The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-12-14

close to the Grow country; that's tho reason
there were 90 many Of us together; and our
busine-s was to keep about 9, 200 head Of cat
oresf ind Seven Mons Buttcs, away up nigh
tbs head II IL
s'Twas terrible rough country, that up
round Seven Mems Buttes; but the hill grass
there makes the best Of feed 10 summer and
fall Aud In order 10 keep - many Of the
ssirs s feeding there - W. could
10y; not far, IN fact, from the buttes -
There was another rsaron,. though, for
rounding close to tho head Q: tho stream.
There were two gaps that led back into tho
mountains, one each side Of the buttes. through
which the steers might stray, or out Of which |.
. sbnnch' II We didn't watch closely. i,
I'VE never feared any danger for ourselves,
though: for Of late years the Crows have done
nothing worse than run Oh stock, on the ely.
into the mountains: and they won't do that II
there is any risk about the business
meyer ttAuugtt much about 1t. and thaS was
from the wild Sioux ApartY Of their younE
bucks used to come up that wsy every summer
from the. South, on . raid aftcr horses, and
sometimes they. made serious business for the
boys along the creeks; though they generally
picked up 'strays.' or loose punches Of horses
and cattle that had got good distance OF
the range
1--WE never gave these fellows much thought
and the summer passed; till ono night In the
Hast part Of August, when Jim and ran into 0
party Of young bucks, fresh up from the Ogs-
lsilah camps, and spelling for fracAs.
The beggars were running good sized
bunch Of fst steers right into Vesy's gap-as
and in broad daylight tool. For it wasn't ten
minutes after snndown when We 'ssw them, IS
We came riding out Of the hills, = mile lower
down the creek
"'Crows, Edp yelled Jim over his shoulder
to me; for be was little ahead and SAW. them
t s y , forty Of EN-! Runnin' % ble
Thought, too, that they were Crows "A
fancy lot Of chaps they Were, sssur0 youl
Even ct that distance We could SEQ that they
were al logged out in big-fgured calico. with
red and yellow streamers aqstering all over
Not bit Of doise about Il, though; not word
spoken! But they were bohbing about e lively
~ whole nestful Of .yalier wasps, fourisbipn
their arms and quirts. and just soaring tho very
wits out Of those poor Cattle
tJim,' says I, shall wa 60 for 'em, or do
you expect there sretoo many Of 'em for Us 10
hitch tor
'They may 30 Sioux said Jim. looking
hard at them III they are Crows, they'll scat.
ter at tho fret shot and leave us the cattle, II
they're Sioux, we'll leave them the cattle. and
. pair Of scaps into the bargain. But let's
take the chance Ed. Here goes!' Aud just
sight behind spur Of the. ,buttes, We, went
flying up the valley after them.
Il ont think that they saw ue at oil till wo
had followed them nearly three miles, and
rounded the second point We we're then about
. little dark. 81.
:" Touch 'em rp. now!" Jim exclaimed; snd
uneltnging our 'Winchesters.' We began to fire
at them. We Thought that il they were Crows
they would run at once into the hills. But
they didn't They kept etealy after the steers;
never go much as noticed us by shot back
Tho canyon was getting deeper, aud it was
growing darker every MINNIE. .5f
Determined not to let them get away without
an effort 10 get some of the cattle, VIC now fired
in dead earnest Just here bend in the 70.
vine took them round out OF our sight for q
moment
g Shall No go around thar after emp ex-
claimed Jim.
"'They may attack u.s. I replied But IN
follow your lead, JIM = :
'tJim never, drew rein, and kept near him;
but etill hoping they wore Crows, We resolved
to make one more dash ct them and see IL We
could rot save tho steers, for this bunch was
about the finest and latest on our range 20
on We went ct full drive.
well, sir. thoy came at us, mors'n dozen
Of 'em, the minute We rounded that bend. We
had NO eooner passed the high rocks there,
when moro than dnzen spranY ont behind us,
81 - to out on our retreat And such yell !!
They bad been still - ferre,s, but now they:
We'll, II would he pretty hard matter for
me 70 describe what followed; / havorf't got
the language to do It, They didn't fire shot
ct first; but each rsdskiu. sB he spurred out
from the black shadow. of the overhanging
pressed their horses tight onto the rear Of
''They thought they were sure Of us; and
We saw In moment what their game waa
They meant to capture us, ponies and all, and
then have an interesting time .roastin'' US,
served poor Fellow named Norcross. two sea.
cons before in those same hills You see, we
had no more doubts now about their being
Sioux.
''Well, rs We couldn't turn back, ws Just
drew our six.shooters and urged our ponies to
run A sx-shooter's b sight handler than q
Winchester in . close tight: aud it waa
scarcely second's work to snovc our carbinea
down into our saddle holsters. We supposed
that there were more Of the redskins ahead OF
u.s. and SO it proved, fog in less than minute
We ran into another squad.
ut WAS getting rather dark in. the canyon by
TIL. time; and reckon We overlook then,
scattered out and punchin' the steers along.
Perhaps they thought though, that we would
not try to ride through oil that crowd Of cattle
up the gorge stead.
I'VE went 10 among them like pair Of sky
rockets, and Just turned loose on 'em with our
dust and dark, we could catch sight Of any of
that huttering calico They dashed. struck
and shot at us from all directions ct once; but
we plunged through the midst of them, and
went 1t full drive among oil those foundsring,
believing steers ahead.
s'Only the darkness coull have sayed us
.JGm the bullets and arrows that were ahut ut
us as We were carried on II the midst OF the
stampede; and only heaven preserved us from
being Crushed to death in the jam Of cattle
crowding aloug between the almost vertical
walls of rock on each side. Our ponies were
spry and nimble; they'were more used to cat
IN the press faster than the redskins could fol-
low u.s. 80 ~ f.1s7 80
SAT length We came out among tho foremost
Cattle; IN o moment moro We could have cleared
the whole jam. Up to that time NOT bali OF
eS.nce ,boa Sr, nov
Jim. horse aud all He was hslfa stride in
sdvsnoo Of my right Above the uproar. i
heard him cV out aud then saw pony and man
60 hsadlong to the ground. y.
s.Checking my horse With q jerk, tried to
phil up and face about: but Q heavy steer run
ming plump against me. and the place being
frlghtful rocky. my pony was upset and tume.
bled head foremost into deep rift in the ledge.
whore ! think be must have either broken 6is
legs or his neck, for We found him trampled
into The ri:t tho next morning.
by good luck my own neck WAS not broken,
and jumping tony feet ran 10 Jim. He lay
several yards In front 81 his struggling pony.
Don't wait for mo, Ed he groened, Is I
took bold 6f him. can't 60; ] can't get mp
The ball had gone through his thigh, break.
ing the bone, and fatally wounded The pony
beside him. Putting both hands under his
arms, raised him; and then, partly carrying
and partly dragging him. I ran haak XII