The Opelousas courier., 1889-03-09
% on nv trail.

"OouySlyly Gnat ne couIu nos
LIZ I had detected him. He had been
concealed in q gully about five miles
back. / learned afterward that ahalf-
breed who hung about the fort had told
him that would probably be sent off
in that direction, and that he had been
encamped in the gully for three days
and watching for me. Black Serpent
was doing just as 1 had reasoned he
would-waiting for night. I intended
to make an easy journey of it by rid
ing about forty miles and camping for
| the night. He knew this would be the
way of it, and he had nj intention of
attacking me during daylight.
kept on at the same steady pace
during the afternoon, halting twice to
water my horse. Three times during
the afternoon I got sly peeps of my
pursuer, who kept at a respectful dis
lance, and doubtless chuckled to him
self at the thought of being on my trail
and unsupported. / had to make what
is called a "dry camp" That is with
no water at hand. There vas scant
heritage for my horse, but | knew he
would not wander far, and that no In
dian living could stampede him or ride
him away. l knew from the actions
of the animal AS soon as | dismounted
that there was another horse near by,
but I built a fire and toasted my meat,
and had enough water in my canteen
to make a cup of coffee.
Black Serpent would not be in a
hurry. When an Indian is trailing
you he likes to enjoy his triumph. He
~playS7with you as a cat does with a
mouse. Ten o'clock would be soon
enough for him, and | sat in plain
view of my fire smoking until after
nine. Then / smothered the blaze for
five minutes, and during this interval
rugged up my blankets to make a
dummy" When / retreated into the
darkness and looked back. the figure
was good enough to deceive any body.
Black Serpent would not approach on
my trail but from exactly the opposite
direction, and I crept away in the
darkness until I was fifty feet from the
fire.
1t was, as near as I could figure it,
about an hour when the young buck
came creeping up from the direction
anticipated. I'll give him credit for
passing over the ground as noiselessly
as a rabbit could have moved. He
had left his rife behind, calculating to
use his knife ON me. He was all OF
twenty minutes creeping his last
twenty feet. gnd | sometimes doubted
If my eyesight had not deceived me.
He was within six feet Of the dummy
before he detected it, and then he
sprang high in the air and uttered his
death-whoop, knowing that ! was lay
ing for him. He came down in a heap
at the crack of my rife, and he was
dead when I got to him. / kept his
I entire outfit. sending word to his
friends what had happened. and that
held myself answerable to them, but
no one troubled me about 1t, even to
lay claim to any Of the property.
A year later, when things generally
were more settled, but with dissatis-
fed bucks hseaking away from the
agencies at intervals to make raids,
an Indian quarter-breed stole some
things from Fort Larned and [ ran him
down and captured him. He yas inn
prisoned for several weeks, and some
of his buck friends declared that |
should pay for the .'indignity'' with
my life. It was honorable enough in
their eyes to steal, but a great indig-
nifty to pay the penalty of thieving.
The three bucks whom I had to fear
were called Red Earth, Half Moon and
Cloudy Day. They drew rations at
the agency, and were supposed to live
within the limits, but as a matter Of
fact were prowling owe the country
most Of the time and ripe for any dv
iltry.
/ was then riding between two posts
about eighty miles apart / took two
days to go and two to return. and
then, after q rest of two days. / made
q the trip again. This had been ths
programme for two months, and thu
Indians knew it aud could count on my
whereabouts at a certain date. Fo1
twenty-five miles OF the journey / has
a stage road and was sure of eDmpany
For twenty miles further the countr,
was fairly safe. there being man.
hunters and trappers and scouts out
The dangerous part OF the ~journe.
ICFas confined TO about twenty-five
miles. The route lay along the base Q
, a mountain-up a valley-overa sharl
rise, and across several gulehes. SO
lected the spot where the INDIAN
would attack me il they held to thei
threat. just ais the trail left the base
of the mountain to take to the valley
there wa a canyon making into th'
great mound. and the trail ran within
thirty feet Of its mouth before turning
to the left. III the weather was good
always passed this point in going ives
| at about nine o'clock In the morning
In going the other way arrived abou
shutdown, and made my camp in tn
bushes growing around a spring.
I figured that the Indians woul
j shoot me down as / rode up to th
i spring, or very soon after ] had dis
mounted. They would then drag m.
body up the canyon and conceal it. an
i lead my horse as far up as possible an
then kill him. / would be missed an
!, searched for. but it might be q weel
! before any trace was discovered. 3