Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-02-18
o have left the hborhood for

to have left the shborhood 70
good.
At the end Of alb Eve miles th
valley suddenly h dened or de
bouched into another This larger val
ley opened in from e broad plains
and was q mile long. had no sooner
rounded mass of rod aud earth anC
brought the larger alley into view
than my ears were g1psed with ter
rible yell. Right bs 3 me, and moi
over a quarter Of a pie away, were
seven or eight India surrounding 8
small camp fire, W. their ponies
grazing near by.
At such a tins a4that men think
and act quickly. IfIran back up the
valley such action weld uncover my
camp and lose my &imals. There
was no place at haisIto make q sue.
cessfnl defiance With - odds so much
agEinz - ssssssls spfsng
70 their feet | turned % the right and
dashed into a ravine obaning into the
mountain itself. Thee was a stream
running down it from the melting
snow, but presently Hound fairly
beaten path running al,ng the ravine
and winding through the trees and
around rocks. knowing that my life
was at stake, put fora every effort
to reach a defensive spot
When | had gone Up the ravine
three hundred feet l bund further
progress impossible. RiIht before me
was an opening into WI ch a man on
horseback could have e,tered, while
the width was all of twenty feet. l
dashed into the place to ini myself in
large chamber. The ght was very
dim, but I saw two drits leading off
from this into the mounains. | WAS
after a secure hiding plac,, and dashed
into the right hand drift without q
moments hesitation.
The Indians were so close on my
heels as l entered the dak drift that
the foremost one opened lire with his
revolver, and the wholepack yelled
like fiends. The reader Who has seen
the entrance to a coal mine, slanting
into the darkness at tie start, eau
firm an idea of the drift had plung-
ed iuto. The grade was very steep,
and the bottom so rougL that | fell
down twice in going twenty-five feet.
That was as far as went. The drift
was not over three feet wida, and only
one Indian could come iu at a time.
They did not exactly understand
the situation and We're eager to over
haul me. As | turned at bay, the
foremost Indian was entering the drift.
While he was looking into the dark
ness l was looking toward the light,
and the first shot from my revolver
pierced his brain and killed him as
dead as a stone. As be isll -fssd
hind him. knew this from the way
the fellow yelled out. Il was won
derful how quick their enthusiasm
cooled down. They had hsled me up,
but at the same time discovered that
| was not defenceless. Their safety
obliged them to get out ofrange, and
in doing this they could noi shoot into
the drift and hit me with chance
bullet.
All now became as silent IS death,
and not a move was made ioi quar-.
ter of an hour l had made o tempo
rary escape, but by no msans con-
graduated myself that theF would
abandon their efforts. HowIfar back
the drift extended I had no means OF
knowing, and instead of seeking to as
certain, l crept within fsw feet OF
the mouth. had a Winchester and
two revolvers, and could hEe killed
Indians all day long had thy sought
to enter the drift. But one warning
was enough. They knew 7 safer
way to get at me.
BY and by heard the crekling Of
flames and smelled smoke, ah direct
" after that heap of burning brush
was pushed to the entrance o the drift
with long pole. They wer' going to
smoke me out I confess Il making
up my mind that my hours wire num-
bered, but I had given way toaespair
too soon. The draught Of tle drift
was outward into the chauber, as
might have been expected, aEl not a
Whit Of smoke could be drivh in at
me. The game was soon ahadoned
for another. A rock large ersugh to
furnish cover for an Indian W. rolled
to the mouth OF the drift, anl red
skin got behind it and begh firing
into nv cover. By retreatiF few
fset and living fat down ] fas safe
from his bullets. lie fred aifs-eight
times before be hauled off They
couldn't say that I had beA killed
and the proper way to provi that
hadn't been was TO send q wFrior il
with a lighted torch to ask De. HI
had scarcely entered the drt whsI
| banged into him. and dropped him
He fell so near the mouth tlat hi
companions sought to draw hin o1t
ard ! wounded one OF thsm "a Ia
arm.
/ I had killed two and wourdei two
aad knew that not over fscr sounI
ones remained. I was wondering IL
wouldn't be the best plan todan on
: at them with my revolvsrs wnsn
series o; yslls. shouts, scresSs an
srowls flled the chamber bsylnd ms
: Then followed Ave or sin shok NOR
growls and yells, and as ! ksp4ny sy
E on the opening 7 oaush. . slhP.s
, 9 grizzly bear and warrior stragslirl
4 IN Ave minutes from the Ara soun