Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-25
SHOT I,N THE SADDLE.

l SHOT IN THE SADDLE. There rocks ahead there doun ',f i'.at For weeks had heard | whispers fnt ln'iian rIs:nS. and now the l reds!,.r. bad ,,> hnlnlned in every side. Tbe Nit:p -s:. -r> had ionG ago left the terri | tory s,n.l ,,s" holdinc the fort in utter de,,n,r:tt i.,.. i)e;u old fort what happy | dav>r4 .o l,:.u spent in It How brave and | !ssr ,.,. i;.r,l> that beet therei It was l ptnr">,,.,.;, rough The winding river could it- mile away gliding and | quiypras =tiiani., the trees like huge ser
 pent f, Iltr all was laden with the scent of the ,i,ine .,.pu and the prai-1s round was soft d. Velvet. The high stockade that ran ron.,e! it.. tmrracis made the position all but l inl,,i.-.s.l!,le and we kept the old flag float l ing s,uu-i If t. the i;ISt Bat the day cene wEe'i ur E:ul att leave IL. flying for our lives. Weee.ers r,,it .Ia:ttfui Of men from tue be- | ginning fh'. t.altas:' had been murdered by the rrst ,ievis t!:rer weeks t,efore when par
 Ievliie l. s,ln ot il!e f:llefs and Bruce, his or la,ivs palt..arri back with an arrow in his | lun.:7 ,,Ii i.aNst days after Scottie and
 FoI.t Ss,s.e.,i:n,-,i tt, tyI,hold fever and were
 burie,i ,elind tn" Stai.ls.S and only six of the boys .rpre left tn:Sl.!4s myself to see the end of it Fe.
 l wnS II, charge after the captains death, | anu wtei, l SAW them drag his mutilated
 body past the for, l felt sorey tempted to trust h luck nn make nF:a good old fashioned charge at the Husky Sc,Gilldre!s But 1 had grtsit res, e,nsibility upon my shoulders then, and as l was only nol, commissions! officer 1 did ,iOt rare to be too rash or to fool away 1 III, s.onitst.es lives unnecessarily \ prairie troo;ei is not just tl,. most refined character 1 going i!e does not move much in polished Society gnof ,i.a* ht see many new faces, but he loves his comrades all the more for that, and knew there not man among us that would tio, die for the other if it came to pinch a Sc we ke;jt OD OFT weary watch, waiting l for the help that never to come
 Dear old rhums how brave and patient ] they were If l had been a general they | could not have obeyed me better wonder 1 if an qfldeI squad of Iner were ever shaken together Here was old Peter, the veteran, | always talking ot the "precarious tmes," ! but as game a pet,e 1T: spite of his frosted
 head nu, ;Hi'en,:Ay called from the long 1 Eoate' ne I:;<istei ul~ol ~f,t,iting often he could find an officer good natured enough
 to tnltra.e it there was the parson, nick
 named o,, account of his meyer ceasing pro-
 fanity ,,., who tender hearted
 as a vo.,.an Ananias, always telling
 the most impossible yains, and invaria-
 bly er.iinlF .,-tt the solemn asseveration,
 ''rh,s Is story Fatty, the
 lookout 10, meal and last of all, there was
 iea, old h.il;,iso,I.e Inrly-every Tho knew him owed hln His voice was the loudest
 and his laugh the uerriest everywhere. His
 heart was as big as house. and he always
 had smile md d Kindly worn for every poor
 wretsr hat eve nse,Ied He was a
 ,ff1 ir, fIor,
 mar ir tf,e ,s'l.inand, he received his repri"
 ma,ids and pr,s!shme:lts in due course, and when they over was again as bad as
 ever Tn, ilaeu a.ioie,: him. unG the officers
 thought nCtL,n. that was done was good enough bad .I:nagh unless Curly had @ hand in II too How he used to laugh when nn ln'ilan ,atnt within range and how inces-
 sartl. he us.s 1., I,oI at him. 'lrst for funr' ] It ua- al, bard enough work while it laSteh tnnu i We neve, Elew from one mo- l ment to ttlautlA'r ~nen 5iie enemy might storm us. and .!. h,rses wera ;:ept saddled
 day and night. Ill c,.:'s of surprise
 We had tt Ses.la our eyes sa inEed. you can bet or tha. rl,c in,;ai.s round us, not luu yard. away a.ij sesmed to divine , how scarce .,,.i provisions and ammunition
 were; IT, t.
 For a week M had peppered them
 rayly but 2, .,n,o t,at.ai;,e too expensive an S 1 aInllSaI.m..t air. .,t had tt husband every cartridge n,!i >'t''!l't against the day
 when they .:l:c;i: En:s:i u,eos hves, Right :, III -ss@ ills t;ci'ut '.:.,;.1 the river in ] frnni the, la. II w::il !oI .:;, anu the curl in. S:,.,ke trn,l ,:aeI t*r;a-e fires told us in Q what <@arliis ti.e, G,,Is:%i'',l
 V ! rIS,,.Ie *.,.::+' ,i!t' Impossible. The stlr,&H .s, .i ..... t.:i.,;lcI. and half rations
 was r!i. ,i |" ,: t., s;:.i .i, i.la. and beast.
 | 1 1, 1o . privt.>i sL ..x".:s, .l;., >t.tcej of their food z the, t,,.-~ lp",a', swell. ,,nd the want oi
 wu.c! iil.i.l< L:;s..i rtmt> rough and staring
 | and Eue:r ,r,iu.eI'> vEt1u, a.ll uncertain IS Things went oH like LEis for more than a month, anc, i;l>i bad nct more thar
 three days prGvlS,o',~ t'ft amongst us. Ths
 wei Lh.l ..ina III, conn ,;t.it.N too, owing ts
 the awful drought, ;:iii t.le f.e:. were begin 'I ming to be will ;u,.i desperate
 n bad just ,r;ni"ni ;$ ls';: night after n long u,slt u-.te.s, Nhf, f',-enchy woke r.le tt
 say that a fr.>r, ,le!;arnisiaii. of Indians hae
 crossed the rivel ora rait. Whi;', was moorel B. close to the horses old watering ground n This he had ,aIs;:c;Iy i,e: iron, the look ou
 tower tI;n ..it! G,s., .,iiai roof. :.:id he fur
 ther added :h+ alarming l:iforEi:tion tha
 the newcomers had t.ief ,feathe1,s" on ant 'i were dancln. [. the Ir';i. Of the tolEtonl. g. This was aS t;:d could s,e for the feath it cred heads and i.ii!iTet tt"iLlnt5 t,eIOkenet IT, bloodshed was u,' ln q noneut, and ever,
 loophols in tie corral was stopped fast 8 y willing hancls could dc it The horses wer m led into tic square. alri the little squad n armed tc Lhe teeth, gathered together pre- . ] pared to defend their lives as only t!esperat l men know how to do
 IS We had not long to wait We saw th p lob in front of us grow larger and hear,
 i,e gutteral yells that greeted the big chief
 :,e;,ch, and then they came toward Us ill |, .'l,i mass. Forty yards away they stopped = ,s"i forming circle round the barracks "a ne.i volley after volley at us. but their bul at iet> struck harmlessly in the palisades or ae, if higt above our heads.
 .,I Occasionally they would fire arrows in tn