Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-12-05
A KANSAS ADVENTURE.
Account of a Scouts Early Experience in
Western Kansas.
A Besrdless Boy Of Nineteen vanquishes
Hoards Of Redskins Single Handed and
Alone--Four Dead Indians and Buckskin
Bag OF Money the Result.

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lost any OF his pluck since the days OF
tho Revolution would soon find him
self smOthered under volumes OF proof
to the contrary. In war soldiers have
shown their pluck by brigades. regi-
ments, and companies. In peace peril
menaces individuals alone, and gives a
mans nerve fair trial. have seen
the American, as an individual, in a
rOod many tight places, and it has
seen rare thing to see one show the
waite feather no matter what the odds
wye.
" she year 1867, while l was acting
as a government scout, says Il writer
in the New York Sun, l had to pass
between two military stations in west
ern Kansas. The Indians were out on
the warpath, and were never SO ma
lignant and cruel. They coeld see the
beginning OF the end, but were deter
mined to fight it of as long rs possible.
l left camp at midnight for n ride OF
forty miles. 1 could have made 1t by
daylight, but ut z o'clock in the morn
ing ny horse slipped on stone and
went dead lame | was then on the
right bank of the Smoky Hill fork of
the Kansas river, following it down,
and by leading the horse half IA mile l
got the shelter of grove OF cotton
woods. | knew | must remain there
for the day, and / made the best
arrangements i could for defence.
There was large thorn -appletree in
the centre of the grove, which was
covered with a grapevine. Under this
shelter / dug out rifle pit, and when
Sc was finished l knew l could stand
Sny SIN I'll party of Indians off until
/ had fired 100 bullets.
l slept from o'clock until 9, at
which time whimper from my horse
aroused me. | heard the reports OF
rifles to the north and the east, min
gled with the faint whoop OF Indians,
and as soon as | could get a look in
that direction the cluse was plain. A
white man on horseback WINS headed
for the grove, coming from the north.
He was followed by IA dozen Indians.
He was well ahead OF pursuit, and
would have made the grove all right,
out party OF four Indians were COM
ing down from the east to head him off.
bic had pulled up just as l looked
out. He was cut off, and those behind
were fast coming up. He took In the
situation in minute. He was on a
knoll covered with dead grass and
scrub bushes. He swung himself from
the saddle. unbuckled and pulled it of,
and gave the horse slap and started
him off. / had a telescope with me,
and when l got it out and got the bear
l. hi66atN np hn
knoll that could only guess his loca-
tion by locating the saddle.
All the Indians had come up and
halted just out OF rifle range. There
were fifteen OF them, and from the ap-
pearance of their ponies / knew they
had had long chase. The white
mans horse came down to the stream
above me, drank his fill, and then be-
gan grazing as If in his own pasture.
wanted to mix in at once, but they
were not only out of range, but my
horse was disabled. To have moved
out on foot would have been throwing
my life away. There was every chance
that | might have to fight them single
handed later on. The white man 5
actions proved that he knew how to
take care OF himself, and l must let
him do so for the time being. | climbed
into one OF the cottonwoods, got an
elevation of about thirty feet, and now
my glass served me better. The man
was digging in the earth with his hunt
ing knife to scoop out rifle pit. While
he worked the redskins rested and
planned. They gave him about twenty
minutes, and at the end of this time he
l,;llnn oicrht
He had turned up several large stones,
and these made breastwork.
When the Indians moved 1t was to
circle around him and keep up a fire
to rattle him and waste his ammuni-
ton. While they were at long range
he made no answer, but as they mar
rowed the circle a puff of smoke sud-
denly leaped from his pit, and one Of
the warriors fell from his horse like a
log. A second dashed in to secure the
body. and his horse was shot through.
The bullet hit the rider in the oppo-
site leg, and / could follow him as he
crept away through the grass. Anoth-
err consultation was held, and il re-
suited in general dismount. Then
each warrior began creeping forward
on his own account, firing at will.
They had the man completely encir-
cled, but he was very cool. When he
finally got sure thing he fired. and
shot an Indian so dead that the fellow
never kicked. Two minutes later he
killed q second. This was three killed
and one wounded, and they were los
ing their sand. All crept out OF
range and consulted again, and l
knew how it would end. II the
eleven warriors let one white man beat
them off they would be disgraced for
ever. The ground was favorable for
charging him on horseback, and they
were soon ready. Six went to the
east and five to the south. and at Gig
nal they put their ponies on the run
and rode for the knoll. Up jumped
the man. his rifle ut his shoulder and
he fred twelve shots into the two Sec
tions faster than l could count He
killed two ponies and wounded two or
three warriors, and this stopped them.
They broke back and headed for the
grove to make new repairs and study
up new deviltry. / let them come
within pistol shot and then opened on