The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-05

THREE EAGLE FEATHERS.
"A Story Recalling the Indian Warfare of
other Days.

"A Story Recalling the Indian Warfare OF
other Days.
We weresstrung out. on the crest OF
the Little Rocky mountains, between
the Missouri and the Milk rivers, in
northern Montana. There were TWEEN
ty-three of ::us, all prospectors, and,
though we. knew Indians to be about,
there had been no cause for alarm for a
couple ofdays.ts 1t was three o'clock in
the afternoon, and some of the men
were wandering about, while others
rested, when a voliey was suddenly fired
at our back--that, is, from the east.
Not man was hit, though two had
holes shot through their hats. In ten
seconds we Mere7all down and crawling
iamongsthe boul6ers to the west, and
the smoke from the five or six rifles
foatedEupward, and drove away, and
we had seen no further sign of the
presence of athe red men. Like SER
pents, one 'by;one we crept quietly away
iuntiiitwasssafe to stand up, and then
sold Dave" as we called him, whis-
pered to thelmais body to proceed along
the route to a spot he described, and
await his coming. We Sank down be-
hind asgreat boulder-the two of us
and presently we were alone.
It1was "a summer afternoon, with no
breeze stirring. The mountain cricket
generally chirps by day, as well as by
night, but the heat seemed TO have
wearied him at this hour. Not bird
flew about-not a living thing was
heard to move. But for the bright sun
shine we would have thought ourselves
buried six feet under ground.
keep yer eyes open! The varmints
will foller!'' whispered the old man,
and we began watching and waiting.
Five nutes-ten-ffteeni We were
facing the east. The old man peered
out from the north side of the boulder
] from the-south. I did not realize how
the suspense was affecting me until he
pulled me back behind the rock and
whispered:
''Consasn We, yer teeth are playin' a
tune, and them reds kin year We two
hundred feetawayv'
I put down my gun, gripped the rock
with both hands, and thus forced my
self into something like calmness. We
had been there full twenty minutes
whenb suddenly caught a glimpse of
something moving among the rocks and
bushes. / looked again and again be-
fore made out the object or objects
were three eagle feathers worn as
plume in the headdress of an Indian.
His head and body were hidden from
sight as telcrept forward, but a little of
each feather could be seen.
I touched the old man with nv left
hand. He turned his face toward me
and uttered low" S-s-s-hr He had
made out theIfeathers before did, and
already had his rifle up. The redskin
was not advancing upon us, but heading
to the northwest, diag6nally away from
us. he mpst have suspected that daG-
ger lurked behind some of the boulders,
but there were so many that he had to
take chances. He moved so slowly that
was presently perspiring and trem-
bling under the strain. j could see no
one following him, and that seemed to
prove that he had either volunteered as
a scout or that his companions had given
up anu nc was pursuing uS dIOue.
goaded on by the hope that he might
secure scalp.
The feathers were almost opposite us
to the north, and not over forty feet
away when the Indian raised his head
for look behind him. And as he did
so the old mans rifle cracked and the
head disappeared. There wasn't the
slightest movement-not sound save
the report of the rife.
''He got it jist ford of the ear, and
never knew what hurt him." whispered
the gnide.
We waited long five minutes to see
what might follow, and then crept over
10 the spot. The warrior lay fat on his
stomach, with his chin on a rock and
hislarms stretched out in front of him,
just as he had used them to pull himself
along. He had clinched his fingers, but
death had come so swiftly that he had
not even Strengthened his legs. We
plucl1ed the feathers from the beaded
piece ofgbucilskin forming his headdress,
secured the rife lying beside him, and
crept away and left the fast stiffening
body tothose who might come after
companions or vultures-N. Y. Sun.