The Opelousas courier., 1893-04-01

luelE LOrtuie anu 0edtus anu lSeolseo "
make a fight for it. The base liar and
hypocrite made use of the half hour to
push seven or eight Indians into Ghc
rayine from each end, so they might be
ready to charge us. He did not come
back for our answer, but call to us from
Tie bank above. SuspectlS3 lis game,
we were as ready as we could be when
there was a yell and a rush. We had
one shot apiece with our rifles, and then
Dur revolvers came into play.
There never was an Indian born who
aad the sand to stand up to a fight I'M
ess he had the odds in his favor. We
beat them back by firing three or tour
shots apiece. Thomas killed one and
badly wounded another. / wounded
one so badly that he dropped his rifle in
getting away. Under cover of the
smoke we got three rifles, and Thomas
overlook his wounded warrior and fin
ished him and stripped the pair of their
ammunition. We further strengthened
the breastworks on each side and then
felt prepared for any move they might
make. 1t was about twenty minutes be-
fore we heard from Corporal Day again.
Then he called out to praise US for the
fight we had made and to renew his
offer. Our refusal brought him out in
his true colors. He declared that he
had brought death to over forty white
people; that he had only been trying to
dupe us; that he was sure of our cap
ture, and that our torture should last a
whole day before death came to relieve
us. For half an hour after he ceased
talking everything was quiet. What
they were planning to do was to put
their main force into the south end of
the tunnel for a rush. At the same time
they would put two or three warriors
into the north end, who should advance
by rolling rocks ahead of them. In this
way they would be covered and hold the
attention of one of US at the same time.
Our mule had been wounded in the
first rush, and presently became half
erazed with pain and fear. We decided
to cut his throat, but as we seized him
and Thomas got cut his knife the beast
broke away, screaming out like a wild
animal, and jumped the south breast
work, and went laundering down the
ravine. Corporal Day and eight or ten
redskins had gathered for the next move.
The mule dashed among them, knocked
the corporal down, and trod on him,
and he was SO injured that he died a
week later. We heard a great shouting
from the redskins, but of course had no
Idea of what had happened. The acct
dent to the corporal caused a c~pnge of
each end of the ravine SO that we could
not make a rush and thea planned to
smoke us out. They spent a W ole day
collecting brush and leaves and limbs
and tumbling them into the ~ravine. As
soon as we realized their object we be-
gan work at our drift and deepened it
to thirty feet. Then we carried stones
to the entrance to form a wall and when
the stuff in the ravlne was set on fire VIC
retired to our cave. But for the work
accomplished before we were attacked
we should have been suffoeated and
then roasted. They heaved an immense
quantity OF stuff into the ~ragine, and
when the torch was applied there was q
suction from north to south WHICH con-
verted the entire ravine into a furnace.
They could not tumble anything directly
in front of US, but even after We had re-
treated to the back end of the drift the
heat nearly overcame us. They lighted
the fire about 8 o'clock in the morning
and it was not until the next morning
that we could venture out. They had
cut down and tun1bled whole trees into
the ~ravine, and there was a good deal of
fire at the south end as We lett our cave.
The Indians had every reason to be-
lieve we had been cremated, and about
10 o'clock in the forenoon three or four
Of them came in from the north end to
see what they could discover. Thomas
got in a shot which wounded one of them
before they could get away. We could
not guess what they would do next, and
it was not until noon that they revealed
their scheme. The overhang to which l
have referred was like a hood over a
door and projected out about six feet.
1t was a mass of rock and dirt, with trees
and bushes growing on the surface, aud
WAS about forty feet long. For a long
time we heard queer sounds above us,
and finally concluded that they were pre- |
pairing a blast which would tumble all
the overriding into the ravine. That was
exactly what they were at, anl though
we retired into the drift again, we had
but little hope. There was enough soil
and rock to fill the ravine ten feet deep,
and of course we should be blocked in.
There were c~revices in the ovcrhang.
Into some they drove wedges and into
others they put powder, and at about 1
o'clock the whole mass came tumbling
into the ravine with a mighty crash. In
an instant all light was shut out, and
both of is felt that it was good by to the
world. The rush of air had blown out
our candle, and we sat there in the awful
darkness for a quarter of an hour before
either spoke. l had expected the fall to
shut off the air, and finding that it did
not do so I relighted the candle and
crept to the opening. 1t was not blocked
by a rock, as I feared would be the case, |
but by brush and dirt, and there was
enough air coming in to flare the light.
There was something hopeful in that,
and yet we were in a bad fix. We had
each slaked our thirst from the water
dripping down the rocks before entering
the drift, but there was none to be had
inside. Our provisions consisted only of !
-four and raw pork, aud we had from
eight to ten feet to go to get to the sur
face Of the debris. We had a pick and
shovel. hut the drawbacks were so