Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-04-21

Worc tnrcau OF clOtnlnR. lney camc
on steadily, each brave singing bis
death song and all pnheeding the fire
that moved down their ranks like
grain. Again and again lheir desper-
ate charges were hurled back by the
scouts, until at last, rushing over the
bodies of their dead, they reached the
body of their chief and bore il away.
Hardly half their original number
reached the hills, and before the bar
the bodies lay in piles as if hurled
there by some great explosion.
The first days fight was ended by
the taking of the chiefs body. The
night fell, still and dark, and passed
without alarm. The dead were buried
in shallow graves dug in the sand, and
the wounded were made as comforta-
BILE as possible About midnight two
of the men crawled slowly away from
the bar into the blackness beyond.
They were to try to get beyond the
Indian lines before day break, hide
themselves till dark again, and then
push on toward Fort Wallace. This
was desperate chance, and their alb
sence weakened the defending force,
but the only hope was to get aid from
the post, one hundred and thirty miles
away.
Soon after they left the camp Lieut..
Beecher died. For hours he had begged
the men to shoot him and end his suf-
fering. He was nephew of the late
Henry Ward Beecher, and was brave
man and good officer.
The Indians had posted their forces
so as to leave the road down the river
open, hoping that the scouts would try
to escape by that way. Burdened with
their wounded and without horses,
they would have fallen an easy prey to
the well-mounted savages.
No fires were lit on the sand bar, and
the darkness and silence completely
deceived the Indians.
With the first gray light of day the
scouts saw a large band of mounted
Indians coming down to take up the
trail of the supposed fugitives. Every
man laid low in his little rifle pit, and
when the savages rode within hun.
dred feet of the bar each man picked
out his brave and fired. Many Indians
fell, and q band Of ponies, seemingly
ridcrless, tcurried back to the bills.
After this the Indians grew more eau
tious and kept up siege at long range
No men were killed after the first
,,,,,n1,
for food and care. One man dug a shall
low well in the sand and got plenty of
water, warm and full of alkali, but a
blessing for all that
They cut off the hind quarters of the
horses and boiled some of the flesh in
small jar. The animals had laid for
two days just as when killed and the
meat was horribly tainted. Only by
sprinlSling it with plenty Of gunpowder
could it be used at all.
When night came again two men
tried to get through the Indian lines,
but were driven back. On the third
day steady siege was kept up, with
only occasional hard fighting. That
night two men succeeded in getting
away.
On the fourth day Mr.. Moore died.
He had received heavy rifle ball in
tho head and had laid unconscious
since the FIRST day.
After the fifth day no Indians were
seen, but the scouts could not venture
to move, for over half their number
were disabled. All were suffering
from lack of food and priclIly pears
were gathered to help out the horse
meat. The pears were SO full of tiny
needles that they only added to the
sufferings of the starving men.
For four days moro they waited
watching the hills for Indians anc
fighting starvation and death inside
the camp.
On the morning of the ninth day thC
guard raised the cry of "Jndians!'
The men were worn and weary will
watching and fasting, the ammunition
was almost gone and all felt that the
end had come.
Over the hills the dark line of the
enemy was coming on like a. storm
cloud. Each man grasped his rifle
tighter and braced himself to meet the
last charge.
The rising sun threw it's glow acros;
the valley, and wild cheer arose from
the little sandbar as its light fell, no
on Indian warpaint and spear but or
the rifles of soldiers. Throats full O.
dust, gunpowder and prlckly pea
needles were forgotten. How they
cheered those blue coats! Even the
wounded raised themselves to look a
the line that meant life and home.
was the relief from Fort Wallace. Tht
brave fellows who had crawled away
| from the sandbar into the darkness haC
reached tho post and hurried back will
aid for their comrades
The Indians were gone, siege anC
battle were over, litters were made
and with every care for the weak ant
wounded the return to Fort Wallac'
was begun
| Everywhere were met traces of the
battle. The Indians had suffered grea
losses, as was shown by the remains
on the field, though the majority o
the dead were carried away. Man,
bodies resting on scatfolds were founC
along the line of the Indians retreat
Wet blood on some of these showed
that the warrior was yet living whel
placed there. The scouts had lost thei
chief and many more, while thei
colonel and half the survivors wer
wounded They reached Fort Wallac
in safety, and the Indians did not sool
forget the lesson of the Ariclare
fight, where fifty white men held bacl
ten times their number of savages. :
San Francisco Chronicle.
Mistress and Maid.
Physician Ito Marie, the maid d)-You
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