Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-22
who must have been lying fiat on the
ground. waiting for such a chance.


ground, waiting for such chance.
Then the fellows, without making q
bit of noise, cut the Iariats of the three
nearest horses and made brides oil
them. Next they laid me, like bag
of corn, across the shoulders of one
horse; horribly ugly, painted Indian
got up behind me and we went off
quiet as so many owls, into the pass,
where it was black as pitch; but, some
how, the Indians found their way with
out ever striking against a single thing.
SIT seemed to me that we hadn't gone
two miles when we came to a lot more
Indians and a big crowd of ponies,
though ] couldn't see them all till after
wards. Then the warrior that was hold
! ing me jerked me off the horse and
grunted out something that seemed to
please the others. Pretty soon they
took their own ponies and our horses
into side gully, and then all of them
climbed up out of sight on both sides OF
| the pass, leaving me tied to a sapling.
81 knew very we'll what they were up
to-they supposed that some of our
party would come right off to look for
me and the horses; then they could
| themselves. But after waiting a couple
of hours, and finding that you folks did
not come, they all gathered in the bot
| tom of the pass again and kindled d
fire of dry sticks. 1t was then 1 saw
how many there were of them, and
thought they were going to torture me
| to death at once"
| ''Well, how many are there, Walt
and how are they armed?' interrupted
! the guide.
| Il counted sc. \ few carry old flint
! lock guns, but most of them have only
| bows and arrows and tomahawks and
| knives, replied the boy, who, continu-
| ing his narrative, said: when the fire
| had burned down to Goals, the Indians
| threw a great many strips of dried
buffalo meat on it, and then gobbled
them up like hungry wolves. They
| held some of the meat to my mouth, but
was too much scared to eat anything;
so, after awhile, they all laid down and
went to sleep. They'd concluded, 1
guess, that none of you men would be
foolish enough to come along before
morning.
well, 1 sat there, with my back
against the tree, and 1 couldn't help
crying when I thought of Hugh and
my brother and all of you, and knew
1 had to die without ever seeing any of
you again. But, after a long time-it
must have been two o'clock in the morn
ing-I got very sleepy, and was just
dropping into a doze, when felt hand
slip over my mouth, and heard Hugh
whispering in my ear: Don't stir,
Walt. Keep quiet, and I'll save you,'
and in quarter of a minute he cut the
deerskin strings that [ was tied with,
and put my own revolver in my hand!
81 could hardly keep from shouting
out with joy, but, knowing that we'd
both be killed if did. never spoke nor
moved Till the numbnesS had gone out
of my legs. Then we crept up the side
of the canyon, into the bushes, and
would have got away without waking
any of the Indians, if one of us, when
we were &C or so yards off, hadn't
stepped on n loose stone and sent it
rolling down the hill, right among them.
In two seconds afterwards a shower
of arrows fell all around us. One of
them cut that big cash in Hugh's knee
and then glanced off.
I'VE were awfully frightened. but
neither of us made mite of noise We
just laid still for more than an hour;
and the Indians, not knowing how long
I'd been gone, and thinking, maybe,
that a bear had rolled the stone, didn't
try to follow us, because it was so dark
among the green bushes that even their
sharp, wicked eyes couldn't have seen
a thing.
''As soon as they'd quit their angry
growing and had gone to sleep again. |
we crawled away. quiet as two snakes. |
but hadn't gone very far when Hugh's |
knee got so sore and stiff that he |
couldn't walk another step. He tried to
coax me to leave him and save myself |
That was the first hard word he has ever |
said to me in his life. knew he didn't |
mean to insult me, though; so I made |
him get on my back, with his arms |
around my neck. and by resting every
little while, we were getting along pref /
ty well when we met you
But. good gracious, Walter, didn't |
you know that you were travelling due
west, right away from our Campo" ex.
claimed Dave Ingram.
''Why, no. said the astonished youth
Il thought we were making straight for
it. How could we meet you folks if we
weren't?"
Easy enough" rejoined the guide;
I'VE made big sweep and came in at
the west end of the pass. so as to take
the redskins in the rear. You boys
must have got completely turned
round somehow
After a short conversation, we de
cided not to attack the savages just
then, but to get the rescued boys &c
camp as soon as possible: for as Ingram
observed, "a knee-wound like that must
be attended to right off,
Therefore, forming n rude litter for
Hugh, and keeping well clear of the
PASS, we kept on our course, reaching
the corral at three in the afternoon anil
finding all we'll
Cur amateur surgeon pronounced the
Young hero's wound very serious one
indeed, as he skillfully dressed it. But
ly being for the next few weeks tender
y nursed by his chum, the boy was able
% be about again before we reached
City.
The stolen horses? Oh. we recovered
hem the day after the events herein re-
ated. but as our manner OF doing so
would not be edifving reading for nv
friends. | will merely state
hat none of that particular band of
Apaches ever attempted to repeat the
IMPLY punished outrage.-N. Y. Ledger,