St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-22
4 FATAL AMBUSH.
HOW THE LIVES OF a P.TMAS-
TER7S ESCORT WE'RE
- SAVED
By UNSEEN DEFENDERS.
! WELL-PLANNED CHARGE BY
RED DEVILS is FRUS-
0ATED
By y LINE OF LIVE REPTILES
he Indians Charge at Mid
night.

We went into camp on wooded
ridge to the west of which was a
desolate strip OF ground about a
mile long by half a mile wide, says
The Detroit Free Press. The soil was
light and without grass or bush. One
could not look down upon it without
thinking of the ashes of the dead.
Beyond the strip was the dry bed
of a creek; at the foot of our ridge
was a creek not yet run dry.
Just at sunset two rabbits which
had been hiding in the bed of the
dry creek came running toward US
in great alright, though we could
find no reason for their action. Be
hind them came a wolf and a fox,
and we finally suspected that an In
dian scout had crawled down the
bed of the stream from the hills to
ascertain our strength and to spy out
the lay of the camp. Sentinels were
posted on that side of the camp at
an early hour, with instructions to
exercise the greatest vigilance, and
as we rolled ourselves in our blank
cts each man placed his carbine and
revolver Where they could be seized
at a moments notice.
At midnight the sentinels heard
strange sounds from the ground
of the dead" as some one had
named it. 1t was a sound akin to
that made by grasshoppers as they
swarm over the earth, devouring
every green thing as they advance.
Ten minutes later three or four rab-
bits came rushing across the strip
and through the sleeping camp, but
the sentinels saw nothing in pur-
suit. The rabbits were followed by
half a dozen coyotes, and a minute
later a wolf down by the dry creek
set up a great yelping. as if wounded
by bullet or arrow. At 1870 the sem
tinels heard faint splashes in the
creek at the base of the ridge, but
they looked in vain for the sight of
man or animal. They finally de-
cided that the noise was made by
beavers swimming about, and the
half-formed idea of calling out the
corporal of the guard was aban-
doned.
At l o'clock there We're sixty Indian
braves crouched in the bed of the dry
creek opposite Our camp. They had
crept and crawled and skUlked q dis
lance of two miles to reach the posi-
ton. The scout had reported that we
We're the paymaster'S escoTt-twelve
troopers and paymaster and clerk. An
Apache Indian always wants scalp
and money but seldom finds the COM
bination. Here it was on this night,
and sixty to fourteen to win, es-
pecially as they planned on a sudden
and complete surprise. Fourteen scalps,
$1,000 in cash fourteen saddle horses,
four mules and an ambulance, with
an outfit of carbines, reVolVers, over
coats, blankets and small stuff-that
was the prize. Its taking would en-
rich the whole tribe and crown every
warrior with a laurel wreath.
At 80 the warriors formed for the
charge-sixty men in single line. The
light, ashy soil Of the ground of the
dead muffied their footsteps and the
darkness hid them from view. The
bark of a wolf was to be the signal TO
rush forward. They would be at
least half way to the ridge before
discovery. AT the flash of the sentinel s
rarbine they would raise their warcry,
lash ahead with new impetus and they
might figure on finding at least half
the white men daZed and confused from
the sudden awakening and therefore
Easy prey for bullet or tomahaWk. AT
quarter OF the signal is given and
the line dasheS away as one man. 1t
Is half way across the field of desola-
uon when d warrior cries out-then
ar nj
tire their carbineS and shout an alarm
The line dashes ahead, but mingled
with Nar-WhoopS are cries of alright
and the line bends and waivers and is
broken. 1t reaches the creek under the
steady fire of the SentinelS-a few war;
riors leap the stream and utter shouts
OF victory. Twenty seconds after the
alarm Is given every sleeper is on his
feet with weapon in hand. Five sec
onds later every man is pulling trig-
ger on the black objects swarming
up the hillside.
1t is strange battle, inasmuch as
Tor every war-whoop there is a
scream or shrek. 1t is over in two
minutes and the Indians are retreat
ing-aN who can walk or linn or
crawl. The war cries cease. but the
strange cries and shrieks ring in our
ears Tor the next 10 minutes. Two
wounded Indians creep up the hill
side into camp and beg to be taken
fitSOilSl =, anu llley look down upon
the ground of the dead" and SILVER
like children who hear a strange sound
IN the darkness. We ask them to ex-
plain, but they cannot.
Morning comes with a mist hanging
over the desolate strip. The sun comes
up TO drive it away, and then the
mystery is solved. There are four
dead warriors between US and the
creek-all killed by our bullets There
are six more dead beyond the other
bank. Half way to the bed of the dry
creek are three more. On the bank
of the stream is a single one, and we
doubt not that under the bank, hidden
from our sight. are yet other corpses
In war-paint and feathers. We stand
and stare and wonder. but only for
moment before finding the solution.
The ground of the dead is swarm-
ing with centipedes and serpent,s.
driven from the plains to the west
by the continued drought They came
before the line of warriors, and they
had slalled their thirst and they We're
lying about in scores to be trodden
on and to turn and use their deadly
stings and fangS.