The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-28
ADVENTURE wIra sAvAGEs.


ADVENTURE WITH SAVAGES.
f rom HaTp.:r's Magazine
Never satisfied with ordinary activity
OF common adventures, George was &C
eustomed to employ green trappers to
work by the month under his direc,
tion; then, pushing beyond the usual
line OF trapping into the fankton
country, he would establish camp on,
OF the way of Indian haunts and dis
tribute his men up and down the
streams to trap. During the winter OF
1859 he planted his camp on Devils
lake, large body of water In what IS
now northeastern Dakota.
A Sioux chief of the Yankton tribe,
whose Indian name signifies ''old man, y
heard that the adventurous handcart
drawer was trapping at that point. and
fitted out an expedition for the purpose
of robbing him, partly perhaps under
the pretext of vindicating Yankton
claim to riparian ownership in all the
muskrat and otter th.t padded in the
streams of that country, but influenced
still more strongly by an Indians love
of plunder
1t was bright winter morning, and
George had followed an elk six miles
through the snow. He had just shot it,
and was stripping off its coat, when he
saw an Indian scalp-lock rising above
the top OF a little knoll. He threw HIM
self into thicket, put his hand on his
bullet pouch, and found by touch, with
out counting, that there were fifteen
bullets in it, while thirteen Indians
soon came into view.
rs Observation-Disclosures the Hand
cart here?" asked one of the Indians,
for they knew Northrup's aim too well
to approach without caution.
IF any man comes one step nearer, "
cried George, in the Dakota tongue.
until / know whether this is a war
party or. not. I will shoot him.
One of the Indians fred off both bar
rels of his gun into the air, which was
a pledge of peaceful intentions, but it
put George under the necessity of
enptying his gun and trusting to the
uncertainties of Indian good faith, or
of accepting battle with the odds of
thirteen to one. Slipping the cap from
one barrel George ran out and fired one
barrel of his gun, bringing the hammer
down on the capless tube of the other.
as though the barrel were empty. He
was now virtually prisoner, but he
dexterously replaced the other cap and
kept good hold on his gun. He after
ward managed to load the empty bar
rel without attracting attention.
He understood perfectly the Indian
plan. They knew that any attempt to
take the life of man with so sure an
eye and quick hand as Georges would
probably cost some Indian his life.
They meant to detain him on some
pretext while a detachment should
plumber his camp, guarded only by in.
experienced men.
The boldest way was the only one.
After standing in the Indian camp
awhile he confronted the chief and
said quietly: Pm going home" inn
mediately turning about and taking
the trail that led to his camp. The saw
ages were nonplussed by the sudden
ness of the movement, and they fell
into line behind Northrup. AT every
step of that six miles George expected
a rife ball from behind.
Guns, provisions, furs, were scattered
about the trapper's camp in confusion;
if the Indians on their arrival should
find things SO, the camp would be
utterly stripped. George tried again
what virtue there might be in impu-
dence. Turning to the old chief, when
they came in sight of the camp, he said:
'Old-Man, my men are green; they
do not know that you are coming in
friendship; if you go in now, they
might fire on you Wait here until /
go and tell them that you are friends.
In fact, George feared nothing SO
little as that his men would shoot.
But the Indians were deceived, and
with ''Ho." of approval, the Sioux
consented to remain until their well
come should be assured When they
reached the camp, George had every
thing in order. the things all under
guard. and the Indians saw themselves
outwitted.
There were thirteen savages TO six
or seven white men; but Indians like to
keep their own skins whole, and to
attack so vigilant a man as Northrup
was dangerous. George overheard them
aisputing which should have his rifle.
where is your gun?" he demanded
Of one of his men.
The Indians are sitting on il and !
cannot get it"
George walked up to the row of In
dams who had taken the gun in this
tentative and diplomatic manner, and,
eyeiug them sternly, he seized the
stock of the gun, whereupon the cowed
savages rose up, and he returned the
gun TO the man and ordered him 70
hold on TO it.
The crisis came at last. There was
Of -four but thirty-seven pounds in the
camp, carefully boarded against ex-
tremity. To Georges conster nation
he found that Oldham had seized il,
while his frightened men did not dare
,ffer resistance. Northrup walked di-
-ectly up to where the chief sat with
the sack of -four by his side, and laying
aold of it. started off.
Stop cried the Indian. getting 20 his
feet. 'Man-that- ORA ws-the- Handcsrt,
bring back my four
George turned about and with ges-
lure of that cool dramatic 1ind which
20 impresses savage, he opened the
beast OF his coat and said:
Goldman, If you want 70 XII me-,
shoot, but You shall not take away my
food and leave me TO starve.'
Then. - said the chief fercelr. Man j
/ 4. ct- II