The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-09

on SOME pioneer or mining party. and
made a big haul Srd the money bad y a; SSsS
between us, and IL was a big lift to both.
The above adventure occurred in June.
About IN, .m M ..s s. OF .n SIsp%sxsrss e NebrasHn
line. ! left n camp on the Hepuoiicun
river one morning tn ride across 20 an
of Kansas with me who were in search of
a white hoy, who had bssen carried on the.
fall before. ! had figured that the hard
fighting of the previous week Ind drawn
the Indians tai the east. and that we could
make the ride without meeting amy, and
s Ts sns. r, 9 r. s;Hs,sd S az s." W. ". "1 Saa P% %aSs
twenty-five miles when we came tn n s,ic-
cession of ridges. In riding mp and down
them IL was like a ship rising and falling
on the seas, only there was ~ valley absut
ten rods wide hetwccn the ridges. In
mrarc, while others were badly quilted out
by the rains. A. we rose one OF these
ridges we heard firing. and proceeding
yond the last ridge. ILc ground there
broke away into an almost level plain,
where the earth was baked hard and the
rock o~utrroppssl in great I,rofusion. Half
u mile from the ridge stood two dead cot
~tonwoois. Around the bases of these tho
three feet high. AS we crept to- tile top of
the ridge ON hands and feet and looked
over we saw ~ temporary Indian camp
wcr. three ar four Indians lying under n
shelter of skins. and beyond them we
counted nineteen who were cro.iciied he
the breastwork.
We saw at once that some one was be-
ing bcsieged. but made no move until we
were watching affairs a puff of smoke
shot out from the brcastwork. and AN In
bowlder got "a shot and sank down dead.
We were ready tn help the defenders, bu:
we waited IA few minutes To see how strong
they were and how much game they had.
In about three minutes there was ~ loud
report from u shotgun. and a rsdlskin who
WAS hn1ging thc earth at the roots OF u
bush was hit by some Of the shot and mt
tered ~ yell and rolled down hill tn safer
cover.
whispered one of the citizens, ''and they
are not overstocked with ammunition.
They are firing only when they have q
We crawls.l u few yards tn the right. to
each picked his target and opened fire.
What followed was Rrimly ludicrous The
fire i'm the rear broke the Indians all up i'm
"a minute, and they made u rush for their
ponies, which were grouped to our right
and half "a mile away. We wounded two
range. aud then tescende, to- thu. caInn To-
hnd four wounded warriors lying there,
every one hit with bnckshot. One of them
got hold of his rifle and sent n bullet
through one of my comrades cap, and
with that we turned To and wiped them
out. 4 hen IL was that the besieged slIowcd
""o ~ '" SUtpIoSs thss
were: A woman. ~ years old, "a widow,
and her l5-year-old son! You had tn bc
r,ar. .'" orr, from srs. ."s,. m% Nebraska S u"s sS ind Ind
a suitable place and take mp "a claim.
They had "a wagon drawn by two horses.
and. three days before, within five miles
of the place, had been discovered by ~
war party of Indians: They had run the
horses to within half a mile of the spot.
tn abandon IL: The mother seized. "a
douilc-barreled shotgun and the hoy his
Indians halted to plumber the wagon. and
this gave the pair time to fortify. They
adm u drop of water nor 10 moItllful of
ammunition. They were thirty ar forty
miles from assistance, realized that only
some special interpretation could save
them, and yet they never had "a thought of
surrender. The Indians went into camp
and thought tn cajole them. hut il was mo-
H Il: mur"inw u w "., a", ,L mTa" r: T,s "' fa,.r wac" "n
riors in camp and one who got away were
wounded hy the woman. The boy killed
two. Neither had slept II wink for two
nights. nor tasted water or food. and yet
they rather made light of the whole affair.
I" told NAV" explained the boy, "th'.t
we'd cover and hold out as long AS we
could. but guess il was just AS well you
cum up as you did"
shaky."" added the Woman. OF ""rh, :"
have killed every one 1 drew bead ON, but
my nerves went back on me and the gun
wa.1bled: ID" y"" happen t" have ~ bite
Neither one felt that they had done any
thing out Of the coInmon, and l was really
vcNcd with them for taking the matter so
coolly.
The next summer l was an eyewitness
to an affair that I shall ever remember i'm
all its details. l was scouting tai the north
of where the town of Sheridan can now
be found, and had for "a comradc IA young
fellow IL years old named Abe Smith. He
was in the employ of the Government. and
this was his first scout. We were "fccl-
ing" Tor IA body of go soldiers, part of
whom were infantry, and as they had
wagons and ambulanccs along our pace
was slow. At noon one July day. as the
men were finishing dinner. Abe and I rode
on ahead tn see what lay before us. Half
"A mile beyond camp We rose. "a ridge. de-
seconded into "a valley, rose another. passed
"a big bouldcr. and were descending "a
gentle slope when IA band of about fifty
tlskin each one concealed i'm the bushes
and grass at the foot of the slope, rose mp
as one man and gave us u volley. You
would say that such u volley. at the dis
lance of IT'D feet, would cut everything to
pieces. hut the only result, qtIeerly enough,
was ~ bullet through the calf of my left leg.
while IL second rakcd my horse enough to
draw blood and startle him. He wheeled
about. made half "a dozen jumps, and I'M
loadssi mo ut the big boulder. As ] looked
up after my tumble l saw that Abe had
disniorInted. driven his horse out of the
way. and was covering me. He had m