The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-18

contrary, the old troop would have
hunted up Billy themselves.
We crossed the river cautiously, for
there was a belt of woods the other
side, affording an ene.ny shelter, and
we reached the scene cf disturbance the
previous night. without any attack
| upon US. We hunted the ground all
about and found our dead conrade all
! rnutiiated. There was no sicn CT his
horse. We waited little time and
/ buried him with more sorrow, because
! we knew that he. like the rest of Us,
had always hoped. should he fall. that
t Billy would blow taps" over him.
When we had buried the dead trooper
we took up trot and travelled at a
/ good pace. It was obvious that the cap
tain was as nervously anxious as any 20
! come upon the reds, for he quite fre-
| quently allowed his horse TO break into
| a gallop. and we followed readily. A
| consultation between the '.old man
! and scout and first sergeant took place
| at noon, bat of that know nothing |
| am speaking as one from the ranks We
had only few days rations for horse
and man, and we knew we should be
away out of our course, but no single
man murInured We muached our
crackers" boiled some coffee and went
steadily onward.
All the afternoon and on into the
evening, till the sun sank down amongst
the sullen clouds to the west of US, and
it grew chilly and dreary-an that aft
ernoon we rode silently on.
A parting glear1 of gold and Grim
son just tinged the horizon, when the
captain halted and again consulted
with the scout. To our right lay the
mouth OF one of the tributary creeks of
the Canadian, and the stream descended
from a precipitous canyon, whose upper
waters were cushioned in a cloud of
cedar trees.
AS the daylight spent itself as the
sun went down, we turned in column
of twos. and erept up the narrow pass,
the Kiowa a few PAGES ahead of the
column.
1t was on the very verge Of night and
the captain was reckless, else he would
have never ventured his men in such
de6le at such time. We We're getting
up, up the stream, and the banks Were
beginning to reach far above our
heads shutting out the last CLEAN of
sunlight, when suddenly from beyond
came the snrin clear notes of a bugle
The captain halted instinctively, and
the troop drew up behind him.
''What-what-what was that, SER
geant?" the old man asked as he turned
in his saddle and looked the first SER
geant anxiously in the face.
Healy grew tremendously excited
He left his place in the ranks and gal |
loped to the front.
Its the kid" he shouted. 'It's !
Billy! Captain, can tell hin-no one
ever blew a note like his-its Billyr'
He was so wild that he would have
charged up the ravine by himself, but |
the ranking corporal caught his bride |
rein.
The captain looked sternly at the
Kiowa scout and drew his revolver
What does this mean?" he asked.
The Kiowa turned with the calmest,
most innocent air.
''They are there" he said. big chief
no come"
And he rode forward at gallop.
Again the clear notes of the bugle
rang through the night air, and now
all our doubts were dispelled. 1t was
Billy-no one but he could tongue"
bugle like that, but even as we raised
ourselves in our saddles there was the
ring of rifle and the whizZ OF a bullet,
and the captain yelled:
AN ambush! Twos right about!
March. Gallop. March!'
And we did, and got out Of that
ravine as quickly as our horses could
carry us. But first the captain leveled
his Colts" and sent bullet into the
back of that flying scoundrel - our
false guide.
We halted on bluff near the river
and got the horses under cover in
clump of cottonwoods. All that night
and next day we fought, skirmishing,
charging and retiring, until scouting
party from Clusters command came to
our relief. But poor little Billy-let
me tell you what "Man-with-the-
Knife said of his death Man-with-
D
ernment employ.
He told US how "Tip' stumbled and
threw the bulger, and in the darkness
no one saw the mishap. He told US how
the boy fought with his revolver and
killed two savages. He told us how the
chief, laughing at the pluck of the
'papOose"-as they called him-saved
his life then, and took him with them j
until the Comanches joined another
party, and waited for us All that
march their scouts had lined the neigh .
boring bluffs. and signaled our ap-
proach, and the treacherous Kiowa had
'ignaled back TO them, unseen by our .
Door old captain. They drew us into ,
he ambush we were nearly sur
'ounded-when Billy realized what was .
soing on. and blew the bugle the fools !
lad never thought Of taking from him
And" we asked.
The Man-with-the Knife shrugged :
lis shoulders. as only an Indian can. Z
Big white chief hear papoose blow i
big white chief turn round and run
way" =
IF we had not heard the bugle."
aid Healy. gently, we would none Of ;
IS have been here II was death-hole /,
hey had ready for us"
We didn't ask anything about Billy Z
rom 'Man-w.th-the-knifc for We Z
NEW it ali too well They killed him !,
the deyils-bcfore he could blogY an r
ther warning note. =
And that IS why the cemetery near r
or. - amongst III +ha u f.ita tu,arSa