Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-07-11
A TENDERF00T FACES SH0-
SH0NES.
HE LEVELS A RIFLE AT THEM,
MUCH TO THE DISGUST OF
THE INDIANS.

THE INDIANS.
zone summer about eleven years
ago, when [ was out IN Wy0ming,'
said the colonel, "my younger
brother, who was then a college
boy, came out to spend his summer
vacation with us. VIII gave The
rough men Ont there a good deal OF
amusement with his ideas of how a
man should dress on the plains.
But he wasn't bad fellow, tor he
bad no little spirit and was alway $
willing to do his sh are Of the work.
"If you ever met a Shoshone In
dian at that time yOu know what p
perfect type of a lazy, peaceful,
harmless redskin is. We Osod TO
consider that the shOshOnes were
born to be kicked about, and 1 am
afraid that Il any of us lived mp to
our beliefs. A man would never
hesitate If there had been any petty
thieving around the camp to walk
four or five miles, 60 into an Indian
camp single handed and kick things
about, or drag the mighty braves
from their blankets until he had
found his saddle, his bride, bis
rifle, or whatever it was that had
been stolen. Having found 1t be
would sling it Oil his back and
stride off amid the disappointed
grunts of the dirty braves.
"But will, fresh from the east
and never having seen an Indian
before, could not understand this
boldness. When there were In
diaDs in the camp begging for to-
bacco he was always suspicious
of treachery. At such time he kept
an anxious eye on the guns and
watched every movement Of the
visitors closely, while we used never
to think OF such a thing.
"We left him in charge of the
camp one day and stared for the
mountains after deer. Finding
ourselves several miles from camp
that night We started a fire, broiled
a steak over the wood Goals, and
gathering some leafy branches toi
beds and pillows turned in and
slept the sleep of the just.
"As we drew near camp the
next evening we saw sight which
sent US into rOarS Of laughter. VIII
was enscOnced behind q barlicade
which he had made OF saddles
boxes, bedding-anything he could
find. He was standing there with
a pale look of agony on his face,
all the spare guns and six shooters
carefully arranged around him.
Two hundred yards away from the
breast works sat bali dozen Sho-
shones looking utterly nOnplused
and disgusted. Coming mp to the
Indians first we tried to find OFT
what the trouble was. From their
grunts and grimaces, ges ures ans
snatches of broken English, we
learned that they had come to pay
us a visit on the preceding after
noon. They had caught the young
tenderfoot mapping, and he had
not noticed their approach until
they were within a few feet of him.
AS soon as he saw them coming up
silently, as Indians always do, he
seized his rlie and frantically
waved them back. Nor would he
rest until they had fallen back tC
the position which they then held.
"When we failed to aphear thai
night the boy Immediately decided
that we had been massacred anc
hastily began to throw up ble
breast works. The ShoshOneS roll
ed themselves in their blankets
and went to sleep, but VIII stood
guard all that night and watched
them with eagle eye until we re
turned the next day. Even then
when we walked toward him, the
Indians following us IN solemn
wonder, he was for shooting, bu'
we laughed at him so lmmOderate
" that he threw down his rih'
sulkily. AS for the braves, thei
opinion of the boy was shown 10y
the action of one big, solemn faceC
buck, who, going up to viii, touch
ed him on the forehead, and ever
then Will started back, The bucl
looked at him a moment, we wer'
ready to burst into roars again
tapped his own forehead slowly
shook his head grAvely aud turn
ing away said ugh ? in tones o
the deepest disgust.
/. Tr,.ffnt