The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1888-06-11

II We AdA CAla8dISG,r duu AZ Was III OHGOHk-
Portable working About noon we were
getting gravel up the bank in q wheel
barrow; Il had two bits of board laid up
the incline, and had just reached the top
/ of it with a barrow load, when spang
came bullet through the side Of the
barrow, and another bored the air just
1 back of my ears at the same instant.
/ dropped the barrow arms and looked
in the direction from which the sound
came. Joe, who was down in the hole,
ran up the boards behind me, at the
same moment, exclaiming: who's that
/ firing?''
] We both saw the powder smoke near
the mesa, and caught sight of four
mounted indians galloping' around
through the sage brush to the west of US,
with the evident intention of cutting
off our retreat that way
We were so much +astonished that for
moment we stood staring at them, then
back at the smoke; but another ball sang
past our heads, and fully awakened US
to the fact that We were spoken for. y
''To the dobym muttered Joe. and we
both ran for our new mud cake house. 1t
stood not more than thirty yards distant
from our reservoir. Seeing us running
! to cover, the reds gave whoop, accom-
panied BY shouts of derisive laughter.
Still another ball plugged into the clay
wall of the house in front of us, as we
ran for the door. -" - y
We sprang in and closed the door, and
this made the inside rather dark, for
there; was but single window/hole. two
| feet square, not as yet, provided with a
shutter. While Joe barred land propped
the door; I seized our only weapon of de-
fence, an old Sharpe's carbine, one of
those with the joint at the base of the
barrel, and sprang to the, window,
which was in the end next to our corral
and truck patch. T. ~.
The gun was loaded, with loose
powder and ball, having "patch - of
cotton cloth; and we had few charges
! more. The corral partly INSTRUCTED the
view; but we could hear the feet of the
horses as they galloped around in the
rear OF the hut. The corral wall was of
sods an d mud, piled to height of six
or seven feet-just high enough to shut
| the view from the window. Our mule
was grazing about the bottom. Never
! was hut worse planned for defense. but
Joe and l had nothing Of the Indian
tighter in us and had never anticipated
trouble with the redskins there. r
The savages soon discovered that we
were frightened and ina desperate situa-
ton. They worked gradually up quite
near to the hut. Two or three of them
came forward under cover of the outer
wall of the corral. r.
After a moment tufted head rose
suddenly into view for look at the
i window, then as quickly drew down
again; and, although fired, l was con
lsciOus Of doing so too late. Another de-
lrisive yell responded to my shot, and
was repeated from. all around the DOLBY
and the corral
We made haste to recharge the car
bine, but with sinking courage. Joe
looked as white as papeg. ss
"Ed," he exclaimed, In husky
voice., 'we're gone up .' ~
His hands shook. know that Il was
equally scared. y One of the redskins
understood English; for we heard the
same voice repeatedly call out: "White
man, dog! White man, squaw! White
man, come outw Then the others would
yell in derision. Yet, knowing that we
had firearms, they kept out of sight
| from the window hole; nor did they APP
proach the door, fearing, perhaps, that
we might have loop hole there:
But they could see that the rest of the
hut was solid adobe, and did not hest
tate to approach on the back side and
west end of it. Several large stones
were flung upon the thatch roof over our
heads by way of testing it, I suppose.
In fact, the .wretches had things very
much their own way. We were like two
badgers in hole; they had only to dig
US out. . -.
Then three or four stones were flung
violently against the door; but it was
too we'll propred to yield. All the time
they kept calling out insultingly
t'White man, squaw! I White man, YOU
die very soon p at all Of which there was
great laughter and ieering .-.
At length we heard them breaking up
the pieces of boald at the bank of our
proposed reservoir; splitting and hack
ing them to slivers 1t then suddenly
! flashed into my mind that they were
making kindRng wood for a fire. |
thought of our thatch roof and shud-
dered. Joe was equally quick to divine
what was coming.
ed" he whispered, glancing up at
the dry moss, they're gong to burn us
out" -,
What moments of agonizing suspense
those were! Soon we heard the blaze
cracking in the dry slivers. In our des-
peration, we were on the point of throw
ing openSthe door to fire on them. But
what was one shot? They would pour
in volley
In few minutes we heard the sound
i of brands falling on the roof, at which
| the entire party redoubled their shouts
and triumphant hooting: -
':Squaw- man smoke!o, Squaw man
burn up very soon!"
The roof was on fire, beginning to
blaze; we could hear it and see little
blue wreaths of smoke working down
through the thick moss-whcn an ex.
clam4tion from one of the Indians, on a
different key from the chorus of exultant
Shouts, arrested our attention.
A sudden silence followed it; 'then
other explanations of ''Pogonip! Pogo
nip" and moment later we heard hasty
steps, moving off, then the more distant
| oollorNof horSoo ,--..