The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-10-27
AN INDIAN AMBUSH.
FRIGHTENED WILD ANIMALS PREVENT
HORRIBLE MASSACRE.

Northwest-The Shrewd Discernment of
aHaIf Breed Guide Saved 200 Lives.
We were going down the peninsula
formed by the junction of the Yellow
stone and Little Missouri rivers, hoping
to intercept the Indians and turn them
back. 1t had been hard, swift march
q ride of over 400 miles-with no halt
above four hours, and at 10 o'clock in the
forenoon half the troops were sleeping in
their saddles as their lean and Line
horses picked their way over the rough
ground
We had planned to reach the spot where
the fleeing Indians would cross tie / :
tie Missouri day or two ahead of the !.
We believed we had accomplished =.
At 10 o'clock we were within two miles
of the spot. Then the head of the col
umn halted for the men to close up. Our
line had strung out for a mile or more.
Between us and the crossing, as the h;lt
was made, nature had made highway.
1t was grassy road about 20 feet wide,
twisting and turning like a creek. Lite
side was lined with dense thickets. LAaIf
mile down the highway it was crossed
by creek with steep banks. Hal
mile farther on was second cree. It
was hardly more than a rivulet at this
season, but the width from bank to Dan
was 40 feet, and the banks were 10 feet
high. Our guide had never passed over
the route.
No man in the column of 200 men
knew what lay beyond the first turn.
The halt to close up was precautionary
measure, but no one dreamed of danger.
If the hostile Indians had not turned
back or changed their route, they should
be 40 or so miles to the south. The
stragglers had come up, the sleepy troop
ers had braced up under the eyes of their
officers, and the bugler was about to
sound the forward when the half breed
guide and scout held up his hand in
warning. A deer came running up the
grassy lane at full speed and was within
two feet of the colonel's horse when it
wheeled to the right and vanished into
the thicket. Next came fox, who ran
under the feet of dozen horses before
he found shelter Then second deer,
then three or four rabbits.
"What is it?" asks the colonel of the
guide.
"Ambushw was the reply.
Where"
The guide waved his hand to signify
that twas down the lane somewhere.
How do you know
See that?'
A big gray wolf rounded the turn 100
feet away, coming at full speed. The
hair on his back stood up, his tail almost
dragged, and it was easy to see that he
had been disturbed and was put out
about it.
'Injuns down there!' said the guide.
eve are too late! They have got here
first, and we are in ambush!'
"But what makes you think SOP per-
sisted the colonel, who was impatient to
go ahead and yet too prudent to need
lessly expose his command.
-rabbit-wolfr' replied the
guide. 'All were frightened. All run
ming away from something. Injuns
down there waiting for us. We go some
other way"
We turned to the left and flanked the
position. We had made distance of
seven miles when Indians were seen, and
skirmishing began, but they soon re-
treated southwark, and as we followed
them up they crossed the Little Missouri.
1t was the band we had hoped to inter
cept, but why did they turn back with
out fight? Everybody was asking the
question when few of us rode off to in
spect the ambush. The deathtrap had
been set for us between the creeks. The
lower end of the avenue had been blocked
with felled trees and bushes, and trees
partly cut down would have blockaded
the upper end as soon as the last horse
man had passed. The road here mar
rowed to Is feet. Wherever there was an
opening in the bushes which lined the
sides it had been closed with thorns
From sunrise that morning the Indians
had been waiting for us. Almost 300
warriors were in hiding behind the
bushes, ready to thrust out their rifles
and fire at the signal. Perched in the
trees along the way were half hundred
boys armed with bows and arrows. Hid
den away under the banks of the creeks
were 100 or more squaws armed with
hatchets, knives or clubs. 1t was not to
be battle, but massacre. No mercy
was to be shown-not prisoner taken.
Scouts had observed our approach and
reported. When the head of our column
had fairly entered the lane, the eager
squaws and impulsive boys could hardly
be controlled.
In their moving about they frightened
the wild animals out of their retreats
and sent us the warning. They did
not know why we halted, hesitated and
then took another way. For half an
hour they waited, with the scowl of hate
on their bronzed faces, with the savage
ness of devils in their hearts, with eyes
which glared and glinted as they roamed
about in search of the expected prey
Then they whispered to each other:
''They have taken another way! The
Great Spirit sent them a warning to turn
aside! We cannot fight these men! Let
us recross the river and return to the
agencyr Wheeling Register.