The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-07-10
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

.
deeds and adventures attri-
buted to him by the dollar annie dime
novelists, but is willing to admit that
he has been in some pretty tightpiaces,
and is duly thankful that he lives to
tell the tale. Clark is in the employ
ment of the F., E. ard M. V. Railway
Company, at Whitewood, and now
ooes about daily routine, utterly de-
void of romantic features, but If prop
erly approached he is not averse to
sssplnning a yarn" about the days
when he was an adventurous boy
scouting for Uncle Sam. He gives the
story of his most thrilling experience
as follows:
"The highest pinch I wss ever IN |
was in the spring of '73, on ride
from Fort Pembina to Fort Stephen
son, away up North. Jimmy from
Cork,'a well known scout OF those
DAYS. had the ride to make, and IN
vited me to 60 along, with the assur-
ance. however, that it would be at the
risk of my scalp.
"It was lovely weather when we
started, and We had a pleasant, un.
eyentful trip to within O couple OF |
DAYS ride of the Missouri. Jimmy
was jolly company, always telling
stories and cracking jokes, like the
happy-go-lucky Irishman he was. He
was not only good company, but he
was a good man to have with you IN q
scrimmage, for, although he was lit.
tie chap, he was strong and wiry and
was totally devoid OF fear.
"One evening, couple of days be-
fore we expected to reach the river,
we had stopped to camp, and had the
horses picketed out and the fire going
for supper, whenJ Jimmy suddenly laid
his ear to the ground, then looked up
and remarked quietly: 1niuns, Dick
Get TIL horse, an be quick, too, IT
we've got e. rode f'r ut!
"We didn't have much of start,
for by the time we got into the saddle
they were within rifle shot of us. As
soon as he was mounted Jimmy, who
was a splendid marksman, drew bead
on the foremost red and got him
and for moonlight shot from the
back of nervous horse l thought 1t
was pretty good. Then we flew, with
the bullets pelting all around us.
sour objective point was place
known to Jimmy as the Dogs Den,
about sixty miles from where the reds
flushed us; and the question was
uppermost all the time, Can we make
it? Well, to make long story short,
we did make it, running right through
another bunch of Sioux to get there,
Just as we began to think ourselves
J safe. Jimmy shot one d'spony, and
|, was hit on the leg himself; but il
wasn't much more than scratch. His
, horse was grazed on the flank by the
. same bullet.
"We were mighty glad to get into
!, the Dogs Den,' which was an ex
eelIent place for defence. 1t was s
little rock strewn terrace, backed III
/, by a perpendicular cliff. The rock
r in front made natural barricade
j There was little grass and spring
of water; and, properly provisioned,'
half dozen or SO of men might hav'
withstood an army there. AS soon a
. we got inside the barricade we dis
: mounted and looked back. The reds
n fhalf hundred or more, were swarm
! ing right after us.
cKin .yez sthand thin off, Dics
ontell Oh get TIL harses out O. soight?
!, asked Jimmy.
> "sYes,' l told him, and Jimmy dis
appeared for q few minutes. The red
:, stopped down near the foot of the hill
:, and took shot at one of them
:. although he was in the shadow. ID
= was hard hit, to Judge from the wa
Il he yelled, and the rest OF them pulle
= out of range.
q Gail day we stood of the crow
Il without much trouble, but when th
70 shadows began to lengthen we got III
:; easy, for we knew we couldn't hol
:, out against so many in the dark. W
70 had done it for the hour or SO befor
: daylight, but we couldn't do 1t a
le night. So, just as the dusk began
- gather, Jimmy told me to go and 81
the horses. 1 saddled them in goo
shape and joined Jimmy, and present.
:. he gave the word, and the way we tie
down tlaG dill WIS WoItu enO PiiSo
s. admission. / didn't see anything di
" tlnctly, but knew that We were goin
20 through a lot of Indians punched t.
Us gether that they were shooting at u
and we at them, and the next thin
to Jimmy and l were side by side skin
OF ming over the level prairie toward ii
source of the jim River.
"For about an hour We rode, wi
n the red rascals none too far benin
and taking an occasional shot at U
until we came suddenly to a lit
stream that flowed toward the b
., Cheyenne. 1t wasn't very wide, b
re the banks were high and almost pc
=, pendicular, so we did not try to Gre
IA the stream, but turned and follow
"a it. From the yells that followed tt
Nm movement we knew that the reds hi
,or seen US, and thought they had
- trapped. Then suddenly half. a doz
little fires sprang up in our rear a
in almost less time than it takes in t
telling these merged into one gre
wall of flame that bounded ACROSS t
nra,ria hehind MS like a race horse.