Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-08

gave light that night. The trail began
to grow warm in literal sense shortly
after the middle of the following day,
when We came upon the embers of
their campfire of the previous night.
By this time we were near the Dry
Frio, which at that time was nothing
more than dry bed of creek. The
country is very rough and the Indians
were following the valley of the dry
stream northward, their destination
apparently being the Panhandle coun-
try, where their tribe held forth at that
time. We had observed heavy, black
clouds hanging over the mountains to
the north of us and banked up against
the horizon, and as we cautiously pur-
sued the rascally band we thought
that heavy shower of rain was prob
able.
"It was probably o'clock in the
afternoon when we suddenly lost the
trail of the Indians; it had been effac-
ed as completely as though the coun.
try there had never been travelled by
human being or animal Of any kind.
The place the trail was lost was at the
opening of a deep gorge which entered
the narrow valley of the Dry Frio.
We instantly knew that the Indians
had discovered us and that they had
scattered, efectually effacing their
trail. We also knew that the Indians
would attempt to ambush US and the
chance of their success was very great.
1 kept the little party close together
and we made careful detour up the
main course of the Dry Frio for mile
or more without discovering any evi.
dence that the Indians had passed that
way. I then suggested that we get
out of the valley and make short cut
to the arroyo or gorge that intersected
the main channel of the Dry Frio
with view of ascertaining whether
the band had passed up that way. The
country was almost level above the
gorges which led into the Dry Frio,
and on the elevation we had a COM
manding view of the surrounding
country for many miles, except in the
channels of the waterless streams.
ave had reached the bank of the
deep gorge up which we believed the
Indians had gone when sudden, loud
roar attracted our attention. Looking
up the gorge we saw a great wall of
water coming down the narrow chan
mel, filling it to height of probably 40
feet. We were, thanks to Providence,
out of reach of the terrible food which
swept along below us, roaring like
some huge monster. On the opposite
side of the gorge, about so yards from
where we were sitting on our horses,
as the food swept by, was a long,
shelving rock which overhung the
channel below. This rock was located
about 25 feet from the bed of the gorge
and was several hundred feet long.
As the wall of water passed US we
heard the unearthly yells of Indians,
and looking across the seething barrier
of water we saw it sweep the shelving
rock and take into its depth the wrig-
Cling bodies of all the members of the
Comanche band whom we had been
following. The bodies of these were
scattered along the country through
which the Dry Frio passed all the way
down to the Nueces. don't think
single member of the band escaped.
You see, they had staked their horses
in barranca, two miles above, and
had gathered on this shelving rock for
the purpose Of ambushing US as we
passed either up or down the bed of
the gulch in search of their trail. We
would have been in the gulch and un-
doubtedly every man of us would have
been killed in another Is minutes, but
for the timely arrival of the food"