, 1886-02-16

n much better weapon shan mine, bat
did not care to face me on anything
like equal terms.
Probably suspecting that l had a sin
gle barrelled rifle, Dog Killer first ma
nIuvered TO draw my fire. He began
circling around me, uttering yells and
taunts and firing an occasional bullet,
but realized his object and refused TO
waste my bullet until the right moment
came. BY and by, when he was within
fair range, | fired at his horse. If l
could kill the pony the chief could no
longer pussue me.
AT the crack of the rifle his horse
rolled over, and fortunately fell upon
its rider in such a way as to hold him
to the earth for a moment. This gave
me time TO reload. AS Dog Killer
struggled up he drew up his rifle and
fired, and my own animal went down
in a heap, struck in the head. This left
us face to face, each with a rifle in his
hands. lie fired twice at me before I
raised my gun, but his bullets whistled
over my head, while mine struck him in
the chest and laid him on the grass.
After reloading | went over to him
and found him, as / believed, stone
dead. took away his rifle, knife, tom
ahawk, and ammunition, and likewise
appropriated a government medal he
was wearing around his neck. / didn't
want two guns, and so slung mino
away, together with the ammunition.
] destroyed both saddles as well as !
could, made a knapsack of blankets and
provisions, and within an hour after
first sighting Dog Killer / was heading
for tho fort on foot.
For the first fifty rods l looked back
at brief intervals. l own that | was
awed and frightened at the knowledge
that ! had killed a human being, a
thought in fair defence of my own life.
Then, too, his fierce face, his half
eyes, the bloody froth on his lips, made
up a picture to haunt me. had gone
perhaps half a mile, and had halted on
a little knoll to survey the plain, when
a bullet screamed past my ear and a
rifle cracked spitefully. l wheeled
around, and there was Dog Killer rest
ing on his knees within twenty rods of
me. That malignity which inspires only
the rcd man had shaken off the clutch
of death and forced him to follow me,
in the hope of accomplishing my de-
struction. He had picked up and loaded
the abandoned rifle, and his bullet cut
close to my head.
drew up my rifle to shoot him, but
he did not finch. He waved his hand
and tried TO shout defiance. l could not
pull trigger OF a dying man, even if an
enemy. ! shouldered the weapon and
walked briskly on, and was only well
out of range when he fired again. Five
miles away | assembled n swell which
gave me a good view of my trail, and |
beheld Dog Killer creeping along over
the path like the incarnate iend he was.
No wounded Bengal tiger was over more
determined on revenge.
Two hours before shutdown | had the
good fortune to fall in with a lieuten-
ant and ten men, bearing military dis
patches. A halt was made, and three
men were sent to find Dog Killer and
dispatch him and secure his weapon.
The devil was only eight miles away,
being only two hours behind me in all
the days walk. Death had come at
last, however, although he still clenched
tho rifle, and his glazed eyes seemed to
be scanning my trail.
At daylight mex morning | was safe
in Fort Dodge, and l had the scalp OF
log Killer to prove the truth of my
story.