The Opelousas courier., 1889-06-29

without a drop of water, during thai
long afternoon. After dusk we were
both conducted to an open place neal
the center of the village, where {
huge fire had been kindled. JUS
what the fates had in store for us We
could not tell; something horrible, We
knew.
Just back of the fire a rude cross
had been erected, so that the rudy
glare fully illuminated it's rough sur
face. The Usage was at once bound
to the cross, his arms extending along
the horizontal piece, the hands oper
and the fingers extended.
THE whole population Of the vii
lage, including the women and chill
dren, had assembled to witness the
sport When all was ready twelve
bucks stepped forward, decked out in
savage orname~-and with faces and
bodies painteu brilliant colors. Ter
carried in their hands gayly orna-
mented tomahawks, while the two on
the end were armed with rifles. The
word was given, and one after another
the tomahawks were thrown with
merciless accuracy, each n cutting
off a finger or a thumb. The two
bucks on the end then raised their
rifles, and simultaneously sen two
bullets through the already mutilated
hands.
During all this time no expression
of pain escaped the Usage. He re-
viled his tormentors in the most
scathing language, and when on.
tomahawk carried away only half :
a finger he tainted the marksmap
with his lack of skill; and after the
double shot he glanced at the remnant
of one OF his bleeding hands, and, in a
Disguised tone, grunted.
"'Poor shot. Not near the center
An Usage wonaan could do BETTER
You can imagine my feelings dur
ing this brutal exhibition, knowing al
| did that I would be the next to sui
fer. But the poor scouts torments
were not to end here. The sq1aws
now advanced and scared his wounds
with hot Goals to prevent his bleeding
to death. A great quantity of cedar
slivers were then produced and di.
vided into two piles, n for Sly Fox
and one,a as l shuddered to realize, fol
me. The squaws went industriously
to work sticking the slivers into the
scouts %quivering flesh, he meantime
reviling them, and. if they came near
enough, tried to bite them. In fact,
he did succeed, by a sudden movement
of his head, in biting quite through an
old hag's ear.
when the preparatory work was
finished. a brand was brought, the
slivers lighted, and the whole party.
with the exception Of the two bucks
guarding me, formed a circle around
the blazing column. Sly Fox still
bore his horrible sufferings without
complaint, and to show his disregard
for the torture, sang a weird Indian
song. But his voice grew weaker and
weaker; his horribly-burned head
dropped forward. and the brave
fellows sufferings were over. With
yells Of exultation the demons still
danced around him, until q squaw
dashed a bucket Of water over him to
extinguish the fire which was injur-
ing the O
Then all attention was attracted to
me. The scouts burned remains we're
removed, and my guards cut my thongs
to put me in his place. A horribly
faint, sickening feeling stole over me
at the prospect of the fate in stole, ane
the guards had to almost drag me1o-
ward the cross.
"They had takendardly a step when
the attention of alp was transfixed by
the clear notes of a cavalry bugle
sounding the charge. In a moment
there was the greatest confusion; bucks
running for their arms and squaws
seeking places OF concealment. My
guards left me and hurried away with
the rest, and / sprang into the nearest
tepee and awaited developments.
I'm a moment the troopers were In
the village, their revolvers barking OH
every side, and it was not Hng baore
the village vas in their possession.
When all was over, | stepped out info
the open space only to fall faintikg
into the nearest troopers arms. When
I regained consciousness, I was safe in
my quarters at Fort Supply, and just
recovering from a severe Ease of brain
fever. / found, then, that when Sly
Fox and I did not return, my first lieu
tenant had mounted the company and
gone in search of us. Finding our
trail, they had grasped the situation,
and hurried after us, arriving just in
the nick of time for me-5ut too late for
the poor out."-Lieutenant E. ID.
Lewis, in N. Y. Ledger.
RELIC OF CROMWELL.