Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-05-30
wounded, and. everyone. Of the hys
dead Mad been shot either in the upper
hranst Or head


said, the Crees had their gins already
in position aid fred before we could
take. aim. Then the smoke got 80
thick we couldn'tsee them, and we had
to guess where to shoot. But they
could see us, for they were below the
smoke, and my men kept falling one
after another until five were down. ]
saw we had no show then and called
out TO retreat. We just couldn't stay
there any longer.
'Tt was now not far from siindoWn,
aud everyone not caring for tho
wounded or mourning for the dead
went to wor to gather wood from the
thin belt of timber bordering the
stream, with which to keep MP Watch
fires through the night: AS soon as
DARKNESS came they blazed brightly
all around the pits, except i'll one
place, perhaps hundred yards wide.
When Little Bow, the Cree chief, saw
that, he told me afterward, he ca lied
out to his men not to attempt to escape
through the dark place. 1T is only a
decoy for US, he said. Many warriors
are lying there, and anyone who at.
tempts to pass will be killed.
"Two young fellows brothers;
thought that they khew as much as the
chief did, and sometime after midnight
they stole away and crawled toward
the place where there were no fires. A
little later some shots rang out in the
still air, there were. one of two shrieks
of agony, aud tie Black!eet had two
fresh aid bleeding scalps.
"Farly the next morning Grow
Wing approached the pits near enough
to be heard and called out: If any
one of YOU can speak Blackfoot let
him stand up. No shot will be fired
"Little Bow stood up and asked in
fair Blackfoot what was wanted. In
earlier days both tribes had been on
friendly terms and learned little OF
each others language. j,
q How many men have you?' asked
Crow Wing.
"'There were % of us; II remain,
replied Little Bow. /;
I" will you come out and fight II
of u.s.
water, plenty of cartridges, and will
fight from where we are to the end.
All right, said Grow Wing, turn
ing on his heels. AL right, 1 thought
YOU were towards. I don't think we'll
fight you any more where you are.
Well just starve you out and finish
you up on the open plain. Well just
stay here and starre you to death in
your holes or you will COME uut and
fight like men.
'.The old fellow meant what lie said,
but the younger and hotter heads of
the camp would not agree to it. They
insisted on making one more charge
and said that this time there should
be NO retreat; that they would stay at
the pits until the last Cree was killed.
The. chief had to give in, although all
the old men, and too, took his part,
AMI since Sas scharge.wast to- be made, of
course he had to lead it or lose his
rank. They started; this time on foot,
and sounding no war cry. AS usual
no shot came from the pits until they
were right on them, and then the
cracking of rifles was as rapid from
both sides as the explosion of bunch
of irecrackers. Again the smoke hid
them from our sight for q moment or
two, and again the Blackfeet turned
and ran back, with three dead this
time and seven more or less seriously
wounded. If the camp was in mourn
ing before, it was now a solid commu-
nifty of weeping and wai!iug children
aud women. The dead were taken
away up the stream for burial by their
sorrowing mothers aud wives; the
medicine men were buster than ever
with the wounded. A few men kept
watch on the pits, and the rest of us
went out on the plain beyond the
sound of the mourners' doleful cries.
'"There we stayed all day. The
fight, the fearful loss, was talked over
again aud again. With the old men
argued that enough blood had been
shed and that the surviving Crees
should be allowed to go in peace. We
carried the question, and about noon
Grow Wing again approached the pits.
After assuring the Cree chief that he
came alone, and that no shot would be
fired, he asked how many men he had
left.
'Alasr Little Bow replied, 'only
eight of us now survive; but still we
have plenty of water, plenty of car
tridges.
'You will not need tue cartridges,
said the Blackfoot. Already toe
many of my warriors have been killed,
and we have decided to fight you nc
more. You may so when you will.
'"True to the chiefs word no fires
were built that night, and no one
watched to waylay the enemy. A
guard only was placed about the CAMP
and horse herd to prevent surprise.
In the morning we approached the
pits; step by step we walked up to
them, our guns ready to be used il
necessary. There were % of them,
and in all but four we found dead
Indian. Two of the party, it will be
remem bered, had been killed out ou
the plain the night before; their chief,
then, had boldly lied when he told
Crow Wing that eight survived, for
only lie and another left the place
alive. New York Sun.