The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-12-30
A FRIGHTFUL LEAP

that / was plotting small party
OF Uncle Sans men up to one Of
the new forts on the upper Brazos-
j believe they called it Fort Belknap
or some such name. The soldiers
were precious set of greenhorns-
new recruits, ! should think.
"Well, these fellows were under
the command Of white skinned,
girlish looking young chap, fresh
from West Point But young and
green as he was the lieutenant was
3 gentleman and ct heart as good
fellow as ever lived.
1"The party was mounted on such
nags as the quartermaster could pur-
chase for them in a hurry, for
though they were infantry the jour
ney before them was too long to be
undertaken afoot over the grassy
prairie.
sI'd been down in San Antonio
about three weeks, and when the
auartermaster engaged me to pilot
the soldiers Strawberry had had the
quiet range of The prairie all that
time, and when we took the trail he
was in prime order.
"The more I got acquainted with,
the lieutenant the better I liked
him. But the fellows he had along
with him were of no account, and I
knew if the Comanches or Kiowas
should cross our trail they couldn't
be depended on.
owe had reached the fooa Of the
Black Hills, where the country is
badly cut up with deep barrancas,
crossing each other in every direc-
tion, and, having had a hard days
travel, l proposed an early camp.
While looking for suitable spot +
discovered fresh horse tracks aud
knew that large party Of Indians
were in the vicinity. I informed
the lieutenant Of my discovery and
advised him to secrete his men as
soon as possible, for as yet I was
convinced our approach had not
been detected.
= "But as soon as the men heard
the word Indians they set up such
O. hurrah that you'd have thought
them the bravest chaps in the
world, and it was not long before T
KNEW that the Indians had discover
led 1ls. for we could hear them calling
to each other in the bottom of one
of the deep gullies, and presently
score or two showed their heads
above the edge of the bank and, let
ting fly q volley, lodged out of sight
Z again.
Il was for getting out OF the prai-
Tie as soon as possible and reaching
q spot ameng the rocks at the COM.
mencement Of the rising ground,
where we could receive them at
better advantage, but the lieutenant
twas SO greedy for a fight that he
wouldn't listen to me moment and
n gave orders for his men to dismount
O and form In regular line and await
&the attack. M :5
"But scarcely had some of them
; Iobeyed the order than we heard
yell, and the next moment the prai-
Tie was covered with host Of
mounted Kiowas that came pouring
lout OF q barranca and charged right
down upon US. The soldiers who had
mot obeyed the order, trusting more
ITO their horses heels than to their
Erifes, put spurs to their broken
down nags and attempted to escape.
But they might.as well have essayed
. to fly from the swift tornado as to,
get beyond the reach a4 s those Wild Wild
riders. a part of the Whooping saw
ages made dash for the cowardly
fools and soon had their scalps,
while the rest, ranging past us with.
a headlong gallop and lying over
81 upon the farther side Of tho fiery
little mustangs, sent a volley into
our ranks, And now, taking my adj.
vice, the lieutenant ordered his. fell
acws to remount and in close order
make an effort to gain the rocks.
b: But two Of .:as men were past
& mounting, and we had to leave them.
ssW e had ABOUT half "a mile toSt s.
Ito get among; the nearest roc. l.s, Dut
to- do so we had to run the gantlet.
IS OF the Indians, who kept mp d hot.
discharge which made desperate
work in our little ranks. We SPUR
red through the savages, who at
tempted to cut ir ahead OF us, and,
with our sabers and TeFolyers kept:
the track clear till we had reached
the rocks. 2 SSi$3il 3I$ss
Taying gained The spot, hoWey.
er, VIZ found, to our chagrin, that
our situation was but little I'M I'M.
proved sfor the reckless and undisl5
ciplined men lin their eagerness to-
escape had thrown away their mus:
lkets and were nov, with the excep-
S.; ton oa their sal bers, entirely unarmss
ed. But the ieutenant and myself;
besides our reTolyerss had each d