Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-06-25

speed, and bent his head toward the nearest
point OF ruslses. lie was halllered by hay
ing his hands tied behind, AMI the uiun' liant
wells, which sounded a little louder at each
passing minute, caused him TO fear greatly
that they would overtake Tim
Over moved gtounl, through tai ss.5.ss for
several minutes lie ran like an antelope. He
had gained number OF rods the start of the
Indians while they were picking up their
guns and firing, and this adyrfa ye was what
saved his life lie reached he low bank of
the inlet in advance Of the io emost Sioux,
but so near were they that, as he plunged
among Tie rus.leS a l.g!clet thrown y one
OF them swi~hed past his head, and dropped
into the water IN front
He threw himself headlong into the water,
and Owed amid the rushes. Then he pushed
himself along by kicking in the mud at the
bottom. When his breath gave out, he raised
his head out long enough to get "A fresh breath,
then ducked il and showed ahead.
In this way he was speedily out of sight
and reach Of the Sioux, who did not follow
him into the rushes, His pursuers spread out,
and hurredly surrounded the bayou in the
hope, no doubt, TO catch him III the grass as
he attempted TO crawl out upon the other side.
But Bat had no notion OF going out OF the
bayou at present He found bottom shallow
enough to stand upon and then began work
ing his wrists out of the thongs which bound
them This he was soon able to do, as the
water soaked buckskin stretched at every
strain.
He then waited and listened. Soon he
heard Indians talking upon the bank of the
bayou opposite his entrance They were
looking for his trail at the edge of the water,
and asking each other if he had crossed, and
which way he would 60. Finally one of
them said, NO, he is in there, the dog will
not come out" Then all was quiet
Bat would not stir again, for fear he should
be discovered by the rafting of the rushes,
The time wore on heavily. Toward night
mosquitoes rose out of the water, and pestered
him frightfully He dared not thresh about,
for fear his whereabouts should be discovered
and fired upon by lurking Indians Bullets
and buckshot were to be dreaded, even
though rushcs enough interviewed to hide him
completely, although the bank was only a
few rods dis,dnt on either side.
As the vicious insects alighted upon his face
and neck in swarms, he discovered "A method
of alternating his suiferings. Every few sec
ouds, as his face became black with them,
and their stings began to make him vince he
would quickly and softly lower his head under
the water, and hold it there us long as he
could keep his breath. The cool water soothed
the irritation Of their bites, and gave him
refu.e from them good part of the time.
Darkness came at last, and with it "A breeze
which rlistled the rlshes 50 that he could stir
about without attracting attention by noise
Ho now speedily made use of his legs and arms
in working his way down nearer the lake,
where, in thcket of tall cornstalk grass, no
crawed ut Of the bayou, feeling stiff and
waterlogged
He lay in the grass resting and listening for
an hour or so. and then, bending low in the
grass. made his way to the high land prairie,
mile or 50 distant. Not daring to attempt
to reach Fort Ridgely through the country
which he had learned from his captors was
oyerrun by the Sioux, he set out for st
Cloud, nearly 200 miles distant on the Missis-
sippi
f1e Travelled three days and nights, occa-
sionaily dolging war parties of Sioux Dur
ing that time he lived upon roots and grass;
these he chewed and swallowed the juice.
At length he walked into the streets GO st.
Cloud There was large gathering of set
tiers there and the buildings mostly of
logs. had been fortified and put in a state of
defense
There was n crowd of men in front of the
first store he reached on entering the village.
Faint and exhausted, Bat pushed through
them. and asked inside for something to eat.
number Of settlers and Others Immediately
came inside, and in rough tones asked him
what he a half breed-he was quarter
blood was doing among the whites.
Bat told his story in broken English, but
tho crowd, incensed at the hundreds of
murders committed and the loss Of friends
and relatives, were in a freHzed state Of
fury at the sight Of one belonging 10 the race
which had committed such raya..,.
Hes a miserable spy" shouted one Of
thcn. "A sucakiD Sioux. come among US to
So how many they is Nv u.s. I.t's lang
him~
Baardle-s more than naturally swarthy
from exposure, haggar,l and ugiy in counter
ana rrun hunger and fatigue, Bats appear
au,a STA, n-uA,t him Tho crowd iicrcely
te-f .o thrrry, Hang him"
St n.llrr mru sfrans forward and s.
iHa unfortunate fellow Ills hands
.Ia#hs tied wl,h cord. from the
30 Hsss a rope was procured and
M Nls hustled out Of the store by
iau mean.ol .ttiers, who declared their
Intention 20 striI.i BIN 10 tin first tree on
thou.rr taH1 i yas useless 70 plead or
ttrul lH andd.wpalrnEly the poor exhausted
youth nil1eei himself % be- dragged along
The str~t But villagcr, who had the year
bofurr lived at Big stone, pushed into the
crowd to have look at the prisoner, and
fortunately recognized Bat at once.
"Iluuol be- shouted stop this, nenl
know that boy He's one Of Roberts men at
Big Stone.
This, Of course, put an immediate end to
the Proceedings An innocent life had nearly
been sacrificed 10 the intense feeling wrought
up over the treacherous and wholesale mur-
ders so recently committed by Indians and
half hreeds I'll about them
1t Is hardly necessary to add that the men
were sorry enough Of their conduct when they
leaUied d Bats innocence, and that they
treated him afterward with all tho kinduess
Of which they were capable.- Frank Wcllas
Calkins in The Youths Companion.