The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-17
A vALOROUS YOUTH.
A Soldiers Story of an Adventure
among the Sioux Indians.

Son Perish Before His Eyes Without
Sign of Emotion.
| An officer of Troop A, United States Cav
airy, writes in the Detroit Free Press the
| following story of an Indian campaign:
I'VE were encamped between the two forks
| of the Big Horn River, with the mountain
| at our backs.and we had Yellow Bear, the
! chief. with us. to be exchanged for three
| women neld captives. The Indians had
| promised and promisd. but delayed making
| the exchange. The Indian is a diplomat
| only so far as lying is concerned. lie will
| lie when 1t would benefit him to tell the
| truth. He will delay TO his own annoyance.
| They had the women-we had their SUBJ
chief. 1t was TO have been an even change.
| The matter could have been closed up in
| half an.honr, for we were sure the women
were only few miles away. but they pro-
! crastinated from Monday to Thursday, and
| then still made further excuses. On Thurs
! day son of elbow Bear came in as a mes
sen2er. He was boy of Is, straight as
| an arrow, 1.-the as wildcat. and, young as
| he was, he had already learned to mask his
! feelings. The meeting between father and
son betrayed no trace of sentiment. The
| real object of the Indians in delaying mat
4 ters WAS to give the chief chance to es-
| cape /, but he was too closely guarded for
| that. The information was conveyed to the
| son by sign. He was then told that it was
| the wish of the father that matters be ex-
| pedited, but the words ounted for moth
| ing. The sign which accompanied them
| probably meant further delay.
| The boy had come boldly into camp on
| beautiful and speedy pony. He had bow
| and CULVER of arrows and revolver. He
| had not looked at one of us when ready to
! go. AS further precaut1on against escape
we had tied the chiefs ankles together.
The sight of the bonds fired the lads indig-
nation, though we noted 1t only in the
CLEAN of his eye. Being hot-tempered as
| well as fearless, he planned to revenge his
fathers degI addition. am sure the chief
did not counsel it. as the lad was one to be
proud of and his action could have but one
result. When he left the tent he walked
straight-to his pony, mounted and rode of
to the east, but after going a quarter of a
mile lie halted and wheeled to face us. As
We looked at him he uttered war-whoop,
drew his revolver, and charged straight in
to camp. There were nearly 900 of us, with
twenty troopers Just mounting their horses,
and our surprise was SO great that the boy
| had passed through the camp before we
realized the situation. In his passage he
i killed'tw men. wounded third, and dis
abled two horses, losing only one out Of
his six shots. AS he reached the southern
edge of the camp he flung away the revolt
yer and strung his bow.
We we're in no mood to stand any nonsense
from a redskin, young or old. and the
men began shooting at the boy without Or
ders. He sat for full minuts while pre-
pairing his bow and selecting his..arrow. but
of the 100 carbine bullets not one touched
him or his horse. When ready he sent forth
ringing war-who0p and came charging
back. He sat upright, guided the pony
with his knees, and fred his arrows almost
as fast as one could pull the trigger of re-
volver. He did not keep straight course.
but sweryed to the right and left, and this
lodging saved him for time. At one time
there must have been $50 men firing at him
with carbine and revolvers but no one
waited to take aim. He had almost reached
the northern. edge of the camp. when horse
and rider tumoIed together. The official
count showed that the boy was struck by
twenty-three bullets. seemingly all at once,
and the pony by eight. They were simply
riddled.
While the general interest was conferred
| in the boy, we on guard over Yellow Bear
had wonderful opportunity to witness a
, display of Indian stoicism. He was sitting
on a heap of blankets when the boys first
war-whoop he'd his ears. He rose UP,
reached for my hand. and assisted him to
the door of the tent. wheIe we stood side by
side and witnessed everything. There
were no less than four of US carefully
watching his countenance, and may tell
you that it might have been a lump Of
dough as far as betraying anything. He did
/ not shout-he did.not lift hand-he did
not breathe as if his pulses quickened by
one single beat. He just looked. gradually
turning head and body to keep the boy in
view. A command from him would doubt
. less have checked the lad, but he did not
shout it. If he was surprised, proud. an
gered. or hopeful there was not the slight
est indication of it in his face. He did not
even clench his hands or bite his lips. ]
noticed his respiration. and it was neither
faster nor slower. When the boy went
: down the father turned and hobbled into
the tent and sat down in the. same place.
He did no ask If the boy was dead-did not
ask to see the body-neither by. word nor
Of the mantle of imperturbability for one
brief instant. Next day the captives were
brought in and he was freed. He rode away
to the east without questiOn-withOut, a
figure of stone made fast to the saddle.
1oX,iiA.- Fertilizers.
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