The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-07
FIRE AGAINST FIRE.

II have similar feelings" replied Wilson,
but like night best when advanced toward
the small hours, and the moon and the stars
are brightly beaming."
Cameron made no reply. and the parties
remained silent Wilson was the first to
speak.
That's a heavy rife Of yours" he said,
glanciug atthe weapon upon which Cameron
was leaning. 81 dare say ii has been Of ser
vice TO you in its time"
mo money can induce me TO part with it,
because have proved its metal on various
occasions. Did l ever tell you of an adVen-
ture ence had near The Red Rlyer?
"You never did. l should like TO hear IL,
said Wilson.
&" Several years ago" resumed Cameron,
II was hunting near Cross Timbers, not far
from Red River. The Indians were then
troublesome, and frequently committed
their depredatOns on the frontier settle
mems; but l was fond of hunting, and
cared little for them, willing to trust to my
own courage aud ingenuity in any emer-
geney that might occur. l carried this same
rife, and was called one OF the best shots IN
the country
=" Many people said the piece was too
heavy for common use; but l was used to
il, and it didn't feel buTdensome to me; and
when ] fred il was sure to do the right
ounce and half Of lead, skillfuily sped on
its eTTand? Having discovered Indian signs,
/ thought it best to try to change my hunt
Ing ground, and so put considerable dis
lance between me and the spot and en-
camped on a wide prairie, bounded on tie
east By the Cross TImbers. Not long after
this event I was sitting on the bank OF a
small stream, resting my weary limbs after
q long and fatiguiuR hunt, when ! was fred
upon and slightly wounded.
II was fortunate enough to discover the
uJaTksman, who proved 70 be an Indian, Of
what tribe / do not remember. l instantly
shot him dead and then perceived that he
was not alone, FOR one Of his brethren W as
with him, who made good bis escape Time
passed on and | was undiSturbed in my
amusementS Tor a long time.
Zone day, not feeling very well, l re-
turned to my camp sooner than usual. l
lay down to sleep, but could not. felt
uneasy and nervous and so arose and went
Oh-the prairie. The grass was not very tall
and the hot sun OF the season had dried il
until it was cTispy and ratified as l walked
through it. descended a gentle swell ana
looked around me. Tbs scene was a grand
one. On one hand was the Cross Timbsrs
dimly seen in the distance. resembling a
dense wal! of wood built by human hands,
while in every direction the prairie stretched
away until lost IN the distance. The sun
was getting low and looked like sunset on
the sea. As my eyes wandered from point
TO point they were suddenly fixed upon a
solitary figure several hundred yards distant
at the foot Of the long swell or roll upon
which l was standing.
HE stood in the open space, and | at
first wondered how that could be, as the
grass was 80 high in every other place; but
the affair soon explained itsels. More care
full examination showed me that the soil
taTy object was an Indian. and his object in
packing up the dry grass was TO FIRE the
pTairiel Il was doubtless the same fellow
that had escaped at the time had been
fred on. He had discovered my retreat and
was about to revenge himself in a singular
manner.
the grass had been set on fire no power on
earth could have saved me, for the leetest
horse could not run fast enough 10 escape
from its devnuring flames. a terrible
dTeRd OF that kind Of death came over me.
/ stood like enc fascinated, and gazed at
the preparations Of the savage. He stood
= In the middle Of the open space he had
made, with blazing torch in his hand.
InnumeTable thoughts rushed through my
mind in an instant Of time. | was never so
completely paralyZed and stupefed in my
O.. life. The power Of thought seemed to be
the only power left me, and that was slim
ulated to an unnatural degrees. The past.
present aud future were reviewed and
speculsted upon In that brief and unbroken
fragment OF time ia which the savage stood
waiting for the brand to burn mora brightly,
before he thrust it into the grass Yes. nv
destiny was to be burned! Some hunter or
traveller would find my body charred or
blackened, and others, after time, would
pass my bones bleaching in the sun.
You must remember that all these ideas
and reflections ran through my mind in the
shortest aDpTeciable space of time: for Won
must know that the sudden prospect of
great danger, from which there is no appar-
rent mode ef escape, impaTtS to the brain
horrible faculty of thought, Of which the
mind at rest can find no possible conception
closed my eyes in prayer and commended
my soul to God: but lt was impossible for
me to close my eyes against the one great
absorbing idea in my mind-that Of being
o burnt up Ike the vile reptile that crawls Ia
the woods.
'My eyeids Enclosed. and as they did so
my eyes rested upon my trusUy rife. II
was the first time | had thought of it, for
the distance was great between me and the
enemy; but now il looked ke an old friend.
the only cue that had the power to save me-
Il embraced the thought that the sight OF
my rife called up a species of joy which is
nearly oyerpOwered by agonizi0g feeling.
One chance still remained-a small chance,
1t IS true, but still R chance-and despair
cannot paralyZe and subdue the heart while
one faint hope remains. lifted the instru-
meat upon which hung my destiny. As my
glance ran over the Intervening distance I
OF life, for a hundred god marksmen might
Try their skin in vain IN aiming at an object
go far of. Then / remembered that my
weapon was of an old. uncommon caliber
and weight, and would throw ball farther
than any l had ever seen. l rec0llected,
also, that had loaded it that very day with
uncommon care. and for long shot.
ne indian moved the torch, and was
about TO apply it to the combustitle mater
lais. IheEe was no time to lose. The rifle
came TO my shoulder quick and firm, and /
praced my nerves for a steady aim with a
strong effort OF the will. | looked through
the double sights, and the muZZle covered
the Indians head. My heart seemed to
stop beating, held in the grasp of that ter
rible suspense. 1t was but an instant-then
the rifle sent an ounce and q half Of lead on
its mission, with crack that was unusually
loud and sharp, and recJil which threw
me back A few PAGES.
THE smoke curled away, but ! dared not
look; | passed my hand slowly across my
forehead, for my brain was throbbing pain
fully. Every moment l expected to be
greeted by dense smoke from the burning
prairie, aud to hear the Kissing of the burn
ing flame; but nothing of the kind occurred
and | ventured TO look toward the spot
4. where the savage had stood with his torch.
reached It. The Indian lay upon his back,
the brand half extinguished beside him,
and an ounce and half OF lead through his
bead / sank down, oyerp0wered with
gratitude and the various emotions which
such an incident was calculated to inspire.
This was the greatest shot l ever made.
Can you wonder that / am attached to my
fifsY"
not ~ air. said the captain, earnestly.
~ should never part with 1t, If II was
Hi6s"