Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-08-29

iOHS aSdiHs oduO do uSiViC. n III LII
he again laid down right across my
doorway.
i reckoned that had got into
tight place. They meant to haveall
my pack-load, and then probably to
split my skull and take my horses.
| thought that, if it was any way
possible, | would like to leave.
II waited till l guessed from the
sounds outside that the big man was
ssleep, and then | softly lifted the
buffalo robe hanging at the lodge
doorway, and stepped silently over
him.
"Well, it's my opinion them chaps
can hear the grass grow. He was up
on his feet in a moment.
Where does my brother go at
this hour of the night?' he said, per-
fectly civil and polite, though.
II said that | wished to take q
walk by the light of the moon. He
said that he would do the same.
"If looks could have knocked that
red skinned gentleman into the state
of Missouri, guess he would have
been there in flash.
''In silence we sat out together.
We never exchanged a word for
about five or six minutes, and then,
as we had nearly arrived at bluff
where some horses were grazing
the spot I had been shaping for all
the time-my friend pulled up short
and said:
My pale-tace brother is going far
from the lodges of his friends. He
must return
"For minute I didn't know what
to do. He was lingering a long, gilt.
tering knife, and looked ugly, though
his speech wss so polite but / had
succeeded in getting long way
from their camp ard I wasn't at all
inclined to give up that advantage
and return to those cut-throats.
took think, and then, just as he
was going to speak again, I stopped,
pretending to pick up something off
the ground, and the next moment
butted my head violently into his
stomach, and rolled him over. In
an instant / had my hands at his
throat, and half choked him. A
single yell would have brought the
whole pack about my ears. Luckily
for me, the suddenness of the at
tack stopped the yell. He was pref
ty helpless from the loss of wind,
and | tied him with part Of the
bride had brought concealed about
me in case should have the good
luck to get away from camp, and
catch horse. To escape on foot was
quite impossible with fifty miles of
prairie between me and my tribe.
After had gagged him with my old
fur cap and strip of rawhide, / ran
to the bluff where the horses were
tethered by picket rope. Then /
picked out the likeliest looking one
| could see, put the bride on him
| didn't wait to see about saddle,
l can tell you'll l jumped on his
back, and-the horse was dead lame
81 slipped off his bride quick as
| could, and put it onto another.
Just as I scrambled On to his back,
/ caught sight Of my prisoner rising
from the ground where / had left
him, and starting off at shamble-
but middling fast shamble it was
for camp. Luckily for me, his arms
were still tied so he couldn't free his
mouth from the gag, but he had
kicked his legs loose, and was off.
If he had been able to yell, my
chance wouldn't have been quite so
rosy, you know.
~ was thankful man, | can tell
you, when / found this second horse
was sound and good mover. The
idea flashed across me when | found
the first one was lame that perhaps
this lot were all in the hospital, SO to
speak, and that / shouldn't be abe
TO find sound one among them A
man mounted on cripple would
have stood a poor chance of saving
bis scalp against horde of redskins
all riding sound horses.
II had got off many a hundred
yards when I heard the first out
burst of furious yelling, and knew
that the camp was up. They don't
waste much time in saddling up and
coming after you when they are
reused, and I sat down on my horse
and rode him through that night fer
all he vas worth. He was a good
bit of stuff, and rare slayer lucki-
ly for me, but for two days after I
got him into camp, be hardly once
got up on to his feet, poor chapl
"A few days after that we struck
our tepees, and in full war-paints
attacked the Pasnees at time they
wasn't expecting Us. We got most
of our own stolen horses back again,