The midland journal., 1893-10-06

manding general and every other Off
Ger downwards had given orders to the
contrary, the old troop would have
hunted up Billy themselves.
We crossed the river cautiously, for
there was belt of woods the other
side, affording an enemy shelter, and
we reached the scene of disturbance the
previous night, without any attack
upon us. We hunted the ground all
about and found our dead comrade all
mutilated. There was no sign of 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
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 to
come upon the reds, for he quite fire.
quently allowed his horse to break into
gallop, and we followed readily. A
| consultation between the ''old man"
and scout and first sergeant took place
at noon, but of that know nothing.
am speaking as one from the ranks We
had only a few days rations for horse
and man, and we knew we should be
away out of our course, but no single
man murmurad. We munched 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-all that aft
ernoon we rode silently on.
A parting CLEAN 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 precipitous canyon, whose upper
waters were cushioned in q cloud of
cedar trees.
AS the daylight spent itself as the
sun went down, we turned in column
of twos, and crept up the narrow pass,
the Kiowa 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 a
defile 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 snril clear notes of a bugle.
The captain halted instinctiVely, and
the troop drew up behind him.
"What--what-wha 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.
'tIt's the kid!' he shouted. cts
Billy! Captain, can tell him-no one
ever blew note like his-it's BillyH'
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 hugle
rang through the night air, and now
all our doubts We're dispelled. 1t was
Billy-no one but he could tongue" a
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:
San 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 a bluff near the river
and got the horses under cover in a
clump of cottonwoods All that night
and next day we fought slSirmishing,
charging and retiring, until scouting
party from Custer's command came to
our relief. But poor little Billy-let
me tell you what "Man-with-the-
Knife" said of his death-''Man-with-
the-Knife," who is now scout in gov
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
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
signaled back to them, unseen by our
poor old captain. They drew us into
the ambush we were nearly sur
rounded-when Billy realized what was
going on, and blew the bugle the fools
had never thought of taking from him.
"And-?" we asked.
The Man-with-the Knife shrugged
his shoulders, as only an Indian can.
''Big white chief hear papoose blow
big white chief turn round and run
away"
IF we had not heard the bugle,"
said Healy, gently, ''we would none of
us have been here. 1t was a death-hole
they had ready for us"
We didn't ask anything about Billy
from ''Man-with-the-Kn for we
knew it all too well. They killed him
the devils-before he could blow an
other warning note.
And that is why the cemetery near
/ 81 L. l.