Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-04-24

lnf1cJed some sllgnb loss, IL ulu not
prevent them from getting two guns in
position. They had an earthwork six
feet high TO protect the gunners, and
as the sergeant looked out and saw
what had been done he grimly said:
"'Wen, we shall have a few days less
to live"
While we were at breakfast the guns
opened fire with solid shot. They were
only forty rods away, and yet the gun
merry was so poor that the first nine
shots were thrown away. When they
began to strike, however, w realized
the damage they might infiict. The
stones were but little harder than sand
stone, and while too heavy to be hurled
down they faxed and crumbled under
the impact. We manned the portfolios
and fired at the embrasures, and in this
way we choked though we could not
silence the fire. They got the guns
trained on one particular spot and be
fore night came we knew they could
breach US in two days more. As dark
ness closed in their fire was suspended.
They could see the progress they had
made, and there was no need of hurry.
We had with us q native born Yam
kee who had fought under almost every
flag and taken the oath of allegiance to
four OF five governments, and early In
the evening we noticed him overhaul
ing the pile of poles we had dragged in
for frewood. He at length selected out
four or five which had all the spring of
American hickory, and then unfolded
his idea 10 the sergeant. 1t was simple
enough, but no n but a Yankee would
have ever thought of it, We first laid
five short poles on the ground and
pinned them fast. Then three feet in
rear Of them we elevated five other
short poles about two feet from the
ground ON crotches. When the end of
a long pole was put over n of these
and rested against the one on the
ground we had what would have been
a spring board, If there had been any
board about il. We then nailed box
covers e the other ends of the poles,
made ropes fast to bend them down,
and we had a principle made use Of in
war 1.6OO years ago.
Now, then, poll down the end of the
pole, place a o on the pan and let
GO and the spring sends the tor flying
sky high. 70 come down with a crash on
somebody's head In IN hour we had
the five ready and playing away, there
being plenty Of broken stone in the fort
for ammunition. There wa spring
enough to the poles TO throw a five
pound stone sixty rods and we heard
sounds TO prove that we drove the
enemy from a dozen different positions
during the night.
The guns opened on US early in the
morning, and then a funny thing took
place. II may seem almost absurd TO
you, but I'm giving you only what was
officially reported when l say that with
our five spring guns, Is you might call
'em, we actually drove the gunner out
Of that redoubt and silenced their fire
After a little practice we could get Just
the right spring to send the stone soar
ing away like a bomb, 70 fall upon
their uncovered heads. A jagged stone,
weighing from one TO five pounds, and
falling from a height of fifty or sixty
feet, is not TO be despised- They tried
20 get a shelter over them, but with
our musketry fire at the embrasures,
and our rocks dropping from above,
they had 10 desert the redoubt Wher-
ever We found a body Of the enemy
sheltered by rock or thicket 20 fire OF
us we trained our Yankee inventions
on them. and they had TO withdraw.
After the failure Of the artillery 10
breach the walls, the Afghsns sat down
70 starve Us u The idea was 10 wear
US out as well, and a fire Of musketry
was maintained day and night. They
probably didn't expect To do any great
harm by this fire, but they knew it
would keep US on the alert and annoy
and ~irritate. IL did have that effect,
and they harrassed us further by threats
of assault. We on our part kept them
lodging with our missiles, and l have
no doubt we wounded a good many of
them in that way. They couldn't make
out what sort of guns we had which
fired without noise and threw rocks in
stead Of iron or lead, and this puzzle
was what prevented them from carry
ing our walls by assault.
For thirty-siX long days and nights
we were cooped up in that fort, not
suffering for food or drink, but a prey
to constant anxiety, and then the sec
ond main column came mp from the
coast and sent US relief In the fight in
the pass below the fort over 300 natives
were killed, and of the dozen captured
alive every man of them expressed q
desire 10 see our strange guns before
being disposed of IS prisoners were.
They we're brought inside and permit
ted TO inspect them, and their eurios-
ity was unbounded. Poor devilsl
They were backed against the wall,
not twenty feet away, and shot to
death even as their faces still expressed