Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-02-17

laid with rock, and we had blasted out
sufficient of this TO lay up the walls of
the milk house. Miller was a stone ma
son by trade, and his work had been well
done. The house was pretty large, being
1Sx24 inside the walls, and the walls
were perhaps a foot thick. The roof
had been planked and then sodded, and
the door was of heavy plank. The place
would makca capital fort, and while 1
was carrying into it such thing as Mrs.
Miller directed, the husband used
crowbar to make loopholes in the walls
In the course of an hour he drove five or
six, and then he bored two in the door
with big augcr.
We carried in ali the provisions in the
house followed by the clothing and the
bedding. While we worked we kept
our eyes open for sight of Indians, but
it was II o'clock before we saw them
| coming They were not more than
and barricaded the door All the live
stock had been turned loose and driven
| away, while the fowls were flying about
on the prairie. There was very little
left in the house, and the worst they
could do was to burn it. When we shut
ourselves up missed two of the kegs of
powder, but to my query as to what had
become of them Miller made no reply,
except by laugh. He had been work
ing by himself all the forenoon, digging
holes and running trenches, but l mad
been too busy to notice just what he was
up to.
There were thirty-two mounted
Indians in the band which came up, and
among them they had five fresh scalps.
Every one had plumber of some sort from
the settlers cabins, and two or three APP
peared much the worse for liquor. They
had probably seen us enter the milk
house, for they rode right up to the
cabin without fear. We could see them
very plainly, and among the gang we
picked out several who had often been
supplied with food and ammunition.
There were yells of rage from those who
dismounted and entered the house to
find it stripped, but presently a council
was held in the one big room. After
few minutes an Indian appeared around
the corner Of the house with a white rag
tied to stick, and when he had waived
it few times he called out that he
wanted ''talk." Miller shouted to him
to come on, and he advanced to within
fifty feet of the fort before he stopped
and called out:
'FAll come out. Indians no hurt
Dutchman"
'Is there war?' shouted Miller.
''NO war-no war; Young men get
drunk and ride around, but no war.
Indians all like Dutchman."
IF you like us, then 90 away and
leave us alone" shouted Miller.
"Will you come out?''
"No."
''Then we burn house and kill all
cattle!"
The Indians were too anxious to get at
their bloody work to waste much time in
parleying. The messenger was no sooner
under shelter than the gang began to
howl and whoop, and while some opened
fire on us from the windows, others made
preparations for bonfire. In about ten
minutes the house was on fire, and the
Indians crowded together on the far
side. 1t was a log house, and the roof
fell IN before the sides were hardly ablaze.
The slight wind blew the smoke and
sparks directly over US, so that we could
not see five feet. The Indians continued
to yell and dance for a time, but sudden
ly there was terrific explosion and a
dozen screams of terror. was looking
into the smoke cloud, which how and
then lifted for an instant, and | saw the
burning logs of the house scattered to
the four winds by the explosion. Miller
knew the reds would set the building on
fire, and he had placed one of the kegs
of powder where it would do the most
good. We counted five warriors killed
or disabled by the explosion, and Miller
killed two others before the crowd got
out of range. The house was the best
shelter from which to worry US, and they
had lost by destroying it.
The strength of our fort could be seen
at glance. The Indians were wise
enough not to attempt rush, and the
whole party were also impatient to push
on to other scenes. Six or eight more
arrived soon after the explosion, and
presently we saw them making ready to !
move OH. A general volley was fired at
u.s.. the war whoop was sounded, and
the brief siege was raised. 1t was half
an hour before we ventured out, and not .
an Indian was in sight. We could, how /
ever, see tall columns of black smoke /
whichever way we looked, and it was ,
plain that the whole section was in the :
hands of the Indians. We could not at /
first make out why they had left us, but |
Miller soon concluded that they knew |
what they were about. We had no |
means of escape left to US. The savages /
were on every side, and if we attempted /
to leave the neighbo1hood we should fall /
into the hands of some of them. 1t was
quite safe to leave us there while they /
11uCba6 RI bu+obor tho 6afapceIaSS .