Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-18

with the Winthrop battalion at his
heels, was coming across country to the
support of Mainwaring, while old Stan
nard, Oh familiar ground, was rounding
M stragglers down the Ska, herding
them back to the agency and eagerly
watching for the coming of the troops
from Rossiter and the big posts away
to the north. Then the Indians would
be hemmed in.
But meantime what damage might
they not do! There were no railways
then savo the few trunk lines, no means,
except by marching, to reach the tabled
Indian lands, and Lo was in his glory.
| Warned of their peril, settlers, herders
and stockmen had taken to flight and
abandoned the lower valley, so the In
dian was riding, proud monarch of all
he surveyed, over the broad waste of the
lowlands, burning, pillaging and rails
ing, as the newspaper men first on the
scene expressed it, mo scalps, but much
hell. " If only good news could be heard
of those tourists all might yet be well.
! But what mad Drained trick could
| have prompted so hazardous a picnic?
The agent at Bruce Springs swore he
had done his best to dissuade them, but
there were three Englishmen who had
never seen elk and were possessed with
longing to stalk and shoot them. They
were lavish with their money. Their
interpreters talked directly to some of
the old chiefs, Thunder Eagle and Roll
ing Bear especially, and the presents
made these warriors caused the Sioux
to clamor for more, but won q lordly
permit from the crafty leaders to go
shoot what they would-the Sioux
wouldn't care--and 80 led them square
ly into rne trap. Ray had found the
debris of one of their camps toward
noon of tho second day Of his daring
march and four hours later as he sped
along their northward winding trail he
came suddenly upon deep cleft among
the hills, away down in whose depths
trickled an ice cold rivulet where the
tourists had drunk their fill, then gone
on up the opposite heights and after
them, swift pursuing, a formidable war
party that had evidently come up this
tributary to the Ska hoping bore to find
and intercept their prey.
Men and horses of Rays troop both
were weary. They drank eagerly, and
some eyes, already haggard, looked APP
pealingly at the set face of their captain.
Forty eight hours had they come with
but scant halt for rest, and there was
hardly man in the party that could
not have slept instantly had he lain
down ON that soft, inviting turf-all,
perhaps, but the indomitable leader and
the tall trooper originally of the center
set of tours, yet so often on this second
day riding side by side with, instead of
following six yards behind, his COM
mander, the place where the orderly is
supposed to be. Scott, the young lieu
tenant, who should perhaps have taken
exception to such favoritism, seemed to
understand and object not at all. Hun
ter was up through here last month
with surveyors escort" was the expla
nation, and, though some men might
have growled the information that 10Th
er fellers were along, too, " no one SEEM
ed to object for the reason that it was
thoroughly known that Hunter made
Typographical notes from day to day and
had them with him now, and it was
these to which Ray so frequently refer
red as they fastened on.
Plainly enough had the captain seen
the symptoms of growing exhaustion on
both his men and mounts-the dark
lines under the deep set eyes, the utter
silence that prevailed along the dusty
little company, the painful stumbling
of the horses and the constant effort
needed to keep closed on the head of col
umn. But he knew his men, and they
knew him. 1t was not the first by many
times they had been called upon to ride
with life or death the stake. Some
where, not three hours ahead probably
was a murderous band of Sioux seeking
to redress undoubted injuries by the
only method the Indian knows-the
blood of the pale faced brothers of those
that had wrought the wrong.
That these tourists had bought the
consent of their chief to hunt camp
and explore through the Indian lands,
that they were innocent of wrongdo-
ing, that they despised the robbers of
the red man as much as the Indian
hated him, had no bearing on the case.
These were white men, rashly intrud-
Ing lar Wltulu INC Drul6 lines ab tlIut
when the Great Spirit, through their
medicine men, had sounded the call tC
battle, and high or low, rich or poor,
English or American, man, woman OF
: child, it made no difference. That fated
party represented just SO many coveted
, scalps, no more and no less, and If In
a dian strategy could compass their cap
a ture alive or their destruction without
the spilling of drop of Indian blood
all the more would their warrior bant
receive the acclamations of tribe tina
worshiped prowess like unto that of thu
prairie wolf or fleet footed fox. Ninety
q strong, led by daring young chic
j, whose father and mother both had dice
when the soldiers of the long hair dash
, ed upon their village some years before
:, they had cut loose from all bands arounC
the Ska and FASTENED in search of tn
. white invaders guaranteed by old Roll
a ing Bear safe conduct not week before
And unerringly their instinct LEI
. them to the lovely park country on tn
. north side of the hills. for there wa
g noble game in profusion. Thither mus
i the lordly whites have gone rich il
!, horses arms, stores and provisions O
- every kind, and for months the Siou
were starving.
1t was the sight of the fresh hoe
e. tlaN ,Att 10