St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-26

so ago. We were camped down on
ROCK creek in grading outfit. Some
thirty men composed the crew, and
they were sleeping in three different
tents. Below US five miles was a tie
making gang of some ten or twelve
OSe of these was known as 'Prickly
Pear Bill" and he was continually
boasting of his Indian exploits and
telling the boys what he would do in
case the Crows came upon them. At
last the boys resolved to try his nerve.
so it was arranged that he and the man
sleeping with him should 60 TO their
tent, the other boys also making prep
arations to retire at the same time.
Everything was to be quiet until Bill
was known to be asleep. Then the
boys slipped out to some brush on a
creek near by. and. 'ambushing' them
selves, prepared for the attack.
AT word they all began shooting
their pistols and giving Indian war
whoops. Bill awoke and arousing his
companion, eXclcimed: Say. the In
dams are upon u.s. Is that sop
asked the other. who, by the way, knew
all about the proposed fun. Yes;
sure responded Bill, at the same time
grabbing his boots and trousers and
making for the tent door. His mate
OF the boys fired again, and BiI'S room
mate fell, saying as he dropped: Run
for your life, Bill, for | am killed.
''Blll lit out for the creek, which he
Jumped into, and scrambiing up the
other side made for high bluff, over
which no man has ever been known to
climb. How he got up there he himself
does not know, but he climbed it, and
taking circultuouS route came to our
camp three hours later. When he ar
rived there, we found he had nothing
On but his underclotheS. He had lost
his boots lie the creek, and had taken
his pants and torn them up and put.
around his feet. His hair stood on end,
and his eyes stuck out like ones fist,
and taken altogether, he was the worst
sight l ever saw.
Now the fun began. He told us how
the Indians came upon them, how the
man was shot at his side, how the
rest of the boys were hemmed in near
the bluff and shot down like sheep; also
that the way he escaped was by going
farther down the creek than the other
boys did. and that he tried hard to per-
suade the other boys to go the way he
did. but they refused, and were now
dead. As we did not know that this
attack on the lower camp was all
JOSH we were naturally little
frightened. and then. too. one of the boys
remembered hearing somebody say that
lot of Sioux had Joined the Crows.
afraid of Crows, but the idea of being
the prey for Sioux didn't suit US.
Some of the fellows were not much
inclined to believe Bill'S story, but
their suspicion as to its truth was soon
allayed. for suddenly the night herder
came riding in, mentioning the fact that
he had heard about forty shots fired over
near the other camp and he reckOned
the boys had all bit dust before this.
What were we to do? Thirty men
with Sharps rife. one shotgun and
three siX-shOOters. First we decided to
go. taking all our bedding with US.
Some would not consent TO this, saying
that they would just as leave die there
as anywhere. Finally we decided to
post pickets to keep lookout for In
they were to shout Indians The
pickets went on duty and the rest
went to the tents to sleep. In my tent
| was bemoaning the fact that the mule
that kicked me the day before had not
laid me out, thus saving the Sioux the
trouble. Several other boys also said
they preferred being kicked to death
than being shot to death. One of the
fellows said that the Indians generally
made an attack just before daylight.
Everybody else remembered having
heard the same thing. Our doom was
sealed. We were to be killed just at
daylight.
ave went to sleep, or some of US did.
possibly never to awake again. l tell
you it is hard to die in lone mountain
canyon, so far from home and friends,
and by the red hand OF an Indian. All
this | realized more fully then than ever
BEFORE" and here the narrator took a
long breath.
WELL" he went on, everything was
quiet till just before that dreadful day
light came. Suddenly we were all
aroused by our piekets yelling 'IndianSi
'Indiansp The tent [ slept in con-
tanned dozen men, and the door on
ordinary occasions is scarcely large
enough for one man. but that morning
this entrance was enlarged till it was as
big as half the tent, and on
the other tents occupants turned
out in like manner. Then
began the search for the Indian sup
posed to be creeping upon the camp to
ascertain the number of whites there.
1t was as bright moonlight night as |
ever saw, and man could be seen for a
long distance. One frightened by In
dians, or anything else, in moonlight
imagInes he can see them everywhere.
This was our state. Finally we saw
what the picket said was an Indian.
We all looked close. Some could see
his gun, others saw his head move, and
one young fellow saw him rise up, look
all around and then sit down. We
of0h n lnnur
but still the Indian did not come closes.
At last one of the older men, our boss,
told us to get behind a load of
oats, while he took the shotgun and
went out TO see if it was really red
skin. He ventured closer and closer,
we in the meantime admiring his pluck
and expecting every instant to hear the
crack of rifle and see our brave boss
drop dead. On he went till he came so
near that he Saw-what. an Indian?
No. Only the top of tree that stood
just over the bank of small coulee
He came back, told Us what he saw. and
then several of the brave 90 lads got
upon the wagon, where it could be
plainly seen that it was only tree.
Although mistaken in this, still we did
not slacken our vigilance, and after
some more cantionary advice to the SEN
OrS we went back to our tents.
Another shout brought US out again
in double quick time. just below US
some hundred yards four men were
sleeping in a dug-out. Prior to this
time we had not thought of them. They
had heard our noise and were coming
up to see what was up. At the dis
lance they looked precisely like Indians.
at least to us. The boss though it bet
ter that we let them come little closer
and make every shot count. On they
came, and finally our leader raised his
rife and was in the act of pulling the
trigger when one of the boys recognized
the party and stopped him, thus saving