The herald., 1896-11-11
FREEZE.OUT FOR A LIFE
Poker Game That Spoiled a Plainsmsn's
Taste for Cards
Four Men Surrounded by Indians and
One Must Ride to His Death to
Give the Alarm.

mo, don't play poker any more.
| said big Westerner. who came into an
| uptown club house the other night
with some friends who had been show
| ing him the town. He spoke rather
seriously, although he had been chat
| ting and laughing in loud, breezy way
| until the very moment when somebody
| suggested a little game of draw as an
| appropriate wind-up of the nights di-
| version.
why, how is that?" exclaimed one
of his friends. You used to play a
stiff game. You haven't swon Off,
have you?"
Mo-" said the westerner, still Sc
rious. Il have not sworn off, but there
is no excitement in the game for me
now. The last game l played was too
exciting.
1T was dozen years ago. when was
a tenderfoot, with the usual allowance
of freshness and ignorance of frontier
perils. We used to call it brashness. and
1 was certainly brash. 1 roamed
around the country for the better part
of a year. with a more or less vague
purpose of settling somewhere. but not
caring much where. l had money
enough to start with, whenever l
should find an opening to suit me, but
was not in a hurry, and was enjoying
the freedom and adventurous life of the
plains as only youngster can who is
not Obliged to put up with the hard
ships but looks on them as mere in
cidents.
II was well down toward New Mex
leo when there was rumor of Indian
troubles. and heard that a company of
United States troops We're on the march
toward one of the principal villages,
where the redskins We're particularly
sullen. I had been out hunting for
week with a couple of fellows had met
n of ha hay tIo
news from a stranger who came into
our camp late at night and asked for
supper. He admitted when we ques-
toned him-not too closely, for inquisi-
tiveness is at large discount on the
plains, but casually-that he was a
scout in the government employ and
was on his way to join this company
There's likely to be some pretty
warm work he said, when we asked
little more: for if the red devils are not
on the warpath now, they will be in
day or two. and you fellows will do a
smart trick if you turn back
Turning back, however, didn't seem
very attractive to me when there was
so much excitement ahead. promptly
remarked that l thought I would go on
with the scout and offer my services 10
the captain in command. I told you
was pretty brash at the time. and
had no knowledge of military affairs.
Ny notion was that the captain would
be glad of recruit. or, at least. that he
would make no objection to my going
with him.
Il noticed that the scout looked at ma
little curiously. but he evidently
thought it was not his business to edu-
cate tenderfeet. and he only grunted
MY two companions were as fresh as I
was. and we told the scout we would 70
along. if he had no objections.
IFS free
you can travel wherever you like he
said. with grin that understood better
afterward
We started before dawn. and had
some thirty odd miles to go to strike TIL,
trail where the company was expected
10 camp that night. There We're still
ten miles to go when. as we were round
ing a small hill. the scout suddenly
leaned from his horse and called to us 10
do the same ~
He had seen Indians, and. to cut y
snort we camped that night in a place
where the scout said that four men
couid mold out for awhile, even against
the nundred or so in the party that had
surrounded US. 1t was a certainty
though. that we would all lose our scalp;
unless help came. for there was no water
10 ne mad. and the Indians knew n and
itace themselves comforta BILE tust out
slde or the range of our rifles. The scou.
cldn say much for long time. but we
oou!u see mat he was thinking as hard ms
at IT. There didn't seem to be anythine
10 suggest, or. at least, there was moth
ing that I could think of exceptinp -
make dash and try to break throneh
NOBODY said anything in reply when =
SPOKE Of that, and the scout gave me a
iouh OF dlsgust that made me angry
enough, but smut me up alIthe Same r.;
nally he said: 'Ae SAINT III
It's just this way. These davi,s
nave csueht us. and they know It. They
Won make rush for they know we viii
shoot. and an Indian will never risk be-
lng shot If he can get his man without
We can't fight our way out. There's too
many OF 'em. And we can't stay hero
any longer than we can live without wa
ter
II asked him if the captain wouldn't
make search for him. and he said the
captain didn't know he was coming.
He's on his way south. he said. and the
trail he Is on is ten miles to the east ~
US. There's only one thing that can see,
and that means certain death for some
body. reckon It's certain death for all
of us. though, if something amt done
we asked him what it was. and he said:
If one man can make his way south
east far enough, so that the noise of the
firing will reach the company, the cap
tain will send searching party. 1t all
depends on how far the man gets before
he is killed. If we all ride out we will all
be killed. If one man goes the others
may stand chance
I'VE all looked at one another in ST.
lence for good while. My blood ran
cold at the idea of riding out alone into
that pack of fiends, but l realized that
our only chance was for somebody to 60
and I knew life was as sweet to the
others as it was to me. Instinctively we
began first talking about the way the
man who should go should maneuVer to
best advantage. before raising the ques-
ton who should be the man. 1t took only
few minutes, though. for the scout to
give his advice, which was for one to ride
out waving a white handkerchief He
was to keep to the eastward and ride as
far as he dared toward the Indians, look
ing sharply for the weakest point in
then make dash and ride as hard as
possible until it was all over. firing as
often as he could. Then we had to de-
eide who should go. and / supposed, of
course, that we would draw lots, but one
of the men spoke up unexpectedly:
Whoever goes he said, doesn't
want to start for some hours. The scout
says just before daybreak is the best
time. What is the matter with settling
this thing with poker? We can play
freeze-out, and three games will settle
it. the winner dropping out each time
1.-THE proposition caught me. You
know / used to pride myself on my