The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-09-05
THE FACE OF A DEMON.

There were only sixty OF US cav
airy to guard train OF thirty
wagons the Indians could have
borne US down by sheer weight of
numbers had they possessed the
nerve to charge en- masse. AT 2
O. clock in the afternoon | counted
at least 400 of the hostiles in sight
every one mounted on his war
pony and armed with a good rifle, If
not Winchester.
Sixty troopers and thirty team
sters to 400 redskins. Big odds in
favor of the whooping, screaming,
defiant riders, and more so because
out of the thirty teamsters not more
than haf would fire a shot in case Of
a grand charge. Western men, and
not their first sight of Indians by a
dozen times. but teamsters are not
the machine a soldier is. As the
reds began to close in and become
more defiant | noticed many white
faces among the wagons, and |
figured that many man would cut
loose his heetest mule and seek to
escape by flight if worse came to
worst.
We must give the Apaches les
son in manners. We had been wait
ing until the train should reach
favorable location. The moment had
come. On this ground the team
sters could take care of it with ten
troopers to gride and direct, and
that left fifty of us to act The word
was quietly passed down the line,
each man prepared himself and at
note from the bugle a wonderful
change took place Our captain
wheeled with twenty men, and
charged to the rear our single lieu
tenant wheeled to the lett with ten
men a sergean charged straight
ahead with ten more l took nine
others and wheeled to the right and
rode straight at a body of eighty
Indians punched on a knoll just out
Of rifle shot.
Right wheel-steady, now for
ward. trot, gallop-charge
Ten to eighty ! Eight to one !
Odds enough to prove our mettle
andImake it exciting. Every trooper
IN every squadron was cheering as
he rode. His rhine was strapped
to his back and his saber was held
aloft in his right hand.
Rush 'em, boys drive right into
EN- make a hole in the bunch ?
Our plan had been executed so
swiftly that the reds were dunn
founded. Only three or tour shots
we're fired at us as we charged and
the whole band sat there gazing at
US as we thundered up. We struck
them with an awful craSh-ten OF us
in single rank, and as our sabers be-
gan to flash the Indians thought only
of getting out of reach. We had
them flying in two minutes, and the
order was, in case they took to
flight, to keep together and run
them for a couple of miles, using
our carbines on their backs.
| had a light horse. not much
larger than an Indian pony. He
struck and knocked over two
ponies, and as | cut warrior down
with my saber my horse pitched for
ward and flung me heavily to the
ground. l was stunned, but remem-
Der that two or three horses stepped
on me as the Indians drew out and
took to fl ght. When | struggled to
a sitting position it was to find my
self almost helpless. My right
shoulder was broken, my back
severely injured, and my legs felt
numb. | was in a hollow, from
which | could not see the wagons,
but | could hear the fighting going
on in all directions.
To the right of me was dead
warrior, to the left a second farther
to the left a dead pony to the right
a wounded one directly in front OF
me and twenty feet away was a red
skin, kicking and struggling. | had
| Just got rest on my left elbow
when he sat up. The right side
of his head was all bloody from a
saber cut which had shaved of an
ear, but this would have been a
trihe to him. He must have been
dismounted by the shock, as l was,
and had also been trodden on. His
right arm hung limp and his back
was broken. He fell back as he
tried to sit up, and, rolling over hal
way. his eyes looked squarely into
mine.
Talk of the fury in the eyes of a
tiger brought to bay, of a lion
crippled and waiting to strike a
dying blow, of the fires of hell burn
ing in the eyes OF mastifl attacked
with hydrophobia and impatient tc
destroy The face Of that Indian