The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-03-09
INDIANS OUTWITTED.

airy war a sergeant and twelve armed
men were crossing New Hampshire
| through the wilderness. Their route
| led them away from any settlement,
and they camped at night in the woods.
| On the second afternoon of their jour
ney they were met by party of In
dams, who made friendly overtures,
and feigned to be much pleased at
meeting the sergeant and his men,
whom they obsequiously declared to
be their protectors. But, as often hap
pens when persons are practicing de-
ception. the Indians overdid the mat
| ter, and suspicious of their sincerity
were aroused in the sergeant's mind.
After leaving the Indians and pro-
ceeding a mile or more the sergeant
stopped his comrades and said:
''Those redskins mean mischief. /
| haven't lived among the Indians
twenty years for nothing. l know
| them and their fiendish tricks. And
unless we are prepared for them to-
night there won't be a man of us alive
to tell the story when the morning
| comes.n
The soldiers were surprised. No
one of them had distrusted the In
dams. Feeling confidence in the SER
geant, however, they agreed to follow
instructions, and the following plan
was adopted and executed:
The spot chosen for the nights en-
campment was near stream of water
which served as protection in the
rear A large oak tree was felled,
and each man cut a log from this
about the size of himself The logs of
wood were wrapped in blankets, mems
hats We're put on the extremities and
they were laid before the campfire so
artfully arranged that anyone would
have taken them for outstretched,
sleeping soldiers.
The sergeant and his men concealed
themselves behind pile of brush to
await any movement on the part of
their enemies. The fire, which had
been kept bright during the evening,
was suffered to die down, and an air
of quietness reigned about the camp
Two hours passed and the men be-
gan to grow impatient and hints
were thrown out that the sergeant had
been more scared than hurt.
AT length tall Indian was discov-
cred, by the glimmer of the fire
light, cautiously moving toward them.
Very stealthily he drew near enough
to see the figures of the supposed men.
Then he withdrew and another In
dian appeared, who seemed carefully
to count the sleeping figures.
Soon the whole party of redskins,
sixteen in number, was discovered
cautiously advancing. The witnesses
of the preparation for a massacre
were now so excited that they could
barely be restrained. The sergeant's
plan was for his men to remain quiet
until the muskets of the savageS were
discharged.
They had not long to wait. The
Indians advanced within few feet,
then took good aim, discharging their
pieces, gave their characteristic war
whoop and rushed forward to complete
their dastardly work by scaiping their
helpless victims.
Now was the sergeant's time, and at
given signal deadly fire was pour
ed upon the treacherous savages.
Not one of them escaped.
WILD CAMELS IN SPAIN.
Wild camels in the strict sense of
the term, camels whose ancestors
were never domesticated, are entirely
unknown. Such animals, so far as
naturalists are aware, have not been
in existence within historic times. 1t
appears, however, greatly to the sur
prise of the world in general, that
camels have been living and breeding
in wild State in Southern Spain for
sixty years.
When Mr.. Chapman, one of the au-
thors of wild SPAIN was exploring
the marismas or marsh lands of Anda-
lusia in 1888, he noticed far away on
the plain two large animals evidently
watching him. He approached them
with all possible caution, but while
he was still a quarter of a mile away
they took alarm, wheeled about, and
made off.
AS they turned, Mr.. Chapman saw
for the first time what they were
camels. He was astonished, but there
could be no mistake, for, as he. says,
"a camel is like nothing else in crea-
ton;
In communication to the Ibis he
mentioned what he had seen, and one
of the editors of the magazine, Mr..
Howard Saunders, an eminent or
nithologist, appended foot note to
the effect that he himself had seen Il
small herd of such camels in the same
region in 1868, but had never mention
ed the circumstance in print on ac-
count of the incredulity with which
the statement was certain to be receiv-
ed.
The wonder of the thing is increas-
ed by the nature of the marismas,
which are subject to inundation for
six months of the year, and would
seem to be as ill-adapted as possible
to the wants of an animal which is al
ways associated with arid, sandy de-
serts
In point of fact Mr. Chapman's
statement, supported as it was by the
testimony of Mr.. Saunders, did not
escape disbelief and measure of ridi-
Guile. 1t seems to have been album
dainty confirmed, however. Mr..
Chapman himself has seen the camels
since on several occasions.
In January, 1888, he saw a herd of
nineteen, of various sizes, knee-deep
in the water of the marsh.
'Our whole -party-includ
ing seven or eight ELECTROMAGNETIC
ed the sight. the herd remaining in
sight for the half-hour we spent at
lunch on the edge of the marisma.
With powerful field glasses we brought
the camels close up, and watched them
putting their heads down as though
grazing on the grasses beneath the
surfacen
The camels appear to have been
brought from the Canary Islands in
1929, and to have run wild not many
years afterwards.
NOT Il TYRANT.