The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-05-31

knew them all well-to be the best rul
ner among them As this one syur
around between himself and the line
retreat he had marked out, Bat spran
up and with an agile jump planted bot
heels OF the army shoes he wore in IL
small" of the dancers back.
The Indian went down with a screec
OF pain and surprise, as the keen-witte
Canadian passed over him and she
away toward the lake.
Certain that he had disabled thei
swiftest runner, Bat felt chiefly col
cerned for the moment in lodging bul
lets and arrows He sprang this wa
and that at as sharp angles as he could
and at the same time make good head
way.
The Indians caught up their guns in
stantly upon seeing what had happened
but luckily only few of their arms ha'
been reloaded, and the shots aimed b.
Indians, breathless with the exertion o
a shrieking dance, missed their target
Throwing down their guns, the Who'll
party gave chase, yelling frightfully, a
is their fashion
Bat glanced backward, and saw then
spreading out in pursuit, the swiftes
runners heading straight for the bayou
on either side AS there was no Longer
any danger from bullets, the boy pui
himself down to his utmost speed, and
bent his head toward the nearest poin
of rushes. He was hampered by having
/ his hands tied behind, and the triumph.
ant yeiis, which sounded little louder
at each passing minute, caused him to
fear greatly that they would oyertakC
him.
Over moved ground, through tai
grass for several minutes he ran like an
antelope. He had gained number Of
rods the start of the Indians while they
were picking up their guns and firing,
and this advantage was what saved his
life. He reached the low bank of the
inlet in advance of the foremost Sioux,
but so near were they that, as he plunged
among the rushes, q Ratchet thrown by
one Of them swished past his head, and
dropped into the water in front.
He threw himself headlong into the
water, and dived amid the rushes. Then
he pushed himself along by kicking in
the mud at the bottom. When hi:
breath gave out, he raised his head Out
long enough to get fresh breath, then
ducked it and showed ahead.
In this way he was speedily out Of
sight and reach of the Sioux, who did
not follow him into the rushes. His
pursuers spread out, and burriedly sur
rounded the bayou IN the hope, nc
doubt, TO catch him in the grass as he
attempted to crawl out upon the other
side.
But Bat had no notion of going out OF
the bayou at present. He found bottom
shallow enough to stand upon, and then
began working his wrists out of the
thongs which bound them. This he
was soon able to DO, as the water-soaked
buckskiu stretched at every strain.
He then waited and listened. Soon
he heard indians talking upon the bank
of the bayou opposite his entrance. They
were looking for his trail at the edge OF
the water, and asking each other if he
had crossed, and which way he would
go. Finally one of them said, 'tNo, he
is in there; the dog will not come out. "
Then all was quiet.
Bat would not stir again, for fear he
should be discovered by the rafting of
the rushes. The time wore on heavily.
Toward night mosquitoes rose out of the
water, and pestered him frightfully.
He dared not thresh about, for fear his
whereabouts should be discovered and
fired upon by lurking Indians. Bullets
and buckshot were to be dreaded, even
though rushes enough interviewed TO hide
him completely, although the bank was
only few rods distant on either side.
As the vicious insects alighted upon
his face and neck in Swarms, he diseov-
cred a method of alternating his suffer
ings. Every few seconds, as his face
became black with them, and their
stlngs began TO make him vince, he
would quickly and softly lower his head
under water, and hold it there as long
as he could keep his breath. The cool
water soothed the irritation of their
bites, and gave him refuge from them q
good part Of the time.
Darkness came at last, and with it q
breeze which rustled the Tushes. 50 that
he could stir about without attracting
attention by noise. He now speedily
made use Of his legs and arms in work
ing his way down nearer the lake, where,
in thicket OF tall cornstalk grass, he
crawled out of the bayou, feeling stiff
and water-logged.
He lay in the grass resting and listening
for an hour or so, and then, bending low
in the grass, made his way to the high
land prairie, a mile or more distant.
Not daring to attempt to reach Fort
Ridgely through the country which he
had learned from his captors was over
run by the Sioux, he set out for St
Cloud, nearly two hundred miles distant
on the Mississippi.
He Travelled three days and nights,
occasionally lodging war parties of
Sioux. During that time he lived upon
roots and grass; these he chewed and
swallowed the juice. At length he
walked into the streets of st. Cloud.
There was a large gathering Of settlers
there, and the buildings, mostly of logs,
had been fortified and put in a state of
defence.
There was 4 crowd of men in front of
the first store he reached on entering the
village. FAINT and exhausted, Bat
pushed through them, and asked inside
for something to eat. A number of
settlers and others Immediately came in
side, and in rough tones asked him what
he, -breed-he was a quarter blood
was doing among the whitesl
Bat told his story in broken English,
but the crowd, incensed at the hundreds
of murders committed, and the loss OF
friends and relatives, were in a frenzied
state of fury at the sight of one belong
ing to the race which had committed
such ravages.
''He's a miserable spyln shouted one
of them. "a sneakin' Sioux, come
among US to see how many there is Nv
US! Let's hang himI'
Beardless, more than naturally swarthy
from exposure, haggard aud ugly in
countenance from hunger and fatigue,
Bats appearance was against hun. The
crowd fiercely took up the cry: Hang
himl"
The nearest men sprang forward and
secured the unfortunate fellow. Els
hands were speedily tied with cord :;
from the stock of goods a rope was pro-
cured. and he was hustled out of the
store by the incensed settlers. who de-
clared their intention of stringing him
10 the FIRST tree on the river bank. It
was useless 70 plead or struggle, and
despairingly the poor exhausted youth
allowed himself to be dragged along the
street. But a vil!ager, who had the year
before lived at Biz Stone pushed into