The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-09-21


prairie.
The sentinels returned and others
took their places. The Indians coiled
themselves in their blankets and were
soon asleep.
Cheney could hear them snoring, and
envied them the soundness of their re-
pose. His legs panied him so he could
not rest. He was hungry and thirsty,
too. He managed to get his lips down
to the water in the sink and drank deep
ly. After a time he dozed, but only to
be startled from his half-slumber by
frightful dreams. The agony of that
night was beyond utterance.
In the morning the Pawnees sent a
couple of scouts to the neighborhood
of the camp of white men. They soon
returned with the information that the
freighters had in some way managed to
pass them and were now securely bar
ricaded behind the wagons.
This was joyful news to Cheney.
They were at least saved from the dan
gers of an ambuscade.
The Indians were greatly displeased
at the information, and at once moved
into a little hollow nearer the camp.
They were now further away from
him, but still in full view, and he could
see the scouts constantly coming and
going, as if the bearers of information.
lie thought they were meditating an
attack, but along in the afternoon they
brought their ponies from their hid
ing-place and, mounting, rode away to
the northward.
Cheney had now been lying in the
buffalo wallow'' for nearly 80 hours.
AS soon as the Indians were out OF
sight, he attempted to crawl from the
sink to the top of the ridge, in the hope
that there he might attract the atten-
ton of his companions. His legs were
so swollen and painful, however, that
he could not do it and he again lay down
in the ''wallow."
H fired his carbine several times,
but the camp was far away, and his
friends failed to hear. Through the
long hours of the afternoon he lay
there, tortured with pain, but more by
the fear that the freighters, thinking
he had been killed or captured, would
move on without making a search for
him.
A hungry coyote crept up to the body
of the buffalo and began to tear it. 1t
was joined by others, and when night
set in a horde of these animals were
fighting and snarling over the carcass.
10 Of
him, and, sneaking up, fixed its glitter
ing eyes on him. He raised his hands
and it SUNK away.
Ordinarily he would have paid no at
tention to these creatures, the most
cowardly of all the animals of the
dition he feared they might, through
the bravery of hunger and force OF
numbers, attack and tear him to pieces.
He was therefore far from being re-
assured when the coyote returned, ac-
companied by others.
They crawled slowly forward, and
soon "a circle of eyes looked greedily
at him over the rim of the sink.
He lifted his carbine and, sighting it
as well as he was able, fired into the
thickest of them. One gave sharp
yelp and fell, and the others disap-
peared as if by magic.
They bothered him no more that
night, though he could hear them oc-
casionally quarreling and fighting over
the buffalo.
He tried to sleep, but the pain of his
hurts and the snarling of the coyotes
kept him awake the greater part of the
time.
When morning dawned he looked
eagerly toward the ridge, in hopes of
seeing his friends approaching. Hour
after hour he watched it, as the ship
wrecked mariner watches the sea, but
nothing rewarded his gaze.
AS the afternoon again waned he
felt certain that the freighters had de-
parted, and despair took possession of
him. Oh, the horrors of his situation!
With parched lips he lay there, star
ing blankly at the blue sky, and pray
ing that death might come speedily
and end his sufferings.
Then he heard shot. 1t was faint
and far off, but it awolle in him new
life. He crawled to the edge of the
sink and looked in the direction from
which it had seemed to come.
A number of horsemen were riding
slowly along in the distance. They
were widely scattered and every now
and then one would fire shot from
his carbine.
He could see the white puffs of smoke,
and, little later, the mufiied reports
would reach him.
He almost forgot his mangled condi-
ton. He grasped his carbine and
crawled out of the sink. Then he fired
again and again and, placing his hat
on his gun, waved it around.
His efforts were successful. The
horsemen changed their course and
came rapidly toward him. Soon he
could see them plainly, and he was wild
with Joy when he became positive it
was party of his friends out in search
of him.