Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-07-17

aAANht AANNrAhS lNNk uNAoit hhlks
Going into camp at the usual spot,
the wagons and ambulances were cor
rallied, and every preparation made for
the anticipated charge Of tho Indians.
The venturesome little outfit was we'll
armed, the majority Of its members
with that most effective weapon, the
Martini Henry rife, and felt themselves
equal to the offer Of battle, though It
came from even a hundred times their
number of dirty sava6es.
Immediately after tho camp had been
established and all was in readiness to
give Satanta and his innumerable scalp
hunters a warm reception, n couple Of
scouts wero sent out to mako n recon-
noissance Of the condition of affairs in
font. They returned in about an hour,
having successfully made their way to
within a few hundred yards of the gath
ering eavages. They discovered them
concentrated in tho sand hills ON the
south sido of the Arkansas, numbering
moro than 1000 warriors, according to
their best judgment, and were evidently
aware of the proximity of the paymast-:
and his escort, for they, as the cavalry
man had before reported, were going
through their savage tactics usually
preparatory to an attack.
Major Smith gave positive orders for
10 one to fire ashot at tho Indians until
they committed the overt act by COM
menciug the attack. One Of tho ridicu-
lous provisions Of tho so called "peace
policy" i%naugurated at Washington by
the humanitarians in congress was that
no officer or enlisted man of the regular
army, under any circumstances, was to
shoot at an Indian unless the savage
himself commenced hostilities, under
tho penalty Of punishment by court
martial. 1t is safe to presume, however,
that tho order was better observed in
the breach than in its performance, for
no Il was quite fool enough to permit
an Indian to get the drop on him, not
on the plains or in the mountains at
least.
All stood ready, however. with rifles
at a carry, to repel the first domonstra-
ticn of hostile intent. They did not have
70 wait long. With a blood curdling yell
Satanta, at the head Of his warriors,
charged f~uliously on the little camp,
thinking, no doubt, they could ride over
it like a herd Of buffalo tumbling over
a bluff. They had a very poor concep-
ton, however, of the mettle of the few
determined men who stood behind that
Gordon Of half a dozen wagons; mcn
who were familiar with all their devil
ish tactics, who had encountered the no
BILE savage more than once on his own
heath.
Down they came, riding like the tor
nado, making the usually quiet spot re-
sound with their unearthly yolls-such
yells as only the plains Indians can give
utterance to. Bang, bangl went their
guns, Whiz-z-zl showered the arrows
around the camp, Il of which stuck
right through the top Of the majors am
bulance, but their efforts were in vain
They could not make those men waiver,
all of whom had passed eventful lives
on the plains and were perfectly at home
to such warlike demonstrations on tho
part of "poor Lo."
Now came the moment for them to
act. The major gave the word, and
clearly, as Il discharge, rang out on the
evening air the repeating rifles of the
besieged. So effective was the result
that the savages, as quickly as they ever
did in their whole lives, threw them
selves on the off side of their ponies and
scattered mighty lively for the friendly
shelter of the ''sand dunes" out of the
reach Of the unerring balls from the
magnificent weapons Of the victorious
little party.
1t was give and take, the p~aymaster's
handful of men holding the vicious
horde Of Satanta's warriors ut bay, after
repeated charges, until the next morn
ing. During the night Major Smith had
dispatched one Of his trusty scouts to
Fort Dodge to inform the commander Of
that post of the situation Of affairs at
Cimarron crossing, and requesting cid
Immediately. A company Of the famous
Seventh cavalry-Custer's regiment
was ordered out at once, and by q forced
march, leaving the garrison at midnight,
arrived at the crossing at 4 O'Clock with
out the Indians having the slightest idea
Of their coming. The latter, full of brill
liant hopes, were just making ready for
II of their daybreak charges, that hour
in which they love well to commit their
devilish deeds. But as they were in the
act of crawling stealthily toward the
watchful little camp some of their run
ners'' saw the cavalry approaching, and
the whole band of savages fed, afraid
to attack the boys whose flashing sabers
had done such effective work among
them on more than one occasion. So the
besieged party were relieved from their
embarrassing situation.
There is no doubt that If it had not
been for the opportune arrival of the
troops the paymaster and his escort, to-
gether with his "'strong box, would
have fallen a prey to such an over
whelming force of savages; their I'M
munition would have shortly become
exhausted. The Indians would have con-
tinued to annoy them, and they would
have been obliged to succumb, perhaps
not n left to tell the story of their
capture and eventually terrible death
by the most refIIed torture. kansas
City Times.