Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-07-20

brought down half a dozen at every
round, They set fire to the dry prai'
RE grass To the windwari OF the
thlCket; the flames fared high and
burned all the grass as far as the
creek; but there they bore away to
the right and to the left, leaving
clear space Of five acres around tho
camp. Under cover of the smoke the
hostiles carried away their dead;
while the Texans scrapel away the
dry grass and leaves from their
wounded comrades. and piled rocks
ANA bushes to make a tiimsy breast
work
The Indians re.occuplel the trees
and rocks in the prairie and renewed
their firing Suddenly the wind shift
ei to the north and blew hard. The
red men were quick to see the ai.
vantage and seize the chance, One
Of their braves crawled down the
creek and set fire to the high grass
Robert Armstrong killed him-tOo
late. Down came the flames, 10 feet
high, straight for the camp The
shouts AMI yells of the Indians rent
the air, ami they fired % shots in
minute.
Behind the screen of smoke the
Texans held a council of war. II the
Indians should charge them under
cover of the fire they could deliver
but one effectual round. Even then
the span ks were flying SO thickly that
no man could open his powIer-horn
but ut the risk Of being blown up.
Bowie's men determined II the In
dams charged ito deliver that one
round, stand back to back. draw our
knives, and fight as long as one was
left alive" On the other hand, should
the Indians not charge, AMI should the
Texans still stand their ground. they
might be burned alive. In that case
each man would take care Of himself
as well as he could until the fire
reached the ring of cleared ground
around the wounded men ana the bag
gage; then they would smother it
with buffalo-robes, bearskins. deer.
skins. ami blankets. And this they
did, lie hosties not charging
BY tAis time the fire had left so
little Of the thicket that the small
group of fighters took refuge in the
ring they had made around the wound.
Cd and the baggage, and begun rails.
ing their br,astwork higher with loose
rocks and with earth that they dug
with their knives. The Indians had
succee ded in removing their killed
and wounded under cover Of the
smoke. Night was approaching, AMI
they had been fighting since sunrise.
The Indians. seeing that the Texans
were still alive and dangerous. drew
off and encampea for the night with
their dead and wounded. BY 10 O'Clock
The BOwies has raised their clumsy
rampant brtalt high; the men lilleL
their vessels and skins with water
ana waited for the attack which they
supposed the morning would bring.
All night they heard the red men wall
ing over their dead; and at daylight
they shot mortally wounded chief.
as the customs Of the tribes pre-.
with their dead and wounded to a
mountain about a mile away. where
cave served them for shelter and
for tomb. At 8 o'clock two of the
Texans ventured out from the little
fort. and made their way to the en-
campment where the Indians had
lain the night before. and there they
counted AZ bloody spots on the grass
where their braves had fallen before
Texan rifles. Finding ourselves much
cut up" wrote the Bowies, having
one man killed and three wounded.
five horses killed and three wounded,
we resumed the strengthening of our
little fort. ana worked until | p. M.
when 10 Indians appeared. but re-
tired again as soon as they discovered
that we were still there, well fortified
and ready for action" The Texans
held their ground eight days, AMI then |
retraCed their march to San Antonio, |
where they arrived safely with their
wounded and their horses in IL days. !
Nine men and two boys and killed so |
Indians and routed fighting force of |
1874.
1t was proper to the CHASTITY fitness
CT things" that the man who directed
this wonderful fight and was the
heart AMI eye and arm behind every |
rife and every knife, should 60 to !
meet his death with Crockett and Ira
Wis in the Alamo. When. on March !
3, Travis drew a line with his sword ,
across the adobe floor, and called on
all those of that desperate little gar
rison who would stay with him to the
death to come over that line to him,
Crockett sprang across merrily. way
ing his cap. and every man of those
about to die followed him. saluting:
tie morturi salutamus." James |
Bowie, fast bound in raging fever
tossing and muttering on his cot lin
the little north room of the Alamo" |
he ard the call, and cried for two Of
his comrades to lift the cot and carry
him over that line. 1t was done. and
then they bore him back again to the
little room to die
II IS Madame Candelaria. the Mexi-
can woman VINO nurSei MN there,
and who alone of all that Spartan
band survived. who tells the story
ut is not true she says, that Col
onel Bowie was Drained with an AK
He lied in wild delirium in the height
Of the awful carnage. several hours
before the Mexican horde burst into
the Alamo. .. They broke in the
door where ! watched with Colonel
Bowie. | cried out, in Spanish. that
| was Mexican woman. and that I
had nursed 4 man who had Just died.
One knocked me down. and another
stabbed me in the cheek with bay
onct. Here IS the scar. :. . Colonel
Bowie's cold BODY was dragged from
the cot-lraggel down the stairs by
the bowling mob Of soldiers. and
4 brown IA Of b1pp.linQ