Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-04-05

V1Ss .sr5>r out within an hour
to escort aad convey the colonel's
wife down to the raliroad. This was
trip of forty miles. For the first
ten miles it was over level plain,
then the trail ran through the scrub,
along the foothills, over five miles OF
desert, around the south base OF the
mountain and straight down to the
railroad. 1t was IL hard, ron9h trail.
1t took the army wagons from three to
four days to make the forty miles.
We could make il in two ii allowed to
pursue our way in peace. 1t was
queer enough that the colonel should
come down to us in person rs we stood
beside our saddle horses, knowing
nothing OF where we were to go or the
object of the trip, but stranger yet
that all "military etiquette" should go
out of his voice and demeanor us he
said:
"Men, arn going to send my wife
down to the railroad to go East. You
are TO be her escort. 1t is a case of
life or death, or she would not go. 1
am afraid OF the Indians and vet |
think you will get through all right.
You are to make the best time possi-
BILE. If attacked"
"We shall beat them off, sir, re =
piled Sergeant Gregg, alter waiting
half minute for the colonel to finish.
"I hope you can. l can only send
the seven of you and driver. Eight
men ought to beat off hundred lndi-
ans, unless taken in ambush. Be
watchful and prudent. Sergeant, you
are an OLD Indian fighter. You will
know best what to Go. You will get
away by O'Clock. Travel as last rs
you can and as late rs you can, SO MS
to finish the journey tomorrow. Ii
you are attacked"
The colonel did not finish. He
looked at each man and horse, in
spected the ambulance and its pair of
mules, and with half nod to us be
walked away. His wife must so, and,
owing to details and sickness, no com
missioned officer could be sent along.
If the Indians were out an escort oi
twenty men would rot be too large.
|
finished his sentence he would have
SAID:
"If attacked and you are about to
fall into the hands of the red devils dc
not let my wife be captured alive"
We understood what he meant,
though we said nothing to each other
No matter what he or anyone else
| I,n al ..I
merry as she took her seat in the am
bulance for the start. She trusted u:
| to the fullest extent, and that feeling
made every man worth three. ON
horses were in fine fettle, and the tirs
ten miles were covered in gallon
Then the way became SO rough tha
we could only proceed at n walk. w,
wound through the scrubby cedars anC
pines to the crest of a low mountain
and then descended into Little Vale,
at just 5 o'clock. A dash across thu
valley to the base of Blue Mountain
would put us in camp for the night
We had progressed famously well, an,
had not yet sighted an Indian. THREE
different times we had to bridg
chasms which mountain torrents haC
cut ont within weeF, and twice W
had to drag trees and logs out of tn
path before we could go on.
Nothing had happened when W
reached the valley, and as we locke,
around us and across it nothing coul
be seen to alarm. We had just take
the ropes off the blocked wheels of tn
ambulance when the warwhoop of tn
hostile Indians sounded behind us
and we looked back over our trail t
catch sight OF hundred mounte