The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-01-20
A GAME OF POKER.

said big westerner who came into an
up town clubhouse the other night with
some friends who had been showing him
the town. Somebody had suggested u
little game of draw as an appropriate
wind up of tho nights diversion.
why, how is that?' exclaimed one
of his friends You used toplay u stiff
game. You haven't sworn of, have
YOU"
IN no, said the westerner, still
serious Il have not sworn Off, but
there is no excitement i'll tho game for
mo now. The last gamo | played WAS
| toe exciting
The thrilling story thereof runs ms
follows
1t WAS "a dozen years ago, when
was tenderfoot, with the usual allow.
ance of freshness and ignorance of from
tier perils. We used TO call il brashness,
and | was certainly brash. | roamed
around the country rather for the better
part of year, with more or less vague
purpose of settling somewhere. hut not
caring much where.
Il WINS well down toward New Mex
leo when there was rumor of Indian
troubles, and heard that company of
United States troops were ON the march
/ toward one Of the principal villages
where the redskins We're particularly
! sullen
Il had been out hunting for week
with Il couple of fellows | had met i'll
one of the towns, when we got the news
from II stranger who came into our camp
late ut night and asked for supper. He
admitted when we questioned him-not
too closely, for inquisitiveness is ut u
large discount ON the plains. but easu-
ally-that lac was IA scout in the govern
ment employ and was on his WAY In join
this company
There likely to bo sGme pretty
warm work, he said when we asked II
little more for if the red devils ARE not
on the warphth now they will be i'll Il
day or two, and you fellows will do "A
smart trick if you turn back.
Turning back however, didn seem
very attractive TO me when there was so
much excitement ahead. | promptly re-.
marked that thought | would 90 on
with the scout and offer my services To
the captain in command. | told you
was pretty brash at tho time, aud had
no knowledge Of military affairs. My
notion was that the captain would be
glad of recruit. or, at least. that ht
would make no objection to my going
with him.
Il noticed that the scout looked at me
a little curiously, but he evidently
thought ii was not his business to edu
cate tenderfeet, and he only grunted.
My two companions were rs fresh as l
was, and we told the scout we would &c
along if he had no objection.
Is u free country, and | reckon
you can travel wherever YOU like, he
said, with grin that | understood bet
ter afterward
I'VE started Lcfoie dawn and had
thirty odd miles to go to strike the trail
where the company wa expected IL
camp that night There were still some
| ten miles to go. when, rs we Were
| ipullulnb II hllliiI Hlli, tH' Fcbut huuh'nly
leapcd from his horse and called to us
to do the same,
"He had seen Indians. and, to cut IL
short. We camped that night III "a place
where the scout said that four men could
hold out for awhile even against the
hundred or so in the party that had sur
rounded us. 1t was certainty, though
| iat n iI oil los. ~ ~
help came, for there was no water to be
! had, and the Indians knew it and made
themselves comfortable just out Of range
of our rifles.
The scout didn I say much for long
time, but we could see that lac WAS
thinking as hard as any Of ms. and we
were all pretty busy at it. There didn t
seem TO be anything to suggest, or at
least there was nothing that could
think Of. excepting to make dash aud
| try to break through
Nobody said anything in reply when
| spoke of that, aud the scout gave me
look Of disgust that made me angry
enough, but shut me up all the same.
! Finally he said
It's just this way: These devils
have caught us and they know it, They
wont make rush, for they know we
will shoot, and an Indian will never
risk being shot if he can get his man
without. We can't fight our way out.
There's too many OF EN-. And we can t
stay here any longer than we can live
without water.
81 asked hiL if the captain wouldn [
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
of US. There's only one thing that see,
and that means certain death for some.
body, reckon. It's certain death for
all Of u.s. though, If something amt
done asked him what il was, and
he said:
If one man can make his way
southeast far enough SO that the noise
Of the firing will reach the company,
the captain will send searching party.
1t all depends ON how far the man gets
before he is killed. If we all ride out,
we viii ali be killed. If one man goes.
the others may stand a chance
We oil looked at one another ID 81
lence for good while. My blood ran
cold at the idea Of riding out alone into
that pack Of fiends but | realized that
our only chance was for somebody to
go, and knew life was as sweet TO the
others as il was to me.
'Instinctively we began first talking
about the way the man who should go
| should maneuver to best advantage be-
fore raising the question 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
O white handkerchief. He was 10 keep
TO the eastward and ride as hard as he
dared toward the Indians. looking
sharply for the weakest point i'll their
line toward his right. He should then