Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-12-03
pulled at the blanket, but I yelled at

you as long as livcl''
The next I remember was sudden
awakening. The blanket had been
pulled off of me, and was sitting up.
Kneeling beside me was an old hunter
and Indian fighter. | saw him dimly, as
one looks into a fog. heard his words
family, as if he were long way off.
"Come, Chicken, what is it9" he asked.
! stared at him.
| Must be sunthln mighty wrong to
make man act like this. Have you
been sick2"
I held up my arm. He pulled the
cloth off the wrist and looked at the
wound.
''By gosh Bit by rattlerl' he NUT
tered. "When did it happen9"
cat sunrise.
could speak, but my voice seemed to
belong to some one else.
"And now it's midarternoon, "he said.
s'You amt ftten to go on and you amt
ftten to stay here. Chicken, Old Bill
has got to tote you over to his camp.
You didn' git 'nuff pizen to kill, but you
got 'nuff to upset yer narves. 1t will
take three days to git yer level head
back"
liked the man. I remember this
very plainly. He called me s'Chicken"
in the absence of another name, and /
smiled tthe idea. He rose up to help
me on my feet, took quick glance to
the west, and then hissed between his
clenched teeth:
"Reds dot rot their picturs-and
twenty of 'cm, at that Say, Chicken,
look tharl'
looked. It seemed as if I looked
into morning mist. Three miles away
were score or more of mounted Indi-
ans. Old Bill whistled to his horse,
and the animal came running up with
my own beast close at his heels.
Chicken, kin We rider"
He jerked me to my feet, lifted me
into the saddle if:T had been a boy, and
was mounting his own steed when 1
lurched forward and fell to the grass.
Exactly Too much pzen in his
system!" growled Bill as he dismounted,
"Wall, won't leave ye, and to stay
here means foutr'
"Get away if you cam" I said, after
great effort.
''Me go alonel Chicken, ye don't
know old Bill Pooleg Whistle yer hoss
to lay down"
whistled, and Selin,, was down in a
moment. Then Bill helped me over to
him and propped me up and said:
''Kin We see to shoot2"
"No.n
II thought not. Howsumever. jist
pint yer Winchester at 'em and pull
trigger. The whistle of the lead may
have some effect"
The Indians came within half mile
and then began to circle. When the
circle came within rife shot, Bill opened
fire. held my gun without sighting,
and by some strange luck the first shot
brought sn Indian OF his horse. With
the sight of him tumbling down came
that wild exultation of the morning, and
with that feeling came strength.
sprang up and began to whoop and
dance.
"Gone clean crazy, by jingog" I heard
Old Bill whisper
Sol had. fred three or four wild
shots. and then made rush for
portion of the circle, never needing the
hunters loud shouts to return. You
see, while remember all l said and did,
it is like remembering dream. can
recollect that fired every shot in the
magazine of my rife, and then came a
blank. must have been completely
overcome by the intense excitement.
1t was like waking from sleep when
came to. I was singing and laughing.
1t was about s O'clock next morning,
and the location was an Indian camp on
the banks of the Cheyenne. The camp
contained women and children as well
as warriors, and numbered about thirty
lodges. ] was free to walk about, and
my strength had returned. / can't ex-
plain my mental situation more clearly
than to say was twin. One twin was
crazy, the other in his sound senses.
was the crazy twin at times-at times
the other. |, as the crazy twin, laughed.
and shouted, and sang, and went about
camp in the most lawless manner /, as
the same twin, suddenly said to myself:
"Why am in this Indian camp?
Where did they find me2 OH remem-
Der now of fight on the prairie Why
didn't they kill me2 Where is Old Bill2
I see our two horses, but did they spare
him9 must look around the camp
found him in the centre of the
camp, firmly lached to young cotton
wood. I wasn't right in my head, and
it was only by an effort that / could
crazy twin off and letthe sane twin speak
and understand.
"Well, Chicken, how is you this
morning2" qucried the hunter as ap-
preached him.
"Who tied you up2" asked in reply.
"The reds, of course. Chicken, I'm
in bad way In that leetle fors out
thar yesterday I killed three Of 'em. I've
got to die for it!'
! had TO hold my head tightly in my
hands and look straight into his eyes to