San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-22


turing me. 1t was soon decided that
should be tortured, and they sat and dis
cussed the many methods. After a two
days. talk it was decided to burn me-
was in a strange condition mentally. i
would listen to a plan of torture as though
it was some other man they were talking
about, and ! would comment to myself on
that plan as giving the chap but little
chance for his life. But when the dusky
brave who talked Blackfoot told me that
/ was to die by fire the next day | under
stood perfectly that | was the man they
had been talking about, and replied. Il
know it,
clustering around me they asked il
had understood all the talk. Yes, had,
Then why not answer the maiden when
she spoke to you?' Il came not to talk to
squaws. but to trade with men, No use.
could do nothing by soft talk, and hav-
ing played my hand finally resigned my
self to my fate.
IL noticed that the girl who had first
spoken to me in front of the lodge was
watching me. She would quickly glance
at me, and then drop her eyes on the buck
skin shirt she was embroidering with Crow
hair. Several times | noticed this, and
once replied with smile.
1.-THE lodge emptied. All were gone ex-
cept the girl She quickly came to my
side, apparently to refold some buffalo
robes. and in a whisper said: You are to
die to morrow. Tonight | will have the
best horse in the camp saddled and stand
ing on the outside of the lodge. Twill have
the tent cut from the outside. You jump
through, mount and ride for your life.
You may escape. You will burn if you
stay Then, with smile: The mare is
mine. She is the fastest animal in the val
ley of the Yellowstone. give her to you.'
''She left me, and quickly resumed her
work. AS she wove the hair of many Crow
scalp locks into the shirt | sat looking
thankfully at her. She never looked at
me again. As | saw a chance for my life
my heart beat so loudly that / thought it
would be heard. | Gained my face and
waited. ate fairly of supper l smoked
pipe. All were very kind and attentive
to me. Night was passing away, and still
the Indians fingered, looking at the man
they were TO burn on the morrow.
81 leaned back against the tent to rest
myself, when felt a hand gently pushing
me forward. Sitting whistling | felt the
point of a knife come through and strike
my neck did not finch. | could feel
the blood rrckle down my back. could
feel the knife carefully drawn down until
it hit the ground. Still whistling waited,
my heart humping, my blood on fire
waited minute to give whoever cut the
tent time to escape. Then grasping my
heart and nerves for an instant gathered
myself and turned backward through the
opening.
INSTANTLY jumping to my feet vaulted
INTO the saddle that was on the back of q
white horse that stood there, and in the
midst of yells, of rifle shots, of pack Of
bowling dogs, we rushed out of the camp.
1t seemed to me as though thousand
horsemen were in pursuit of me instantly.
1--WE galloped up the river to bend had
seen Dashing in we forded it under q fire
that made the water boil around us, and
were out of water and on the level land to
the north of the river before any of the
Sioux were half way across. Striking the
trail to the Bozeman Pass took it, and
knowing it pushed boldly on, and though
holly pursued my horse outlasted theirs
and escaped.
81 never drew rein until dismounted to
the west of the pass. The girl saved me.
With any other horse should have been
recaptured and burned / have not got
the girl. The love have for her the mare
has instead. | returned to my post, and
made no trade in the Yellowstone that
year.
Again. Last winter the snow was on
the ground in January, and for three days
| had been hunting for running antelope
The sun was very bright, and my eyes
hurt me- | saw specks floating about; lit .
tie chains with small links were constantly
before me- My eyes burned smartly when
| returned to the agency.
DALI while hunting ! had seen the
low, black clouds in the north that indi-
cate the formation or marshaling of the
winds of the frozen north. Daily the south
wind swept them beyond the northern
horizon, but the next morning found them
looming pOrtentOuSly in the northern sky.
On my return to the agency | found a run
uer had just got in from Belly river, in
British America, with important news for
me. 1t was necessary that should go up
at once | started the next morning. My
eyes hurt dreadfully.
Il always 20 to the Belly river when the
snow is on the ground by the way of the
Sweet Grass hills, and there | camped one
night One side of the hills is always bare
of snow, and there is a spring of good wa
ter on the northern side of the center hill
A strong south wind was blowing when
started, but by noon | saw the clouds to
the north suddenly rise up knew that
the marshaling of the north winds was
completed, and they were eager for the as
sault on the soft south wind.
"On came the black cloud. The south
wind still blew fiercely, but it could not
stem the assault from the arctic region
Birds flew south before the storm; antelope