The Opelousas courier., 1889-06-29

NAoSooSAuS Guo SltudGLOu. Lucy WCTS
evidently pretty mad. and / began tc
fear that they would forget their usual
prudence and charge us. An Indian,
as a rule, is brave, but he lacks the
courage that ome of discipline. If 8
party of Indians know that there Is an
almost certain probability of one OF
more of their number losing life in q
certain venture, it is seldom that they
will undertake it, each believing that
he is to be the unfortunate one. When,
therefore, a certain object can be
obtained by either cunning OR bravery,
the former course is almost always
adopted.
sour pursuers recognized the fact
that we were n OF tenderfeet, and that,
should they charge, at least two OF
their number would have to drop, and
so very wisely decided to besiege us
and trust to strategy to get u scalps.
Several times one Or two of the ras-
Gals would try to approach US by
wriggling through the high grass, but
each time Sly Fox's sharp eyes de-
tected them, and a bullet in their i'm
mediate vicinity caused a sudden re-
treat upon their part. We waited
very a~nxiously for darkness to set in,
and then breathed more easily, for we
knew that we were safe until moon
rise, at least. The Comanche's reli-
gion teaches him that the spirit of all
braves who die in the dark go to the
Happy hunting Grounds, to wander
on in an endless night; in consequence
of which night attacks. except in the
moonlight, are very rare.
"As soon as it grew dark enough for
US to feel comparatively safe. we
lighted a fire of bushes and buffalo
chips, and tried to think a way out of
our scrape. After discussing every
plan that seemed at all feasible, we
finally decided upon what appeared to
be the best. the moon would rise at
about midnight and until that time
we could consider ourselves free from
attack; but if the first moonbeams
found us on the butte, there was a
strong probability of its last beams
falling on our scalpless bodies.
"The three sides of the butte not
guarded by u enemies were entirely
too steep to permiSiof horses descend
ing them, and to attempt to escape on
foot would have been folly, for after
moonrise the Indians would have run
us down before we were half way to
camp. The only safe plan was to
escape mounted, and we were deter
mined to do so if it vas possible. So
piling a fresh supply OF fuel on
the fire. we rolled as silently as
possible over the edge of the butte, and
scampered down to the plain beneath.
We then made a long detour until we
&ere in the rear of the Indians camp.
According to our calculations, they
would, about eleven o'clock, begin to
creep up on our supposed position in
order to be ready for the attack when
the moon rose. 1t was possible, how
ever, that they would postpone the at
tack until daylight, trusting to the de-
ceptive moonbeams to cover their ap-
proach. Their ponies they had hobbled
and turned loose. and from them we
proposed, when the proper time Should
comerto select the steeds to bear us
back to camp.
when eleven O'clock came, Sly Fox
stripped himself to the skin, and then
crept off to get the horses. This part
of the plan | left entirely to the scout,
both because of his superior skill in
slipping unseen through the grass, and
because a white mans presence among
the ponies would have at once been
made known by their actions.
81 had beea waiting probably three
quarters of an hoGss, when I heard hira'
approaching and 'leading the ponies.
He informed me, il a whisper, that he
had cut the lariats Of all OF the ponies,
selecting for u ufe what seemed to
ls the best two. just as the moon
rose, we mounted. and, not at all fear
full of pursuit. set off at a canter.
''In hobbling their ponies, the In
dians had used side lines, joining the
left front and hind feet Of each pony.
Sly Fox, in freeing them, had simply
cut the line, and before we had gone a
rod my mount tripped on the piece
still dangling from his fore-foot, and
came down with a broken leg. The
nose that he made attracted the at
teut3n of the Comanches, who had
evide Ntly postponed their attack until
daylig t, as they were still in their
camp, aid they came running toward
us, bowling and yelling like demons.
/ quickly d~isentangled myself from my
fallen steed and vaulted up behind the
scout, and off we started again. But
the tr6acherous little pony had not
gone a dozen yards before he stopped
in his tracks and began to buck. In
vain / jabbed my spurs into him. and
in vain Sly Fox slashed him with his
knife. The only response was a some
what more vicious buck.
sour attention was so fully taken
up with the little brute that we did
not appreciate how rapidly our enc
mics were gaining upon us until they
were actually around us. The scout
had dropped his rife, and the first
to arrive grabbed mine, and
as the others arrived they grouped
themselves about us, and gave express
sion to their evident enjoyment of the
scene in low chuckles and appreciative
Hadsfhe siti1atinn been lasa