Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-12

left 10 give them lively rattle in the
morning"
At that moment an arrow came 80
close that we both actually felt the wind
of 10, aud I again appealed TO him
TO crawl, but he said
II was not born to be killed by these
red devils
Calmly and cody he walked down to
the river got emp OF water aud took "
10 the wounded men, God only knows
why he WAS not pierced by dozen ar
rows and 10 seemed miracle that he
was not Underwood was not more than
four feet from me and yet we never
dared TO speak
Morning came at last. and e revealed
an awful sight Poor Watkins was shot
through the temple and was unconscious
IN mind. but crawling around on his
elbows and knees; Bostwick shot al TO
pieces, but still alive, and five others
wounded. The men were scattered all
about the campgound, faces downward,
with cooked rifles and revOlvers In hand,
eagerly watching the bushes and rayine
from which the fatal Ore had come. Five
horses were dead, and six or seven others
had arrows sticking into them. On the
SIDE OF the mountain In plain sight were
the Indians moving around among the
tree aud rocks. With the approach of
day the cOwardly wretches had quietly
retreated up the ravine TO the side of the
mountain out of danger yet keeping IN
sight TO witch our every movement. We
were IN a most trying situation. sur
rounded by mercilcss Indians hundreds
of miles from white men, with the whole
Crow tribe between us and our homes
aud with seven Of our little band wound
ed-two fatally, aud three others severe
ly. We gathered In a knot TO talk over
the events Of the night and ascertain the
extent of our wounds. We asked Cap
tain Jim what we had better do. and hc
answered: Have n hot cup Of coffee
first. we will ali feel better. and viii
then decide While waiting for coffee
! picked W. within radius of thirty
or forty feet Of whore Underwood and
! had been lying furty-ciRht arrows, aud
The fonts were found perfectly riddled.
IrobubIy 300 balls aud arrows passed
through them.
At our council Of war, Captain Jim
suggested that II would be hopeless TO
try to return to BannOcl the way we
had come. as we would have all the
bl0Odthirsty Crow nation against us as
well as this miserable band TINT
had followed us. lie pointed out re-
turn by the way OF South Pass and Fort
Brdgcr, although &c was some 1000 or
100 miles. part of it totally unexplored
country inhibited by the hostile Sioux
'Ihc red devils up there win be pre-
vented from following ny through fear Of
the hghung sioux, he said, FOR more
than seventy or 100 miles and we may
by a scratch miss the Sioux" The
route being decided upon. we determined
10 wait ill noon or later To see the last
Df poor Watkins, Bostwicl and Bell, by
which time We thought they would
breathe their last The other wounded
We thought could ride Il was also de-
cidcd that we would throw away all of
our outfit but six days radons. 10 tighten
up the packs, for the purpose Of riding
our horses sevcuty-tiye miles the first
| twenty-four hours the object being TO
get the indians following us too far
from their main camp 20 return for rein
| Iorcemcnts II they succeeded in surround
! ing Ms aud forcing Us to intrench our
selves.
The captain told us that il was inn
! portlut 10 show the Indians that we had
good medicine and that Our hearts
| wcrr not i'm the ground by challenging
| hem then and there for u fight stating
\ that he did not know whether they would
| light or not adding: If they We're
/ Bunnocks or Snakes they would give Ms
| "a brush, but ! do not know the habits or
| the Crows as to fighting under challenge.
and so can only shy that we may as well
| fight them here az anywhere, and
! let them understand chat we are ready
! for fight IL VIII have q good effect ON
! them u they make any future uttuCks on
! us We proceeded 10 get ready our ru-
! lions for the march and prepared to
| fight
Before going ont, Gcery Underwood
! and lysplt who belonged tO the "frater-
! nifty. had little side talk, which re-
| suited IN each one declaring that II he
! rot mortally wounded he would rcsery q
! one shot 10 kill himself, and prevent un-
! necessary sacrifice of the pa ~ 10y re-
| manning to defend single man who
! must ~" any way or fall into the In
| dams hands 10 be tortured. We agreed
! To leave 10 TO Jim Stuart 10 examine and
! decide when wc were mOrtally wounded
! We also agreed TO remain by and de-
| tpnd ouch other RS long as there was
| hope of q wounded man living. This
! understood. we talked IL over with the
! cuptnin, and finally with all the rest
| aud Il WINS unanimously agreed upon by
| 9ll of them,
All being ready we started In single
! HE Tor am elevated plateau about 800
yards oil and dagouply toward the In
dipnS. We were q forlOm hope. but rcso-
! Lutte and determined. On this plateau the
| captain went through the whole Indian
| manual of signs, calling them towards,
| thieves, murderers, brutos, dogs. sllunEs
aud everything elsc that he could and
uehcd them to como down and fight us
| ~ first they singallcd acceptance and
| began moving among the rocks and trees
as II they were coming To uunihilnte US
| put huuly settled down again, evidently
| concluding they would wait a better
| chance. We waited until satisfied they
| would not light, keeping up the signals
| meanwhile that called them all mnnner
of evil thingsand us t was now O'clock
Ia the afternoon Jim decided to stnrt
soon. Bell had given me his yuluablcs
with directions what 10 do with them If
| escaped, His pulse was better aud we
put him on n horse, although the nature
Of Che wound left little hope for him
While helping Bell ON the horse poor
Bostwick blew his brains out. GGpry
who had slept with him. told us tb1t
when Bosbyich found he was Shot to
death he asked Gpory to cock his reyol-
yer and put it In his right hand ms he
wanted 10 sell his life as dearly ms possi.
hle, He used IL 10 let ms get away. Ron
apparently got stronger as wa heron ~
move. rive miles from our camp "A half
was called 90 examine Ills pulse onJ
wounds. II was found that he might rp-
cover but the delay 10 permit him 10 do
so would break mp our plan TO TRAVELLING
soVenN-hye miles I'm our first twenty
Tour hours. II was decided tbnt Wa
would go fifteen Or twenty miles a dov
rather lhnn endungcr Bell. We gOt sllI-
per rested three hours and thun pushed
ON IN the starlight for ten miles. where
we camped for the night Al throurb
our marching the Indians had foiloweJ
ms on their pouics, moving along pnroIlnl
To- Us, but ont OF gunshot. They did uot
follow us after night fell, and we cot N
20 GA Id