The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-07-09

and the wounded were made as com.
Portable as possible. About midnight
two OF the men crawled slowly away
from the bar into the blackness be-
yond. They were to try 70 get boz
yond the Indian lines before day.
break. hide themselves till dark again.
and then push on toward Fort Wal
lace This was desperate chance
and their absence weakened the de-
Tending 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 suffering. He was nephew OF
the late Henry Ward Beecher. and
was brave man and a good officer
The Indians had posted their force,
so as to leave the road down the rivel
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 10 the we'll mounted savages.
No fires were lit on the sand bar,
and the darkness and silence completes
ly deceived the Indians
With the first gray light OF day the
scouts saw large band OF mounted
Indians coming down to take up tho
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 In
dams fell and band OF ponies seem
ingly riderless scurried back to the
hills After this the Indians grew
more cautious and kept up siege at
long range.
No men were killed after the first
day. but the wounded suffered much
for food and care. One man dug "a
shallow well in the sand and got
plenty OF water warm and full OF al.
kali. but 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 sprinkling 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 a steady siege was kept up
with only occasional hard fighting.
That night two men got away.
On the fourth day Mr.. Moore died.
He had received heavy rifle ball in
the head and had lain 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 prickly 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 more they waited.
watching the hills for Indians and
fighting starvation and death inside
the camp.
On the morning OF the ninth day
the guard raised the cry OF .Indiansm
The men wore worn and weary with
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 bis rifle
tighter and braced himself to meet
the last charge.
The rising sun threw its glow across
the valley. and wild cheer arose
FROM the little sandbar as its light fell.
not on Indian warpaint and spear. but
on the rifles OF soldiers. Threats full
of dust gunpowder and prickly pear
needles were forgotten. How they
cheered those blue coats! Even the
wounded raised themselves to look at
the line that meant life and home 1t
was the relief from Fort Wallace. The
brave fellows who had crawled away
from the sandbar In the darkness had
reached the post and hurried back
with aid for their comrades
The Indians were gone siege and
battle were over filters were made,
and with every care for the weak and
wounded the return to Fort Wallace
was begun
Everywhere were met traces OF the
battle. The Indians had suffered
great losses as was shown by the re-
mains on the field. though the MAJOR
ity OF the dead were carried away.
Many bodies resting on scaffolds were
found along the line OF the Indians
retreat Wet blood on some Of these
showed that the warrior was yet liv-
ing when placed there The scouts
had lost their chief and many more,
while their colonel and half the sur
vivers were wounded. They reached
Fort Wallace in safety and the In
dams did not soon forget the lesson OF
the Arickaree fight where fifty white
men held back ten limos their num-
Der OF savages San Francisco Cbron.
icle.