The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-10-08

L
ever seen. Wrapping blankets about
ourselves we crawlcd out among the
Indians. Each OF us had cut off Il
chunk of raw horse meat for food on
the way. and then, with moccasins
made from the tops of our boot and
with the saddle blankets wrapped
around us, we made, as we thought,
fairly representative Indians, at Last
as far rs poverty and filth were con-
cerned. We succeeded in making three
miles the first iyht
Then we hid ourselves in wasEout
in ravinc where the grass had grown
SO tall that it hung over the lodges
We remained there all the next day
listening to the fighting on the island,
and powerless to get the relief we were
after or return 20 our party. That
night we made more tracks toward
Fort Wallace, only to find ourselves
within half Il mile Of the main village
of the Indians on the south fork of the
Republican. We got into swampy
place and hid during the day, knowing
that the Indians would not follow us
into the marsh with their horses The
next morning. W: foIll olrs..tes at
the head of Goose creek on 4 high, roll
ling prairie.
lid IN CARCASSES.
The Indians were 50 thick all
around that We had to hid. in the car
casses of two bufaloes. The beasts
had been killed the winter b. fore, so
that it was an easy matter to crawl
into the shells formed l1y the bleaching
ribs. OF course there WAS more room
on the outside, but it was not half so
desirable. There was just enough hide
on the bones to conceal us. and so we
lay there and waited for night to come
When night came we pulled out, stole
a couple of ponies belonging to the In
dians and reached Fort Wallace the
next morning. As soon rs we told
our story General Sheridan ordered all
available troops to the scene of the
fight In the meantime, however, Gen
eral Forsyth, thinking that we had
fallen into the hands of the Indians,
had sent two other couricrS to Colonel
Carpenters command, and that good
old soldier, without waiting for orders,
struck right out and reached the bat
tlefeld IS hours before the troops from
the fort got there.
That was the hottest fight | was
ever in concluded the old scout, Il
was told aiterward by one of the war
riors in the battle that the Indians lost
l20 men, while nearly twice that num-
Der were wounded. Since | have been
Judge here | have read Il good deal Of
history, but none Of the fights Of the
old Greeks and Romans can stac., up
with that scrimma2e Oh the Arickarec.
When get to thinking of it nowadays
it seems little short Of Il miracle how
those fellows fought for nine days on Il
mcasly little sand bar, half of tLem
wounded, with no rations but putrid
horse flesh, and the insects swarming
over the place, attracted by the blood.
And during those nine days they so Il
Oft thousand of the fiercest fighters
of the frontier. And the pluckicst
man of them all was General Forsyth.
With both legs shattered, skull frac-
tured, and with several minor wounds,
he kept up during those nine awful
days and directed the men. Sharp
Grover told me aiterward that when
Colonel Carpenter came to the rescue
they found the General in his sand pit
pretending to read novel. lie was
carted to Fort Wallace in the ambu-
lance, and it was good many months
before he got out ofbed. have talked
with him many times since about that
fight, and we have agreed that all the
suffering was repaid by the sight of
the charge of Roman Nose and his war
riors. 1t has never been equaled since
in an Indian fight, and it never will b.
-Nr,c Iork Sun.