The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-02-19
,de with the Others down to their

rode with the others down to their
camp.
After watering their animals and
bringing pailful from the springs, the
white men moved up the side hill some
two hundred yards above, and picleted
their animals in a little depression out
of sight of the Indian camp A seuti-
mel, however, whom they could see
posted upon rock upon tbs opposite
bluff, had them in full view.
Now. boys" said Mack to his COM
panions after they had lighted tire,
! git out your Dutch oven, and I'll git
oat mine and my se,f-raism' -four, ard
! while you take the hatchets and cut a
big lot of sage brush for bonfire, I'll
mix and bake bread enough to last us
three days. T..
Then after that's done we'll eat a
big supper, and light big fire, and be-
hind the blaze of it we'll crawl to our
horses and get out of these diggin's.
Itll take us three days or three nights
to reach Fort Collins, and those fellows
IL follow us clean through unless we
can dodge them somewhere on the
trail"
In three hours everything was in
readiness for departure. No Indians
had ventnred near them. Evidently
the Indians were trying to throw the
white men off their guard by show of
indifference,
1t had grown quite dark. Mack re-
solved to trust to. not unfamiliar ruse
He. frst allowed the fire to sink low,
and then gathered quantity of sage
brush, and wrapped it up in three Of
their extra blankets.
These bundles were then placed near
the fire SO that they should look, ut u
distance, like the figures of men
squatted before the blaze.
| Then Mack and his comrades piled
on brush until the flames leaped high;
and behind this blaze they crept away
to the horses, mounted them. and. lead
ing the repa cked mules, rode straight
up the side hill until out of range of the
| freight
| They then turned and rode several
miles parallel with the trail, guiding
their course by family seen stars BY
and by they struck into the trail, and
urged their animals forward. They
had heard no sound of Indians in pur-
suit
Before daylight, they turned off and
rode about four miles to the left. where
they hid their horses in little pocket
which had grass and water, and be-
took themselves to qualing-asp
thiclset near at hand. for rest, and by
turns, for sleep. Here they proposed
to remain all day, and to go on again
ut night One of them kept guard at
the edge of the thicket overlooking
the route and the surrounding country.
Late in the afternoon a squad of In
dians were discerned in the distance,
looking for their trial Crowded be-
! hind tufts of buffalo grass, they
watched this band closely and anxious
| ly.
AT shutdown a signature about three
miles away announced that their
| tracks had been discovered. But it
would yet be an hour or more before
| the Indians would overtake the little
party.
As soon as it grew dark enough to
cover their retreat Mack and his com.
panions started. They crossed the trail
and rode until midnight on the other
side Then they crossed back again,
rode two miles out to the left and
camped until daylight.
Rising again, they took the trail d.
rect and rode at as rapid pace as
| their animals could be expected to sus-
tain.
Mack thought they had gained lead
during the night which would make ii
| impossible for the Indians to come up
with them, but at about ten o'clock
| they discovered a signal fire upon a
hill not more than mile off at the left
and somewhat in advance of them.
The building of this fire was proof
that the party ahead were scouts, and
that the main body of the Indians was
| behind Mack kept his men TO the
trail, and they urged their animals for.
ward.
All that day they rode, but the In.
dians who were signalling kept steadi.
ly in advance of them. During the day
they counted no less than seventeen
fires, all built at no great distance from
the trail, but during all this not an
Arapahoe was seen.
! That night when their horses and
mules were almost exhausted. the
white men made out the dim forms of
two mountains a few miles in advance
Mack knew that these marked the pas
sage of the trail out upon the open
plains, within o three or four hours
ride of Fort Collins Hidden in the
mouth of canyon they escaped obser-
walton. They rested and fed their
horses, took food, and before daylight
were again in the saddle
IF we have any trouble it will come
in the pass between the mountains"
Mack told his comrades IF we don't
run against a party of them there
were out of the woods. II we do, it'll
take good bunch of 'em to clean us
out, for there's no cover-only open
ground"
As they rode into the pass they saw
five Indians in the distance, seated
upon their horses near the trail. These
were undoubtedly the scouts, who,
\ riding the swiftest ponies in their
band, had kept ahead and were now
stationed in the PASS, hoping to hold
tho NvhSta ,,,a,, - ,.ol. d.