The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-09-02
DICK SAVED THE COMPANY.

All this story was being told of Dick,
the company dog, way back in the sum-
mer of "'69," out in the Indian Terri
tory.
HE came from the East with us,
Joined in Jersey City. How did he come
to join? Well, to be honest, we were
waiting on the platform for the train to
back in, and when the handsome dog
came up and made friends, soldier-like,
we just Struggled him on board. Our
company was ordered to march to the
next fort and bring down supply train.
Steam? Not muchl Six mule wagons.
So one morning off we started, Dick
with us as usual.
ITO make.a long story short, the next
afternoon found us surrounded by 400 or
500 Indians, our wagon animals killed,
and we unable to move, intrenched as
best we might, with our wounded as
comfortable as We could make them in
the centre of our circle. Safe? Of course
we were, that is, some of us got hurt, of
course, but they couldn't break our cir
Gle. And no more could we move.
There we were, out on a wild prairie,
only few drops of water in our can
teens and cut off from any way of get
ting more. That made it question of
moving and getting killed, staying still
and dying of thirst, or getting aid from
the fort. Night came and volunteers
for water tried to steal through the In
dian lines. Get through? No, sir.
Those plain Indians knew just the kind
of box they had us in, and no man, white
or red, could have got past them. Every
man that made the trial came running
back for his life!
Next day it was worse; hotter than
ever and what little water there was was
kept for the wounded. And the mean
est part of it was to look at the reds,
some on horseback, some on the ground
stretched out enjoying themselves out of
range, and all of them free to ride over
to the stream, whose cottonwood-cov-
cred banks were in plain sight a few
miles away.
might came again, and 1 heard some
body whistle; then Dick was called soft
ly. After a bit every man got orders
not to let Dick inside the lines. A mes
sage to the fort for aid had been rolled
up in piece of rubber blanket and tied
round his neck. Our only hope was that
he would start off for the fort and carry
it, and that someone would unite the roll
and read the message.
Every now and then Dick would try
to come up to where laid in the circle.
But it was only to be met with clods of
earth that drove him off to try to find
some friend who would welcome him as
of old.
''But every mans hand was against
Dick that night, and after a long time
word was passed round that Dick was
gone. Nobody could see him at all
events. But we had to wait for daylight
to make sure that the poor old boy was
not lying down little way from us,
waiting for the dawn and the recognition
we had never failed in giving him be-
fore.
Daylight came at last. Then every
eye was strained to find Dick. But he
was not there. And after the field glasses
had searched in vain for him there rose a
cheer on the morning air that brought
the Indians to their feet, anxiously scan
ming the horizon all around for the
cause.
''Well, that little dog made his way to
the fort over the dark prairies, and,
swimming the streams, until Just after
daybreak, about the time that we were
cheering him back there in the camp, he
trotted up to the stable guard at one of
the cavalry company's stables tired out
swell, it wasn't long after that we
saw our relief coming. And they
brought Dick with theml How we did
pet himi But l often wondered what
the little fellow thought that night after
we had driven him off, as he trotted
along through the dark to the forS."-
PittSburO Dispatch