The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-05


ed at the river crossing for us, and hac
decamped unseen, on finding how strong
We really were, Icannot say. There may
have been quarrel between two or more
members of the same tribe, thocgh In
that case j should have expected 20 find
dead Indian instead of a wounded one
My own opinion is that the brave wa,
alone, that be was ignorant OF our proxi'
nifty, that his pony stumbled and threw
him. / must own that the men who hac
spent years in the West would never ad
NIT the possibility OF my theory being
the correct one; 1t Is true, too, that
don't see how his pony ever got him off.
But. since no one knows the reason,
suppose a simple statement of facts will
have TO suffice. And these are the facts
Hall an hour after we went INTO camp,
one afternoon, found the wounded crea-
ture- He was lying fiat on his back, so
near the river that his feet touched the
water. The place was about an eighth OF
mile below the place where we were en-
camped. He was unconscious, with an
ugly wound in his head that had ovi-
IDENTIFY been caused by a sharp stone
against which he had fallen. A slight
examination served to show that his
right arm and his loft leg were broken.
His pony was feeding near; indeed,
found bis pony some minutes before !
discovered him. and was getting rather
the pony's owner, and wondering
whether he mightn't rise out OF some
ridiculously small thicket, or from be-
hind some preposterously diIlinutive
stone, and quietly shoot and speedily
scalp mc-when first got sight OF him
in his quiesceDt and harmless condition.
The revulslon OF feeling, when j once
made up my mind that there was no
reason why shouldn't get back to camp
again walking safely over those forty
odd rods tnat in my fear for an unseen
lurking foe, had seemed outstretched al
most 10 inhnlty, was SO great that l
had TO . down few minutes to get
myself composed agin. BE sure never
told 1.-THE boys" what my feelings had
been. But, even now, with more years
between me and the memory OF those old
time days than i like 10 think OF, / some
times wake at night with the feeling in
my mind that had been there from the
time found the silent pony but always
wake from such roubled dream with
out having found the redskin himselfl
The savage had no weapons, and search
In the vicinity of the place where he was
discovered resulted in the find OF none.
That seemed strange-very strange. But
there wasn't hurt about HIM that |
could believe due to purposely exercised
human agency, and the fact that he still
possessed his scalp was sufficient evidence
that no foes OF his own kind had had
sught to do against him-or that they
had been compelled to leave the vicinity in
q hurry The face was hideously painted.
IL would have been repulsive enough, 1
doubt NOT, nder any circumstances.
Seen under these conditions and at that
hour-between day ana dark-it was
doubly so. Besides, have an idea that
death or the unconsciousness that follows
accident, will serve TO bring the nature
OF the unfortunate to the surface-writing
ha hall
countenance. / have seen strength, hon.
or, beauty-deadl Ana I've seen that
lost red mani Not enough cases. per-
haps, TO prove much. But have my own
theory all the samel
A shot from my rife brought a half
dozen men from the camp and still that
senseless form never stirred. How his
soul would have rebelled could il have
known.
Among the half dozen who came. hur-
ryiDg, were at least two who had spent
tne greater part OF their lives upon the
pains. They had no great admiration for
the Indian character, and one OF them
rather petulantly asked why 1 had vast
ed my ANN munition2-w had fired i'm.
70 The air instead OF into the Indian. I
nao hard time 10 secure my own way.
But prevailed at last. We took the poor
wretch into camp. ] set his broken bones.
4 bound up the wound I'm his head. /
nursed him back TO health again.
The man-shali offend any prejudice.
sntagonize any judgment, by so designst, |
Ing himf-wss young. should not call
him over Twenty-Five at the ouside. He |
had no BAD habits in his past TO draw |
him down and drag against him-that is
ne had none that his race did not have |
before the white man came. He recov- |
cred rapidly az any healthy animal Will |
do n given @ fair chance.
The man-patiept or priso guest or |.