The age-herald., 1897-08-01
Peculiar End Of a PaWnee'S Fight With
 a Sioux.
THE CLIMAX OF A BLOODY BATTLE
After Desperate Conflict Each Found Himself Disgraced and Hurried to
 Drown Himself.

| eAnl dS ile C1T Cf2bneQ Dy a small SldlfU9i 1 far out on the plains. saw the tree.
 Keep that in mind" said my. friend,
 ''and I'll tell you story--dc ends at that 1 tree"
 1 The light train was now swinging around the long curves by the banks of
 a slowly running, river ithe official lighted
 a fresh cigar. put his feet up in a chair and told the story:
 "A band of bad Indians, under the fsro-
 cfous Bear Foot, had been threatening us for three days. The scouts had scarcely
 slept for as many nights, and at dawn of
 the fourth morning trouble commenced. l The Pawnees, who were on picket duty
 under governmeng pay,were as willy as the
 Sioux, who were planning the capture
 of our little station. When the enemy
 had crept up, almos; into our camp, k ep-
 ing under the bank of the niver, they were
 detected by the trained ear of the red
 scouts. The captain in command of the i government forces waE slow to believe
 that the river which ran past she round- house was literally alive with Sioux but
 he knew ihe scout was too sly 10 advise
 an at'tack That was unnecessary.
 If the Sioux were actually creeping up 1 in the darkness. under he bank of the l stream it was easy to guess the object When they were there in sufficient num- bers they would swarm out on us like red ants, before the drowsy soldiers could get to 9neir feet.
 fThe scout and the captain crept close | to the river and lay upon the ground listening for any sound thal, might be made by the crawling Sioux. Occasionally they eould hear a shuffling scufffing md hpr aly1,- plunk' as a pebble rolled down the bank and fell into the water. In a little while -LIe captain had become convinced that there were Indians in the river. How many, he could not tell, but he knew thab Bear Foo. would not come alone.
 1he scouts were now awakened and lined up near the round -hcuse, between the track and the river We had fifty men, mostly Pawnees, and ,hey gore now placed ten feet apart so that VIC covered about 800 feet of the lfvef. The captain passed along the line and ap- | prised the men of the danger. At the | flash of a bullseye lamp in the rCune- house the men were fall down and l crawl up to within ten yards os the stream and lie quiet until dawn. unless l the Sioux came out before that time. | They had not been waiting ten minutes when ruff cf fea .hers shoWsd up along l the bank. In;'ts ntly everyone of the scouts levelled his gun at the Sioux who, unable to see the soldiers. poised upon the bank to listen. The captain knew that l his men had their fingers upon the rig l gers, and the first warning tha Sioux had l was the officers command to fire. Before | the Sioux could gain their feet, or even l drop behind the bank, the scouts blazed 1 away. dozen or mere Indilns rolled down into the river, but Bear Foot knew
 that we had but handful of men, while he had hundreds. The sound Of our rifles ] was stin echcing in the grove down the
 river when the bank bristled again with
 redskins. There was no need for the ca D.
 ta1n to order his men to fire now--the , Eawnes scouts were he. stuff They
 haed ths Sioux as bitterly as it is possi-
 ble for one human being to hate another.
 presuming, of course, that Indians are
 human, and instantly they let go again.
 The hne of heads above the bank seemed ] to waver, but a nom mt later they ra-
 appeared ten times as many as before Ihe captain of The scouts saW at a 1 glance tatl at tha rate they were f,eGv l coming from the riyTr the Sioux would soon outnumber his, force ten to one. The
 scouts at the besir ming had held a d. l cide'd a1v1rtage over the attacking par i ty. ard the officer determined to hold it.
 They didn't fight Indians with mars 1 and charts. and the officers commanding l the scouts f-ars1y ever had The pleaeiira If l overlooking a battla through a feldsllass from the summit of a far-off hill A
 mans head had to work rapidly. and h,s
 hands as well. and sometimes his feet. The Sioux fought close in, as the Ro- 1 mans fought and the conflict was us 1 ually short and decisive
 . Seeing the Sioux determined and des- l perate, the captain ordered his nen to 1 charge and. lesping to their feet. thA | scouts advanced at a run, firing as they | went. Many of the warriors wt.~. swent l back by the charge, but others came un out of the dark river to take the'- l places. Our men rushed rieht unon
 bank of the stream, firing the lead in Q the Sioux as thfy came swarming up from the river
 When tho scouts had emptied tbeir
 rifles and pistols they clubbed their guns.
 Mary of the Sioux were now cstning
 the level ground above the bank where
 the hght was raging. Only the great
 advantage opr men held--being able to engRge the Sioux before they e. uld get
 to their feet or use their guns-gave us
 hope. But. as the enemy grew still more numerous with esch passing mo-
 ment tfle scents realized that the str1lp-
 gle must be short and bloody and they
 fought with the despe tinr of men r,al
 ing last stand at the door of death.
 "Day was dawning rapidly now. and
 the scouts, observing that the strean1 If
 Sioux WAS pouring into the center of our
 line, and thst the extreme right and laft
 had little to do, bs gan to close up They
 had been in so many close fights that ths,
 men seemed. when erce set to svork u
 know just what to do and fhev m9vea
 like dancers whe go fhrouel, the dinerfrt
 figures Of a quadrille without prompt
 ing.
 "A half circle thrown out loo feet from
 the bank of the stream would TOW in-
 clcse the combateHts, so clcse ard de.-
 perate was the fghtine In .litt'e
 while the scouts had f.hrmsd solid line
 along tlie b9 nk. while those rot engaged
 there fought and usually finished the
 Sioux who succeeded in gainsrg the level
 plain. Some were slorghtered and
 others were forced to leap the hank and
 reioin their comi3des. seaing which the
 warriors hurryirg I'D the river becare
 discouraged and bsFen to retreat Bz-
 this time it was SO Night that we cou'd
 see the desperate faefs If the savag-e
 It was a new snd novel sight to ms fer
 ] did rot hel ng st the front. had
 only arrived the day before win train
 load of material and had l,ersua drd inc
 captain, whom ] knew v=ry well. to al- low Ie to ren1aip near him during ths
 evcrci~es, nevev drAar ne that might
 h. called upon to aFht for my 1ife I
 ei' nct w'sh frartirsl Ny irtn the fiercest