The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-18
A WILD RIDE.


ing small party of Uncle Sans men
up to one of tho new forts on the upper
Brazos-I believe they called it Fort
Belknap or some such name. The sojcrs
was precious set of greenhorns-new
recruits, should think.
"We}l, these fellows were under the
command of n white skinned, girlish
looking young chap, fresh from West
Point. But young and green as he was
the lieutenant was gentleman and ut
heart as good fellow as ever lived.
1.-The party was mounted OH such nags
as tho quartermaster could purchase for
them in hurry, for though they wero
infantry the journey before them was
too long to DO undertaken afoot over the
grassy prairie.
Scarcely any of tho men had ever
before thrown leg over hogskin, but the
lieutenant knew something about rid
ing. / believe he said he had been
learned it where he learned soioring
and after few days could sit his saddle
and bear tho fatigue rs we'll as any old
Texan.
I'D hcCn down to San Antonio about
three weeks, and when tho quarternas-
ter engaged me to pilot tho sojcrs
Strawberry had had the quiet range of
the prairie all that time and when wo
took the trail he was i'll primo order.
1.-The moro l got acquainted with the
lieutenant the better liked him. But
the fellows he had along with him were
of no account, and L knew if tho Co
manchcs or Kiowas should cross our
trail they couldn't DO depended on
1--WE journoyed with the Brazos on
our left and i'll northwest direction
till, after about week or so, we
reached the headwatcrs of tho Leon riv-
er, and rs we'd discovered no signs of
Indians was glad to think we'd have
no occasion to try tho spunk of our
greonhorns i'll n fight
"We had reached tho foot of the
Black Hills, where tho country is badly
cut up with deep barrancas, crossing
each other i'll every direction, and hav-
ing had hard days travel proposed
an early camp. While looking for u suit
able spot discovered fresh horse tracks
and knew that II large party of Indians
We're i'll the vicinity. I informed the
lieutenant Of my discovery and advised
him to secreto his men az soon as posi-
proach had not been detected
But rs soon as the men heard the
word Indians they set up such q hur-
rah that you'd "a thought them tho
bravest chaps i'll the world and it was
not long before I knew that the Indians
had discovered us, for wo could hear
them calling to each other in tho bottom
Of ono of the deep gullics, and presently
score or two showed their heads above
the edge of the bank, and letting fly q
vollcy lodged out of sight again
Il was for getting out of the prairie
as soon as possible and reaching a spot
among tho rocks at the commencement
OF the rising ground, where we could
receive them mt IL better advantage, but
tho lieutenant was so greedy for fight
that he wouldn't listen to ne a moment
and gave orders for his men to dismount
and form i'll regular line and await the
attack.
But scarcely had some of them
obeyed the order than we heard a veil.
and the next moment the prairie was
covered with host of mounted Kio-
was that came pouring out of a bar
ranca and charged right down upon us.
The soJers who had not obeyed the Or
der, trusting more to their horses heels
than to their rifles, put spurs to their
broken down nags and attempted to es-
cape But they might as well have cs-
sayed to fly from tho swift tornado as
to get beyond the reach Of those wild
riders. A part of the whooping savages
made dash for the cowardly fools and
soon had their scalps, while the rest.
ranging past us with a hcadlong gallon
and lying over upon the farther side of
the fiery little mustangs, sent a volley
into our ranks. And now, taking nv
advice, the lieutenant ordered his fellows
to romont and i'll close order make an
effort to gain the rocks. But two of the
mon were past mounting, and we had to
leave them.
"We had about half mile to 20 to
get among the nearest rocks, but to do
30 we had to run the gantlet Of the In
dams, who kept up hot discharge
which made desperate work in our lit
tie ranks. We spurred through the saw
ages, who attempted to cut in ahead of
us, and with our sabers and revolvers
kept the track clear till we had reached
the rocks.
Having gained tho spot, however,
we found to our chagrin that our situa-
ton was but little improved, for the
reckless and undisciplined men In their
eagorness to escape had thrown away
their muskets and were now, with the
exception of their sabers, entirely un-
armed. But the lieutenant and myself
besides our revolvers, had each heavy
deer gun.
I'm the meantime our pack mules
had fallon into the hands of the saw