The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1896-01-08

| no one was quite 1901 enough 10 p0rmIC
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 carry, to repel the first demonstra-
tion of hostile intent. They did not have
to wait long. With blood curdling yell
| Satanic, at the head of his warriors,
charged furiously on the little camp,
thinking, no doubt, they could ride over
it like herd of buffalo tumbling over
bluff. They had very poor concep-
tion, however, of the mettle Of the few
determined men who stood behind that
Gordon of half dozen wagons; men
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 yells-such
yells as only the plains Indians can give
utterance to. Bang, bang! went their
guns. Whiz-z-z! showered the arrows
around the camp, one of which stuck
right through the top of the majors am
bulance, but their efforts were in vain !
They could not make those men waver,
all of whom had passed eventful lives
on the plains and were perfectly at home
to such warlike demonstrations on the
part of "poor Lo"
Now came the moment for them to
act. The major gave the word, and
clearly, as one 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
little party.
It was give and take, the paymaster's
handful of men holding the vicious
horde of Satanic warriors at 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
Cimarron crossing, and requesting aid
Immediately. A company of the famous
Seventh cavalry-Custer's regiment
was ordered out at once, and by forced
march, leaving the garrison at midnight,
arrived at the crossing at o'clock with
out the Indians having the slightest idea
Of their coming. The latter, full of bril-
liant hopes, were just making ready for
one of their daybreak charges, that hour
in which they love we'll 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 fled, 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 am
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 one left to tell the story of their
capture and eventually terrible death
| by the most refined torture. kansas