Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1893-06-09

puHtss
In moment those fellows wcro
flattencd out OH the ground like a
hunted squirrel on the trunk of tree,
and the moisture-laiden air rang with
shots as the lead whizzed over their
head,.
Every one seemed TO wake up all at
once o the realization that there was a
nest Of redskins up at the head of the
gully. Presently a concerted effort
was made to fetch them out.
Halt a dozen officers and several
dozen soldiers and scouts took part
and. a though by common consent,
the leadership devolved on one of the
braves, manifest cavslrymon it was
ever iir lot to know-Philo Clark,
then liatcnant and aide-de-camp to
Genera Crook.
l reEsmber him wildly as he looked
that day the broad brim Of his scout
ing hat ossed back from his forehead,
the cola of his buckskin hunting
shirt locoy fas encd at the throat
no signlf uniform about him, for in
those drs VIC rarely wore the army
blue onlndiAn campaigns.
He cane striding forward, rife in
hand, adj waving The men to ego in'
along tb slopes to the right and left
of the avine. lie himself, to. my
horror, c)olly pushed straight for
ward mo what NIGH; be called the
mouth I tho gully-straight on past
the pint where the venturesome
troops. had seen fattenedt put 50
short time before.
In instant, il seemed to me, the
cumpEf bushes at the upper end
hcgalto spit fire like a Fourth of July
mine. A blue cloud of sulphur smoke
hung pver the Indian burrow. The
clatie of rife shots was like that of
Cling gun. Several soldiers
drop,d in their tracks along the
grass slopes.
Jh White. one OF our best scouts
aud great friend of Buffalo BilPs,
gave one CHASTITY cry, 30 my God,
boys clasped his hands TO his heart
and ungcd forward on his face,
stonclead.
Riding back from the sudden shock
our en- at the moment scattered right
and II, for VIC had struck a formida-
BILE nbush, Not veslige of an In
| dialrould We see, yet that scoopcd-
out heller of theirs was evidently
Grained with them.
Iysolf was over on the right bank
ut t time, and ducked with amazing
propulude When that storm OF fire
andead burst on us. Ny next thought
VIII, | found myself unhurt was for
Cla We had been warm friends
frol our cadet days Mt West Point
andny heart was in my mouth with
fcafor him.
Iero he stood, just where had
sccihim the instant before, with the
san quiet smile on his face, never
Denins. never swcrving, il anything
fisi; higher on liptoe, as though
Stirring to peer into that dark, fire
flasing depths up the gully.
Mechanically he was thrusting au-
othe cartridge into the 5reech of his
rifle Bangl bangi went the Indian
gun Whiz! zip! spat the bullets.
mown, Clark Downp shouted
dozns of voices in tones of agonized
drch.
como out of that, Philo, for
hcacn's sake!' yelled a second cava!-
rymn close beside me. But just as
platdly and unconcernedly as he
void have strolled into his troop
stales, smiling the while Mt the con-
stcnaton he was creating, even find
ingime for half-laughing rejoindcr
to ne appeal of comrade from our
side Clark pushed ahead until he
coud peer in through the veil of
smoke, raised his rife, aimed and
fired.
Then as coolly, he motioncd, "Como
on. Como onl"
ID was too much for the crowd.
Everybody seemed to make a stimuli
tanoous flash then. In vain the hid
den Indians fired and strove to sweep
the rayine.
A moment moro and brave old Cap
tain Munson had leaped in from one
.ido and was half-dragging, half.lift-
ing out some terrible squaws. Other
willing hands were passing out some
screaming little Indian children, so as
10 get the women and papooses out of
harms way before closing accounts
with the warriors.
Then finding their mon combat
ants" kindly treated, instead of being
slaughtered, as would have been the
C sc had we been the besieged, the