Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-02-10
BELEAGUERED
By ". THOMSON.

lCopyright. 1891. by American Press Associa-
 tiOn.l
 Hardly checking their speed after this first volley. and relocating without the use of ramrods. as they scurrled along the enemy. emboldened by our silence, charged rashly on until within seventy-tive yards, then drew sharply up and delivered a mixed fire of arrows and bullets Most of the former. of course fell short. and the latter did no damage other than piercing one or two of the wagon tops The captain was about to give the order to fire. and some of the men were already taking aim when one of the women, Mrs. Morr1s, who could not be kept in her safe retreat, suddenly screamed Great heavens, captain. look therel" and to our consternation we saw rushing down on us, from the mouth of the pass, compact body of mounted Indians, ninety or a hundred strong.
 "The ruse of the cunning redskins was now plainly apparent. Those at tacking us on three sides were to keep us in play and engross our whole atten- tion. while their allies, taking their cue from the firing, hoped to approach un- observed on the fourth and get among us with tomahawk and knife, when our complete annihlation would be easy and certain The situation was one of imminent peril. but our veteran guide did not for a moment lose his head Quick as lightning he moved eight of us to the new point of danger. leaving the same nunIcer on each face of the corral. and then for the first time raising his voice to shout, clearly heard above the increasing din, delivered hls short, sharp commands With sort of grim pleasant ry: Wal boys, he said, it's root. hog or die with us now 1 reckon, We'll do the rootin an let the reds fill tother part in the bill Don't waste ounce uv lead no ways. only ter plant it in the carkiss uv hoss or Injun. Now theni Shoot keerful; fire!
 By this time the fresh assailants fortunately still in huddled mass and sitting erect on their ponies. were rather nearer to us than were the other bands. and as the eight rifles allotted to that side belched forth their contents no less than eleven of them bit the dust three of our bullets hav1 nG evidently found double billets The discharge was abso- lutely simultaneous all around the de- lenses, and when the light wreaths of smoke cleared away we saw that nine teen ponies in all lay upon the ground some already dead and others struggling vainly to rise. All the unhurt riders took refuge behind the carcasses, but some, not so fortunate, were stretched lifeless upon the plain.
 I've had thus at the very first fire, killed, disabled cr unhorsed number of the foe greater than their own, but yet, though temporarily staggered, the four bands, supposing us to be now defense less, came on, while their arrows flew in hurtling clouds and their demoniacal yells of rage rent the air with harrow | ing discord which only the ravening hosts of hell might hope to rival. In less than ten seconds they would be upon us. To reload and cap would take even our practiced hands twelve. But now the revolvers came into play, pour ing out their fifty-four shots in one con- tinuous stream, and with such effect l that several of the wild riders fell at each round, and the astounded Indians, utterly unable to account for the phe, nomenon, recoiled in terror, wavered fol moment, and then, on all sides, turned | to fly. Yet not without further scathe for twenty three rifles were by this time recharged and as they wheeled to go nearly every one of them brought dowr it's man. Still, true to the habits ot their race, they did not, as they went off leave one brave behind.
 "Even in the midst = our fighting fury we could but admire the rude chiv airy or superstitious piety which i'm
 pelled these children of the desert tC carry off every last one of their wounded
 or dead comrades-aud the performance
 itself was wonderful! Wherever lay
 fallen brave there would ride two war
 riors, one on each side, who without fo
 an instant checking their ponies woult
 stoop swiftly down, and seizing tn
 prostrate form between them bear i
 off beyond the reach of possible dishono1
 "None of the enemy retreated to tn
 pass, but all made for the great coule
 and shortly disappeared within it
 depths. Not one of our party had thu
 far received a scratch, and so short an
 all absorbing had been the fight thai
 but for the dead bronchos scattere
 about the plain and the keen eyed vul
 lures already lowering aloft, we migh . well have supposed the whole affair
 wild phantasmagoria of q troubled mic day dream.
 Captain Jim was greatly elated g
 our successful defense and unstinted = his praise of our steadiness. 'Ef we Xxi
 give the pisen sarpints 'nuther sich
 dose, boys he exclaimed, i've won't nee 2 ter think nv 'em no more, fur all ere;
 tion wouldn't coax 'em in no third tim
 But I reckon they won't low us Il
 chance ter do it. More'n likely they
 try on the stayin out dodge now, (
 mebbee a night 'sprise, fur the Apacl 'r Injuns is bout the only tribe thatll fgl e in the dark, and they'd ruther not onle n they've got mighty sure thing uv it. "The afternoon was wearing ava, 's four o'clock had come; no sign of a '1 enemy was to be seen, and the captai fl called little council of war to consid o the feasibility of replenishing our sto