Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1890-01-29


chances of making sixty-mle ride across !
the plains lying between the Two iorts wl,l- /
OUT running against a party of hostile was |
not one in dfty At such peli.ous tues a /
Government rider Is net commanded To go. |
lie IS asked certain 4,.Q2,.olo, however, in |
manner which decides him 10 nal q the |
attempi. tloft the posi- ut nine o clock ut
c'ght of an August evening puffecNly salts
ISL that should be oc,li o. u plisoucr be- |
fore miGu,eht. Before setfi4g cut went
IN to sea yepng R,4eE Gllaa aud say good
%. When | told him OF my journey he
toeK from his neck a hUeksidn string, TO
which was attached tine tooth Of n grizzly
bear, and HANDED TITO nae with the remark:
'You can not get through. You win DO
captured or killed. If bot shct down, show
this to my people They will know who it
belongs TO. Tney may trade you for me,
and shall thus get back Ia my tribe"
a. thunder storm was coming up as | took
| my departure. For full hour rode ahead
mt Il steady galop enc moment in darl,ne
so black that l could not sec the ears Of my
horse, and the next In blaze of light 50
brilliant that it bl nded me. BY the time
the storm had passed l was u good fifteen
miles from the fort, and as had seen moth
ing to alarm me | began to hope that
would get through all right. Between ten
and eleven O'Clock | pulled my broncho
downto walk for the first time, when he
suddenly uttered "A snort OF alarm and
started of with wild jumps. Three or four
| rifles cracked, and ~ the reports reached
| me the horse fell in u heap and flung me
| far over his head. | was momentarily
stunned by the fail, and before had made
n move to get up l was seized by at least
three Indians, who were not minute in
| binding my hands and feet. When got
| clear head once more it was to realize that
| the Apaches had me secure prisoner, and
| that there We're six or seven warriors
| about me.
The Indians knew that | was a white man,
but they didn't know who they had got hold
| of until morning came. During the inter-
val lay on the wet ground guarded by two
! of the warriors, and almost Immediately
after my capture two mon were sent off in
| different directions with news of it. A
| party of twelve Apaches arrived just be-
| fore daylight andhten moro ut sunrise, and
among the latter recognized Black Cloud,
| father of the boy. One of the mon had rec
| ogniaed me as "The- white-mar. who-hur-
| ries, !" as the Government riders were called,
and us being in tho party who captured tho
| chiefs son. No one ever saw such u mad
| lot of redskins before or since. They want
| cd to torture me, and yet they realized that
| through me The boy could obtain his liberty
| The chief ut first declared that he had dis
| owned his son, and that lie might rot in con
fnement before lac would exchange white
| prisoner for him. When called his atton-
| ton to the charm young Black Cloud had
| given me the old man pretended to believe
that 1t was sign the boy was dead, and
| he ordered my immediate torture. was
| ;a,l.aI rst l.
and the devils were about to use their
knives on my feet when the old man changed
his mind and restrained them. Black Cloud
demanded the particulars of his boys capt
ure. saw that he felt degraded over the
| event, and was ready TO disown the youth,
and made out u strong defense for the
| little Chap TO save ny own scalp
| 1t was finally decided TO spare my life for
! few days, and was conducted to campin
| the foot-hills between the two forts. While
Black Cloud wanted his son back, some Of
his advisers contended that he should wait
| until securing some cheaper prisoner. They
| insisted on making me out a very important
| parsonage and it was well known that had
| killed or wounded several of the tribe in
different scrlmmages. Another thing that
bothered them was how to make the ex-
| change and not get beaten. Treacherous
and deceitful to the last degree themselves,
| they would not credit the whites with hay
/ ing any honor. 1t was argued too, that the
! commander of the fort would exchange the
boy Tor private soldier or any sort of pris-
oner, aud that l had done them too much
damage to be set at liberty. There were
! three days in which my fate was undecided.
and during the last day stake was driven
| and fagots collected for u fire to torture me.
| L had no voice in the council, being bound
and under guard. but it was at length
| decided to make the exchange. So cautious
| and fearful We're the Indians that it took
week to effect what might haye been done
| in day. wrote note TO the commandment
explaining the situation. This was carried
| in by a squaw, who was permitted TO see
and converse with young Black Cloud. He
| replied that he would exchange. The
Apaches then wanted the boy turned loose
before they released me, but this would
not hear to, knowing they would murder
me. 1t was finally arranged that he was to
be escorted a mile outside the fort and
| turned loose on his horse | was to be
taken to within mile of the fort, and
| turned loose on foot. The parties were to
occupy emlnences half mile apart, and the
hour was to be nine O'Clock in the morning
( This plan was carried out. Twenty soldiers
came out with the boy, and about the same
number of Apaches escorted me- The
treachery of the copper faced devils was
soon exempllfied, They had posted five
warriors in dry ran to shoot me down as
/ made for the fort The boy doubtless sus.
pected some such move, for as soon as re-
leased he came galloping straight for me.
and after ''how-hoG'' and a hand shake
he insisted that | walk beside his pony
until we reached the gate of the fort When
l was safe he waved his hand and rode