The old Abe eagle., 1892-12-01
She It 1Dds trho knclt beside The grace OF
the old hunter

ildSlt anu WIFI sO lAlAlt anu
uttered a short prayer in behalf of the
dead, and though some of the wilder
spirits affected to ridicule, there was
look of pride on their faces as they
turned them upon the girl kneeling be.
fore them.
Who was Joe Blyn? An American oil
twenty-four. ranchman, scout. gold
hunter; brave as lion and tender as
woman. He had been with Sheridan
and Custer, with Miles and Cook. He
had carried dispatches from field to fort.
from post to headquarters. The soldiers
and civilians knew him as Joe; the In
dians called him 1.-The White Wind
More than once they had found his trail
and pushed him hard, but never had they
overtaken him. And within an houl
from the time Joe Blyn helped Bess EIar-
kins to scat on the wagon he knew that
he loved her, and she realized that she
had fallen in with agreeable company.
Who was Taylor An Iowa farmer; a
man of will and nerve, who thirsted to
acquire wealth speedily People at
home called him stingy and grasping.
An hour after the old hunters death
the light of avarice shone so brightly in
his eyes that a physiognoinist would
have whispered to himself, There is
man who would do murder for gold"
With the others we have little to do.
Expeditions such as this are made up oi
anybody and everybody. No one asks
where they come from and certificates
of character are not demanded
When one speaks of the plains of the
great west you must not confound them
with the prairies. God made the prai-
ries," says an Indian legend, while
satan made the plains" The one is
level, covered with rich grass and car
peted with flowers, and the soil turned
up by the plow is the richest Of earth.
The other is rolling, broken ground
ridged, tumbled, confused. Rock out
crops, the soil is almost flint and nature
can scarcely force a weed or bush to
grow. Wolvc and serpents are at home
on these desolate stretches of country
but all other living things avoid them.
There is Il lOnesOmeness and u des0lItion
and homesickncss about them whiciI
has caused men to go mad.
1t was oveI such a stretch of country
that the wagon train slowly picked its
way Ridge after ridge, dip after dip,
always the "ame sterile scenery; always
the same vultures flying in circles so
high up that they looked no larger than
robins.
They speal; of boundless prairies. 81
are the plains boundless-or seem to be.
You may ride for 900 miles before there
is change of soil or scenery.
Noon comes and brief halt is made
! The men have grown more anxious
within the last hour.
"Signs" are more plentiful.
The feathered heads of Indians have
/ been seen above the banks of the drY
ravines at short intervals, and it is plain
to all that the train is under espionage
Your noble red man is coward. He
must fight with the odds in his favor ii
he fights at all. Honest warfare is un-
known to him. In his death song he
will sing Of his brave deeds, but he lies
abCut them.
Men and women argue and contend
tha. the red man Of America has been
cheated. abused and maligned. They
view him from distance. In hisnative
stare he lives by choice like dog. He
is icious in every sense. He was born
with desire to torture and kill. His
! love is tyranny and abuse-hij friend
shi } to be avoided. If he believes in a
great ManitoI, that belief does rot pre-
velt him fro II being a beast and a devl
combined lie betrays his own kindred.
He steals fron his own tribe. He tor
lures prisor or Of his own kind with as
much relish as he does white inaa.
Taken us a waole, he has not one single
trait or sentiment TO prove his right to
cuElber the earth.
Ave! the red devils had been watch.
ing that train for the last twenty hours
rs n cat watches its victim when released
for the moment. They were ahead Of il
-behind--to the right-the left. Al
first two or thrce-then seven or eight
then iifteen--then thirty. They were
the scouts aad spies, and every hall
hour one rode away to the west to bear
information to the chiefs in waiting
The gold hunters muat be wiped ont
to the last man. Their number had
been counted over and over. their
weapons noted and the chances calcu
lated The time was not yet. The lay
of the ground was not suitable AID
enough Indians had not come mp. They
dared not attack with fifty-a hundred
IA hundred and fifty. They would
move upon the little band with two hun
dred or more-four or five to one. That
Is indian bravery.
When dozen Of them have run down
hunter and lifted his scalp there are
shouts Of victory Of boasiing-a
war dance about his body. They never
figure on odds-unless against them
selves.
When the train was ready to move on
after its halt the leader called all the
men together for counsel lie had been
a soldier. rs had many of the men. Hs
knew what 10 expect. aud WAS prudent
ly preparing for IT, Each horseman and
each driver was given orders for emer
geEcy. and every man received then
willingly and with Cesire 10 obey.
AZ the train moved on IL was closet
up rs solidly rs possible. aud each drivoi
had bis weapons ut hand II was NJ
hour before the lndiaus showed thei
hand. Then ono after another appearct
in sight ont of ride range. until ffl!
could be counted A train Of omigrant
would have been ratified at sight o
these. sad there would have been con