Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-11-11
y moment later htr father came ur

\ moment later her father came up.
He looked very anxious as he said:
My daughter, fear that our situa-
ton could not he worse. We have tea
to one in front of Us and we shall pres
emily be attacked. You had better lie
down ON the bottom Of the wagon"
Il should soon be helpless from fear"
she replied. Let me remain here be-
hind the rocks. If they charge us l can
help repel them"
When the firing opened she was kneel-
ing between Joe and her father. Not
return shot was fired from the inclosure.
Now and then bullet found its way in
between the loosely piled rocks, but the
men had only to hug the ground to be
safe. As the Indians had to elevate
their guns at an angle Of forty-fve de-
grees to fire, most of the bullets passed
over, cutting the tops of the wagons, but
leaving the animals unharmed.
1t was we'll for the band that an old
soldier had command. He took in the
lay of the ground, made up his mind
where the blow would fall and noti-
fed every man to be ready for the sig
nal. The redskins would soon tire of
wasting their ammunition, and then the
more enthusiastic among them would
demand a charge.
An Indian is patient only when over
powered. He is brave enough to face
death only after he has worked himself
20, en- ha
yells, shots, screams and change of po-
sitions-had their due effect. Half an
hour before sundown the young war
riors were clamorous to be led to the
charge. The white men had shown
their cowardice by Withholding their
fire. 1t was Il sign, too, that they were
short of cartridges. A rush from a
hundred warriors would carry the camp
and give up its plunder.
The renegade white man, whoever he
was, had some military ideas in his
head. He was seen hurrying from one
point to another to consult, and he Sc
leEed the point to be advanced against.
Owing to the scarcity of material, the
north side of the inclosure was not as
high as the rest. The approach to this
side was not as steep. One of the dry
gullies ran parallel to this side, and the
charging warriors would have only
three hundred feet of open ground to
cross.
When the red sun was hardly more
than hand breadth above the plains the
firing suddenly ceased. The captain
had been expecting it. He knew where
would be a feint on the south side to
distract attention, but he left only three
men to resist it. All others were scat
tered along the north side, arranging
for a cross fire when possible, and they
were not stationed moment too soon.
At the sound of shrill warwhoop ut
tered by lion Heart. who was the rank
ing chief, "a fusillade was opened against
the south side. and hundred or more
warriors. the pick of all the force,
sprang out of the gully and dashed at
the north side. They expected to find it
unprepared.
Crack Crack! Crack. One of the
very first tufted heads showing above
the bank received bullet. Twenty-one
Winchesters famed and roared as fast
as men could throw out the shells and
pull trigger.
A besom of death and destruction was
let loose. A wall of flame swept for
ward to scorch and shrivel.
The charge of hundred men is bat
tering rama landslide-a great wave.
1t cannot be staid at once. Its own
momentum carries it forward to GER
tain point. The charge was failure
from the outset, but the wave did not
flow back until a brawny redskin
reached the breastworks right in front of
Bess. 1t was only hip high to him, and
he was swinging his tomahawk for a
blow at her when bullet from her re-
volver, held aloft, entered his throat and
threw him backward to die after brief
struggle.
1t was all over in five minutes. 1t had
been desperate charge at the weakest
point and twenty-three warriors lay
dead on the slope, while a dozen more,
more or less seriously wounded, crawled
away to secure shelter.
Then the great red sun touched the
plains with his golden rim, sank silently
into the sterile ground, and twilight
came to make shadows race about
among the dead-dead but hideous-
corpses in the war paint as they lay with
legs drawn up and eyes staring into the
darkeninc heavens.