The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-04-07
FACING INDIANS.
JOAQUIN MILLER.

On the 5th day of June, after most
perloas assen; Of what our company
called. in plain English, 1.-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 through the manzanita bushes.
where We were gathering our forces for
fight. and now and then the ugly mufzle
OF a gun barked and smoked at us across
the little opening. and fattened a bit of
lead on the rocks around US. But we
could not sec even an Indians feather.
A, last our leaders decided on a plan of
battle, and the most OF US were stationed
behind trees and rocks. to engage the en-
envy. while dashing scouting party.
stripped TO the waist attempted To- roui
the rear At signal from this party, we
were TO advance and run across the clear
ing. and charge the rocks and chaparrel
How reckless. What risk, And for
what. Well. stood there, loading up
and peppering Away slowly. did not
see an Indian. !. to tell the truth. did
no, pine to see an Indian. Now and
then a bullet would knock the bark of
from my tree. and | could see an arrow
splinter on the rocks very frequently.
But one gets used To such things in
shorter time than you would think. The
day was hot. and sat down and read
tattered pocket edition of Byron, that
had picked up in an abandoned pros
pectors' camp, few days before-the
frs, that had ever heard OF Lord
Byron.
BY and by our boys got foothold in
the rocks in the rear. and began to pour
in their FIRE. Then we began to hear
groans and yells from the Indians. And
| tell you, it sounded awful. The walls
of the women made the thing tcn-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 barking at my
heels. an arrow drew blood in my lief:
limb. and my dog tell dead from stray
shot. But We poured ahead, right into
the brush and rocks. But here a regular
sluice-head of arrows met US, and that is
all remember of our first battle. had
been carried out of the fight and laid I'M
der the pines. along with a little row Of
other wounded fellows. and Mountain
Toe was cutting off the head of the arrow
which had pierced and passed through
the eft side of my face and neck. When
he had done this. and drawn out the ar
row from my face, again became uncon-
scious from loss of blood, and do no, re-
memember anything more that happened
until mex, morning. when they were
bundlng me off on the back of squaw
prisoner TO be carried down 20 the Sac
ramento river. As we were about to
start. one of our party, a stout, burly fell
low. called Gabe," but whose name
never knew, held bag up before my
face: heavy bag. half full: bag
through which oozed and streamed and
dripped on the pine quilts. and battered
on the leaves-blood! He tapped this
with his bloody knife, and said j" Scalps !.
boys, ,hem's scalps for you" This
s,ckening sight almost cost me my life,
for again became unconscious, and re-
n,embcred only speaking to the old wo-
reached the river.
Three years ago wen, with my daugh-
ter, Maud. now in 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
subdue the savage border to civilization.
but who are careful to reap the reward.
We sa, down under the same pines where
had lain all summer, Just twenty-five
years before. and the water talked 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 VAS once more with them. came
back. gathered about me. gray. battered,
all broken up, and. leaning on their guns.
talked in strange and almos, forgotten
tongue of my battles, my loves, my life
time, a weary generation before. And
Maud looked on and listened, large-eyed
aud silent. wondering wha, i, all meant,
Oaeer world. amt il .-ErfIange.