The Opelousas courier., 1889-06-29
THE OFFICERS STORY.
& Terrible Experience Among the
Fiendish Comanches.

1t was in a group of army officers,
lounging carelessly about a blazing
campfire, on a Northern Dakota prai
RE. one chilly evening last fall, that
the following story was told by ar
elderly, gray-haired veteran of innu.
merable Indian campaigns:
''It was the same spring in which
you got into the scrape that you have
just told us &-out. Colonel, that l had
a pretty close call as WE'LL" he begaks
II was a captain in those days, al
was out on a scout with my troop oi
cavalry. The Comanches and Kiowas
had not as yet declared war, but it
was expected daily that they would,
SO that it was not safe to trust any
wandering band of Indians met on the
plains. I had with me a couple OF
Usage scouts, most skillful trailers,
and brave enough fellows. as Indians
go, and when we went into camp one
day at about noon, [ took one of them
Sly Fox by name-and rode off to
look for an antelope for supper.
''Sly Fox didn't seem to relish very
much the idea of leaving the camp,
although, like all of his race, he was
p~assionately fond of hunting. Upon
questioning him, I found that he was
afraid that we might possibly run foul
OF ONE Comanches. with whom his
tribe were constantly at He ex-
planned that whether the Comanches
had taken the war-path against the
whites or not his scalp would not be
safe If we should meet any of them.
and thatin all probability mine would
suffer the same fate as his.
II laughed at him, and assured him
that two of us could hold any number
of Comanches at bay until help could
arrive from camp; and he seemed to
get the better of his fears. We had
ridden some distance without finding
antelope, when Sly Fox discerned,
several miles away, three specL
which he pronounced buffalo. We at
ono rode toward them, and when
they discovered us we gave chase.
After half an hours hard riding we
overlook and killed a t6ne, almost full
grown cali, and giving the others up,
dlsnounted 70 dress it.
g~@aged in this for
~-6ay be a quarter of an hour, when Sly
Fox suddenly stopped work, jumped
TO his feet. and shaditig his eyes
with his hands, grunted ont the single
word: u
"fComanche!'
Looking in the direction that he
indicated, I saw coming around the
base OF a low hill, two horsemen-or
rather. ponies, for their riders were
out of sight, hanging on the further
side of their steeds. The one in adj
vance halted, and was quickly joined
by the second, behind whom followed,
in quick succession, ten more, raising
the total number to twelve. All of
them were hanging out of sight on the
other side OF their ponies, and a mo-
ment's thought made it clear that they
had intended surprising us, hoping
that should we discover their approach
too soon, we would take them for O
herd OF mustangs.
Our W horses we had turned
loose to Craze, and they had wandered
q few yards away; but it vas the work
OF only a moment to re-catch them and
vault into the saddles.
'.As soon as tKS attacking party saw
that they recognized, they re-
sumed upright positions, and came for
us at a run, uttering yells that reached
us distinctly. I knew that there was
little use in running, for our horses
were already somewhat jaded from the
buffalo chase; and yet, the spot where
we were was the worst possible for der
Tending ourselves. Back about three
quarters of a mile, I remembered, was
abutte, such as dot most of the prairie
land of the Indian Territory. At it's
top IL was more than half an acre in
extent, but in three directions its sides
were almost as perpendicular as walls,
while on the fourth side, fortunately,
the one turned toward US, the ascent
was much more gradual.
'sSly Fox remembered the butte as
well as ], and we had hardly reached
Jul saddles when, as by a common
impulse, we turned our horses heads
on the back trail. The Indians in
our ar, thinking that we were I'M
Trusting safety to flight, increased
their yells Of exultans pleasure. The
race was q short but exceedingly
exciting one, but We reached the butte
sone minutes before the Indians came
IN range of us. Nehobbled the horses
~ g little hollow. and ~loosening our
cartridge belts. seated ourselves on