Nevada County picayune., 1886-04-07


 sputtered in tie grass near me ! There was a puff of smoke from my rifle and the Indian's horse went off riderless.
 There was a wild cry of rage as tine next came on and four balls sped On tl,eir dea, h misslcn. One made this white track across my wrist and was buried in my should. e., but had loaded and was send ing a ticket to usher another brave into the happy hunting grounds. He received it with my 'compli- melfts xnd plunged headlong from his horse. The remaining three were at shot gun range and yelling like fiends. It was trace as to who should load first. f'tey had the disadvantage of being on horse back; but were separating and cir cling in different directions so as 10 cover me at different points. It seemed as if all our guns must have been fired simultaneously. I heard crash aud felt a sting ing sensation. I knew that 1 had fired but in the sehse of con fusion and darkness that followed could tiot tell the results.
 The first sound that greeted my cars was:
 II say, Hank, blowed if taih't Charlie, Hello, here, yerall right. They didn't Tiff yer Lair this time, did theyw
 l staggered to my feet. and found myself surrounded by three white men, if the word can proper, ly be used with so small number. One was wiping the blood from my face; another was examining my wrist; the third was feeling of me generally.
 As soon as I possibly could l blurted out, "l'm all right, boys, Who the devil are you! l can't see anything for this damned blood.
 "Why, it's Hank Pryor, Nugget Bill and Long Tom. We happened to be be in the timber'n saw ye and we coihe out to meet ye. Cad, twas reg1ar circus want it."
 Are they all cleaned tutf" said '.
 "I reckon they be-, but they kem dnrned near cleanin' you out"
 The rude services of the front iersman surgeon soon stanched the blood. The wound in the wrist was trifling. It was on the inside, and had laid bare the artery and tendon, but while it bled freely a strip from Hanks shirt was all the banGage it needed.
 The ball in the shoulder caused no trouble but a little soreness, and as it did not bleed much we paid no further attention to it.
 The last ball fired had plowed a furrow across the scalp, and it was this that knocked mo over; but while the skin was pretty well rip- ped up, the mating of the hair soon ca-sed a cessation of blood flow, and all 1 needed was a strip of shirt around the forehead. This was quickly forthcoming, and we were ready to take account Of stock.
 My friends appearing so unex- pectcdly on the scene of combat were hunters. Their horses were in the timber, for having seen the race while yet in the distance they had come ont on foot as less liable to observation or being mistaken by mo for reds. It was their inten- ton to let me pass while they in- tercepted the Indians, but Cubs fall prevented that.
 Rcor Cub! He was struggling to get up. 1 bent down over him, knelt down beside him and patted his neck. Yes, there is no harm in saying it, I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. l felt a tear roll down my cheek and then 1 felt faint Pryor raised me up and said: "Here Tom, trot off and ketch horse and take Charley to camp, an Bill an I'll take care 70 things here.
 felt very weak for the moment but I suppose it was the thought that Cub had got to go. l tried to brace uh but it was no use, and everything became dark again.
 was reused by q rifle shot,