The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1886-12-29

country, and were gathering in large num- M /
bers, attracted by the blood OF the siam
horses. Their snaps and snarls we're sug-
gestive, and their dismal, melancholy
howls walled the sad requiem Of our
| hopes. i
| It was very dark; the moon would De
up in about two hours. Pomp, Bradbury
and myself were discussing she adVlsa-
bility of making a run for it, but we could
not see and we're afraid Of running into
the Indians posted around US. We were
lying about twenty feet apart onthe DfoW
of the hill, in our holes behind the dead
horses. ! had thrown a buffalo robe across
nv pit, and as it was chilly | threw half
the robe across my back while lay on
the other half, and watched ntently across
my dead horse for sign Of the Indians. lt
was at it's darkest; everything deathly
still save the long-drawn howls OF the
wolves, when suddenly such ghastly,
horrible admixture OF yells, as OF Pande-
monium broken loose, arose in our 'front.',
about ten steps off. Immediately after
the wells came the revolver shots and
storm of arrows. At the sound OF the
yells we jumped to our feet, to run back
to where the other two men held their po-
sition in the rear. [ had neglected to take
off my spurs, and as jumped one OF them
caught in the robe that covered me-. 1G
did not stop me more than two seconds,
but it felt an age felt like a man with
a nightmare. 1t was not more than thirty
steps to where our rear guard was, and as
we reached it We turned and could just
distinguish in the dark what looked like
black wall. We fired one volley into it
and then ran down the other side OF the
hill into the black night and sagebrush.
Not word was spoken as we strained
every nerve, but on through sage brush
and bad lands, running for life. We kept
together, and after awhile, becoming
breathless, had to come to a walk. Pomp
told as he was shot with an arrow through
the arm; broke it in two and pulled it
out. Wecontinued all that night, running
as long as we could stand it and then
walking. When the moon came up we
| could see trail that looked like that OF
horses. We gathered around to keep the
) light from showing, and lit matches TO e1-
anime the trail, but could not tell If It was
l the trail of the war party, who might have
gotten ahead OF US, or of buffalo. we
! were almost dying from thirst. We were
5 keeping in the worst of the bad lands, SO
) as to have that advantage over their horses,
and could expect to find no water.
Those horrible Bad Lands! How shall
j | describe them? Imagine an ocean OF
: ashes and sage brush, torn and convulsed
] by cyclone and gazed at by Medusa-
/ al alkali hell with the fire out!
. Morning came; the sun came out bright
D and hot; the thirst became unbearable
5 We left the precipitous bad lands ane
q struck for where they formed valley, II
J. the hope of finding water. In hole We
e found some alkali water. Pomp and Brad
i bury drank first, and as they came to the
9 top Of the bank, after drinking, they calico
e to us below: ttHere they are again =
r and dashed toward the high bluffs. W.
9 three were exhausted; we drank the fetie
r water and slowly pursued our way up :
s coulee. We had done our best; we ha6
d but one shot apiece left, and that was fo
y ourselves in the last extremity. Afte
o awhile we overlook Bradbury. Pomp
5 crazed with thirst, fever and the wound ,hat
g bounded away with superhuman speet
# into the unknown bad lands. Bradbur,
p was a cool, brave man, and when asked ]
g he were certain he had seen the Indians
e replied there was no possible doubt Of it
t. He had seen them about two miles Oil
:. their cleaning lances and thei
i horses. We continued our wear.
q march all that day and part Of the mex
n night; the rest of the night we lay in
\ bad land coulee, our famished bodies press
q ed together to keep ourselves warm. Th
z, next day about 10 d. m, after battle
8 ninety miles of foot travel, and sixty-si:
d hours without food and but little water
four of us reached the mouth OF the Mus
1t selshell, where we were well cared for.
IA -mDe< Azaz------------
Mysterious Disappearance.
About four months ago Jacob Peterntar
:, who has ranch on the Teton some mile
a. ahava town returned from the railroad