The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-07-19
sponsibility ! felt, with those poor help
less creatures on my hands, was simply

/
band of Indians not more than an eighth
Of mile away. They did not number
more than seven, but were armed and in
full war dress and were heading straight
for the hill. Dropping on all tours, ran
as fast as l could for the mouth Of the
cavern and, scrambling down, soon had
the women and children crouched up in
the far end of the larger division, where
no shots fired into the smaller could reach
them, though l hoped the Indians would
either pass by altogether or fail to find us
if they halted. Silence then was an absO-
lutte necessity, and the women impressed
this on the children. l then went back and
| by clingng to one of the bushes swinging
| across the entrance to the cave peered out
| to see what the redskins meant to do. |
| could see they had struck our trail and
! suspected we were somewhere about, for
they dismounted and, scattering, began to
| search the woods.
| "As they drew near our hiding place !
dropped down into 1t and cooked the guns
the women had brought and my own
trusty rifle. l suppose my frequent 60
ings in and comings out had left some
trace, for they seemed to notice the en-
trance at once, and presently | saw a
head peering over. The dim light of the
cave might have prevented the owne
from seeing me, but, as i'll luck would
have it. the infant child spoke Of walled
out just at this particular moment. The
cry was stifed in an instant, but 1t had
| been heard, and the head craned over fur
Their, while another and another popped
over. was crouching down as close as
could, but hearing the click of a trigger
! / knew concealment was no longer posi-
BILE and blased away. Two screams told
me a couple Of heads had been hit, and
the third disappeared. I heard a voice
shouting for the others to come up and
could distinguish the tones of colloQuy
being held, though without hearing what
was said.
| Presently a lighted torch was flung
into the cave, but had retreated into the
farther one, and, nothing being visible.
the Indians were nonplused, and l heard
one cry out that there was nothing there.
Another retorted angrily that some one
had killed Blue Water and Leaping Tur-
tie. This was followed by a patter Of
shots on the floor of the cave, one Of
which, rebounding, struck one of the chill
dren on the breast but, though the bullet
imbedded itself in his skin, the plucky
little fellow did not utter a sound. As
their firing still produced no effect, the
Indians did not know how to account for
matters, and presently one Of them was
imprudent enough to stick his head over
the edge. but I made no move. and they
| held another council. 1t was evident that
| they feared to enter the cave, not know
ing how many lay concealed within it,
and at last they hit on the very plan |
had been dreading.
"a lighted torch was thrown over. and
a quantity Of leaves and moss was pushed
after It, but their amiable intention Of
smoking us out failed, owing to the damp
ness of the leaves and moss and my hav-
| ing deluged the earthen floor of the cave
with all the water we had on hand. See
ing this fail, they summoned up courage
to enter the cavern, and as we saw the
| FIVE forms leap into our hiding place we
| opened fire on them. killed my man in
stanty. and so did Mrs. Ridley, who i'm
| mediately let a dusky devil who, scream
ing, rushed upon her have the full con-
tents of the other barrel in his breast.
The other woman missed her aim and
the next moment was in the grasp Of one
Of the Indians, but before l could come
to her rescue her son, a boy of II, had
flung his arms around the redskins neck
and. hanging on his back, kept him from
striking. when the woman. picking ND a
tomabswk struck him tremendous blow
on the forehead He dropped like a log.
crushing tho how beneath him The re-
naming indian seeing his comnanions
fall made = hreak for the entrance and
was inst climbing ont whom 7 caught him
| and firing brought him down with a bro-
Ion arro and hall in his side
"Seeinp him heInless and thinking him
| DIVING 7 did NOT shoot again hut went
h.ct N tho women whom 7 found sbriak.
inc ,,itb oxo;tonont ou;atad them and
nnnorotrI.ted them on their courogr
rhicb bowever was entirely como =.
son, as tha coll tor II vos nver 7 ro,,aI
tbo Ind;an off tha how Who wos consider.
obIv br,iSod nv tho weight of the dead