He tapped
this with his bloody knife and said.
"Scalps! Boy, them is scalps for your
This sickening sight almost cost me my
life, for | again became unconscious and
remembered only speaking TO the old
woman who carried me all that day till
we reached the river
Three years ago | went with my
daughter Maud. now in a convent school
in Canada, to spend little time at my
old home, which had LONG since passed
into the hands of those who did nothing
to suhdue this savage border to civiliza-
ton, but are careful to reap the reward.
We sat down under the same pines
where had lain all summer just TWEEN
ty-five years before. and the water talk
ed To me there in the old. swift, sweet
fashion, till tears came in my eyes and
had To turn away. Some Indians who had
heard that | was once more with them
came back. gathered about me, gray,
battered. all broken up, and leaning on
their guns. talked ina strange and almost
forgotten tonysie OF my battles, my loves,
my lifetime. Weary generation before.
And Mat.i t,",,>rd on and listened, large
eyed an @.t'at, W"n l"'in" what it al;
meant ;tu@-s world amt it?-JoQ-
qti9 ~