, 1888-11-13

DS OpLlAs - a Z LLLAhulGo III IAlAAlhI
appeared around the corner of the house
with a white rag tied to a stick, and when
he had waved it a few times he called out
that he wanted n talk" Miller shouted
to him to come on, and he advanced to
within fifty feet of the fort before he
stopped and called ont:
\ come out. Indians no hurt Dutch
man.
'Is there war;" shouted Miller.
"No war-nO warl Young men get
drunk and ride around, but no war. In
EdfaHs- all like Dutchman.m
"If you like us, then go away and leave
us alone!" shouted Miller.
"Will you come outf''
"No."
"Then we burn house and kill all
c~attle!''
The Indians were too anxious to get at
their bloody work to waste much time in
parleying. The messenger was no sooner
uude shelter han the gang began to
howl and whoop, and while some opened
fire on us from the windows, others made
preparations for n 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
hNc lieu. Inc IINlldLS CDuLllutu 10 yen
and dance for n time, but suddenly there
was a terrific explosion and a dozen
screams of terror. l was looking into the
smoke cloud, which now 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
H,rn, frnrrgl-- 1rs11nJ - ls,.I1.l l.. A.
plosion, and Miller killed two others be-
fore the crowd got out of range. The
house was the best shelter from which to
worry us, n they had lost by destroy
ing it.
The strength of our fort could be seen
at n glance. The Indians were wise
enough not to attempt n rush, and the
whole party was also impatient to push
on to other scenes. Six or eight more ar
rived soon after the explosion, and pres
emily we saw them making ready to move
of. A general volley was fired at us, the
war whoop was sounded, ana the brief siege
was raised. 1t was half an hour before
we ventured out, and not ar Indian was
in sight. We could, however, see tall
columns of black smoke whichever way
we looked, and it was plain that the
whole section was in the hands of the In
dams. 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 neighbor-
hood we should fall into the hands Of
some of them. 1t was quite safe to leave
us there while they pushed on to butcher
the dcfcnseIess ones.
An hour after dinner we were Joined nv
three young men, who had been hiding,
lodging and travelling since the evening
before, and who had come a distance OF
twenty miles. They were bachelor home
steaders, and all had rifles, %revolvers and
plenty of ammunition. It was n welcome
addition to our party, for we now felt that
We would have to stand n siege. Mrs.
Miller brought out the pots and kettles
and cooked dinner on a fire in the open
air, and after it was eaten she began to
prepare food for the siege. Pork was
boiled, flour stirred into cakes, coffee
made and put into jays, and before night
she had food enough to last a dozen men n
week. Meanwhile the rest of us had not
been idle. Some large posts were sunk in
the earth before the door, leaving space
enough for only one person to come at us
at a time that way. Four more loopholes
were made in the walls, and then the
planking Of the roof was loopholed by
means of the augur in at least twenty
places. now saw what Miller had been
up to the day before. He had put in no
less than three powder mines in the
vicinity, running a$low match to each
one. The only cover the Indians could
lhaxGiDjhe neighborhood was in the rear
of the fort, Where we had mined b T0CT.
We had left n big hole, which was a
natural rifle pit, and our loopholes did not
command it. They wsuld be sure to oc-
upy this place, and the men prepared u
torpedo, holding fifteen pounds of powder,
and mic it under the rocks and dirt on the
brink of the pit. A trench was then dug
to and under the wall of the milk house,
and by means of boards n train of powder
was laid. When the earth had been filed
in again no one could have told it had
been disturbed.
we were as ready as we could be at .
O'Clock, but the sun was just going down
when we saw the Indians approaching
By that time more than 3 1000 settlers had
been butchered or driven from their
homes, and the war which was to sweep
over an extent of country 200 miles long
and sixty broad, and alarm 80, 900 settlers,
had opened in all its tierceness. The band
which now approached numbered only
Sixteen warriors, and as soon as they saw
our strength they fired a few shots at loug
range and passed on to the east. At dark
we entered the fort, arranged the goods
and provisions to give us all the room pos
sible, n by and by turned in to sleep
while one man wns left on watch. This
was Miller. He was to watch until mid
night, and then call one of the young men,
but at II o'clock he quietly aroused the
garrison and whispered the news tina n
large number of Indians had arrived. We
were scarcely awake before being made
aware that our fort was being closely in
SDeCted by SDieS. When we had cnrpfulIv
pulled the pluga from the loopholes we
could see and hear them moving about in
large numbers. BY and hy we heard a
number of them on the roof. They were
probably investigating to see how to burn
us out. At n signal from Miller we took
up our guns, carefully poked the muzzlcs
through the loopholes in the plauks, and
at another signal all fired. We killed OF
wounded two Indians by the volley. and