The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-09-05


their fright. Arrow after arrow hurl-
ed through the air, and now and then
loud snort or a below would tell that
one had found lodgment i'm some un-
fortunate creature.
Already Jerry had lost his coonskin
cap and after il had been trampled be-
meath the hoofs of the herd young In
dian picked il up with great glee. Jerry
heard his shouts rs he held the cap up
To his companions, who replied with
shouts
Jerry looked back once when the trail
turned abruptly 10 the right. He saw
he had but % cJttle mt his heels when
he should have mad GO, and he noticed
that three of those left had feathered
shafts sticking i'm their hides.
But he saw more than this and it was
| enough TO blanch his checks. One
young buck was fast getting abreast
which the heard, and Jerry saw that he
was rs agile rs deer.
1t was the intention to turn the herd
from the regular trail which it was
keeping under the leadership of the big
white steer-if this could be done the
chances for preventing the boys return
To the stockaded settlement would be
good. The Indians could scatter the
cattle in the forest, bewilder Snowfall
and capture him and his rider.
The young Indian trying to head off
the cattle was stawlwart fellow, in all
of the paraphernelia of the war trail.
1t was going to be race between him
and the white steer. Snowfall seemed
to see it too, and he bent all his ener-
gies to increase his speed.
Not more than 30 yards separated
SNOWFALL and the Shawnee as they ran
on parallel lines. The Indian dared
not stop long enough to try shot for
fear of being outdistanced he must de-
pended on his ability to head off the
animal.
Jerry saw the buck leaping the fallen
logs like a deer and digging his heels
deeper, he called out to Snowfall to
hold out little longer, for they were
almost in sight of the lights of the fort.
But all at once with Il yell the Indian
threw himself into the trail % yards
in advance.
Jerry felt his heart sink. Capture
was inevitable the Indian had taken
off his hunting jacket and was waving
it in Snowball's face.
The boy released the branching horns
of the white steer and with throb of
joy clung to the neck, as the animal
bent his head and uttered Il cry Jerry
knew preceded one of his charges when
angry.
With lowered head SNOWFALL lunged
straight at the Indian, his hoofs hardly
touching the ground. The Shawnee
sprang aside, but too late. The blood
of Snowfall was hot, and he, too, turn
ed from the path and rushed with
mad below at the redskin. The young
Indian cried out, but tine long horns
caught him and he was tossed up
among the lower branches of the tree
as if he were but a wisp of straw.
All this did not occupy ten seconds,
and Jerry, holding his breath, saw the
whole terrible performance. He heard
the Indian fall among the other cattle
rushing in Snowbalrs wake The next
moment the white steer was back i'm
the path with his bloody horns.
The fate of the runner seemed TO
daunt the other Indians they fell out
one by one, and at the top of the knoll
next TO the stockades, Jerry had no
enemy on his track.
Still holding on to Snowbalrs neck,
he was carried down the slope TO the
gates, which We're thrown open to re-
reive him. Everywhere he saw armed
men, and he was told that the Indian
yell had been heard i'm the forest, and
that the garrison had armed itself in a
hurry.
The failure of the Shawnees to inter-
cept Jerry led them TO be cautious, and,
instead Of attacking the settlement
they withdrew and left it unmolcsted.
Jerry became one of the mosted noted
pioneers of the early border, and in his
old age liked to tell boys the story of
his ride on the back of the big white
steer.