Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-05-17

'Come! 1t is time TO go. we nave
long ride and / am anxious to see your
country.
l whistled up my horse, and had him
nearly ready before they moved. They
had taken my rifle and revolver, and /
did not seem to have noticed the fact,
but strapped my blanket to the saddle,
lighted my pipe, and waited for them.
They came together out of earshot and
had a confab, but apparently did not ar
rive at any satisfactory conclusion
When we were ready to go l said;
1.-TWO of you must ride ahead and
three behind It is an honor due me,
and you cannot show me too much re-
spect."
They looked at me in wonder and
amazement, and | continued
t'And if we should encounter any
white men, avoid them, as do not wish
to be seen"
That last observation drove the peg
home. When we set out two rode in
front and three behind, and no Indians
were ever more puzzled. In later years
| met one of them, and he told me that
their plan was to torture me as soon as
/ awoke. Even the one who was to have
the honor of scalping me had been desig
mated, and the plumber had been APP
portioned. And after they had con
Guided to take me prisoner to village
one hundred miles away they meant to
tie me to my horse. They were beat out
of this by my queer remarks, intended
just for that purpose. We moved to the
west about five miles, then held to the
north until noon After noon we turned
to the east, and | figured that they were
fianking the camp of the white party by
then maneuvre We rode to the east
until nlghtfall, and then went into camp
in some timber alongside a creek. Sew
eral times during the day had expressed
my impotence at our slow pace and
asked them to get on faster and when
we went into camp saw that / had
them off their guard. They looked
upon me more as a curiosity than
prisoner, and this very fact bred
a new danger. After eating [ sat apart
| from them to smoke and mediate, and to
give them opportunity to compare notes.
1t did not take them long to satisfy each
/ other that | was chad medicine, and
that if they carried me to their village
my presence would bring disaster They
urged that l be killed, but then came
the question of who should do it. Each
was afraid that the deed would bring
wrath upon his head, and so far as
could make out each one refused the
task While they were talking | moved
/ carefully backward on the earth, and by
and by had twenty feet between me and
| the nearset man. All the horses were
/ loose in the timber to browse. The guns
were on the other side of the fire, where
could not hope to reach them. Just
when the five got their heads together to
discuss something they did not wish me
to hear, l arose and stepped backward
out of the light of the fire, and believe
| was hundred feet away when they
missed me. Every man sprang to his
feet with yell and rushed for the point
where | was last seen.
l had meanwhile dropped to my hands
and knees and was crawling to the left
toward the guns. As the rush came |
dropped beside log, and one of the red
skins leaped square over me as he cleared
the log, heard them scatter and beat
about, and while they were hunting for
me crawled along and got my gun. 1t
was Winchester, and a new thing to
them, and it had been left behind when
they snatcaed up their rifles. Icrept away
out of the circle of the fire and then got
the shelter of the tree. The Indians beat
around for a good half hour, and then
came all in, chagrined and disguised. A
quarrel took place at once, one blaming
the other for my escape, but something
like peace was restored by the leader say
ing that could not go far on foot, and
that they would recapture me next day.
In such event l was to be put to the tor
ture at once.
Something now took place which the
reader may harshly criticise. While
could have crept away l would not.
could not have secured my horse, and to
he alone and afoot in that country meant
suffering and peril had been scout
for several years. | had been ambushed,
shot at, pursued, and wounded. Two of
my comrades had been hacked to pieces
by this same Tube Travel as far as ]
could that night they would be likely to
overhaul me next day, and if again re-
captured they would burn and torture me.
| had all these arguments in my defence
as lifted my gun and took fair aim at
leader. He went down as my rife
cracked, and was followed by a second
and a third before the surviving
two could comprehend what was going
on. Neither stopped for his gun, but
both sprang away in the darkness
fred after them, and; strangely enough,
shot one through the hip. He travelled
with his companion for twenty miles be
fore he lay down to die. The fifth war
rior headed to the east, until he got
among the mountains and, after having
time to reflect, he decided not to 90 back
to hia tribe The loss of his four COM
rades and of his entire outfit was some.
thing he could not explain satisfactorily,
and he was fearful of being made the
victim of his chiefs anger. He therefore
renegaded to the Chickasaws, and was
with them when he gave me his story.
| l stood guard all night, and when
morning came was satisfied that the two
who escaped had no idea of returning.
After scanty breakfast l caught up the
six animals, packed up everything OF
salue, and then searched the dead. The
three bad about $40 in gold aud silver
among them, and one had white mans
scalp, which had been taken within two
days. When ready to start ! headed to-
ward the southeast for the river, and at
3 O'Clock rode right into the camp of the
party, which had settled down for sport
and had given me no thought. Mex
day party of US rode over TO give tbs
bodies more careful inspection, and VIZ
! found on each one a silver Government
} medal, given them during Lincoln's frs
term, as "good Indians '-Neso Korl
/ Sun.