Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-17
RESCUED By A DOG.
Lieutenant Fremont Tells How Little Pet
saved . Whole Company.

Lieutsnant fremont Tells How . Little Pet
saved Whole Company.
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.1
"Yes, Dick was favoritei Dick always
counted one in the company; every man
claimed Dick as comrade. Surprisingly
young looking for his age, with his dark
eyes, honest face, alert movements and ring
ing bark"
All this story was being told Of 'sDick. I"
the company dog, way back in that summer
of 1853" out In the Indian Territory.
"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,
soldierlike we just smuggled him on board.
Our company was ordered to march to the
next fort and bring down q supply train.
'Steam?' Not muchl Six-mule wagons. So
one morning off we started, Dick with US as
usual.
'To make 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 center of our circle.
'Safe? Of course we were; that is, some of
US got hurt, of course, but they couldn't t
break our circle. And no more could we
move. There We were, out on wide prairie,
only . few drops of water in our canteens
and cut off from any way of getting more.
That made 1t a question Of moving and get
ting killed.; staying still and dying of thirst,
or getting aid from the fort. Night came
and volunteers for water tried to steal
through the Indian lines Get through?'
No sir. Those plains 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 run
ming back for his lifel
"Next day it was worse; hotter than ever,
and what little water there was was kept for
the wounded. And the meanest part of it was
to look at the reds, some on horseback, some
on the ground stretched out enjoying them
selves out of range, and all Of them free to
ride over to the stream, whose cotton
wood-covered banks were in plain sight q
few miles away.
'Night came again, and heard some
body whistle; then Dick was called soft
ly. After bit every man got orders not to
let Dick inside the lines A message to
the fort for aid had been rolled up in q
piece Of rubber blanket and tied around 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 lay 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 long time word
was passed. around that Dick was gone
Nobody could sec him at all events. But
We had to wait for daylight to make sure
the poor old boy was not lying down q
little way from US, waiting for the dawn
and the recognition we had never failed in
giving him before.
daylight came at last Then every eve
was strained to find Dick But he was not
there. And after the feld-glasses had
searched in vain for him, there rose cheer
on the morning air that brought the Indians
to their feet, anxiously scanning 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 we were cheering him back
there in camp, he trotted up to the stable
guard at one of the cavalry eompany's 8
stables tired out
"Well, it wasn't long after that that we
saw our relief coming. And they brought
Dick with them! How we did pet himl
But often wondered what the little fell
low thought that night after we had driven
him of, as he trotted along through the
dark to the fort! F. P. FREMONT.