Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
Indian Strategy.


ed Mt Fort -, in what is now Arizona,
had pet bear they called Uncas. IN
cas- was as tractable as a Newfound-
land dog, moving freely about the post
usually spending his time either beg
ging the cook for something to eat or
sleeping in the sunshine in winter and
the shade in summer. One day Uncas
strayed away from the post and did
not return.
Then came news that the neighbOr-
ing Indians had left their reservations,
and Uncas was forgotten in the pre-
vailing excitement. In those days many
of the forts in the wild west We're little
better than blOckhOuses, and Fort -
was one of this kind. As soon as the
Indians were known to have broken
loose. the gates were kept closed and
the usual precautions i'll time of hos
tilities were observed
One day an order came for the com
mand to march against the Indians.
The garrison, including the families of
the officers, was left in charge of ser
geant and eight men. Sergeant Winter
was one of those better born and edu-
Gated young men who in those days
rarely entered the ranks of the army.
AS soon as the command left he shut
the gates of the fort and directed them
TO be kept shut.
The second night after their depar-
ture a sentinel was shot No one heard
a report but this was not considered
remarkable, for but one sentry was on
post and he could not see for Il great
distance, first, because all the trees
near by had been felled and, second,
because the moon was approaching the
full i'll a clear sky.
Sergeant Winter kept the soldiers
death from the women, for it indicated
that Indians Were planning an attack,
and he did not wish to create an alarm.
The next night he watched with the
sentry, who was relieved every two
hours Winter toward morning went
into quarters for few minutes to get
Il cup of coffee, and when he returned
the sentry was lying on his back with
a bullet in his brain.
Winter resolved TO sit up and watch
the next night himself. He slept sew
eral hours during the day. directing
the men to make Il sentry of straw and
while the moon was Obscured by
cloud, the dummy sentinel was set up.
Then the sergeant posted a real SEN
tinel in concealment, and after arrang
ing signal for his admission he crawl
ed out some distance from the fort and
took position behind Il stump. He
chose Il point before the gate because
there was evidence that the sentries
had been shot from that direction.
Winter waited till after midnight
without experiencing anything unusu-
al. Then lie saw something approach
ing When it came near enough for
him TO see it plainly, he discovered that
it was bear. 1t was waddling along,
occasionally pausing to nibble, but
gradually working nearer. The beast
passed within hundred feet of the
sergeant, who then recognized the gar
rison's pet, Uncas. He watched it 81
lently, not daring to make sound for
fear of a hidden enemy, and saw it
draw closer to the fort than he was
himself.
Winter made up his mind that the
willy Indians had sent Uncas in, expect
ing the garrison to open the gates for
him and they would be ready to make
n rush at the same time. Doubtless at
that very moment they were lying in
cOnceaIment near by. Worst of all, he
feared that those in the fort. seeing
their old friend Uncas coming, would
not deny him entrance. What should
he do?
While he was celebrating Uncas'sat
up on his hind legs, bear fashion, and
the sergeant caught sight of black
line about a yard long extending from
the bears nose toward the fort. Sud
denly bit of flame shot out from the
farther end Of the black line, and a
later came crack. The dunn !
my sentinel on the fort tOppled over.
Winter changed his surmises. The !
Indians had doubtless killed Uncas and |
were using his skin for a cover under |
which to pick off the garrison one by |
one till all were killed. Cautiously the !
stole forward toward the dis |
guised savage, the latter meanwhile |
on toward the fort Then |
Winter espied off TO his left, but near
er the fort than he, an Indian crawl |
up from behind the bank of creek. |
Then came another and another till !
counted twenty savages.
1t now flashed through the sergeants !
brain that the Indians had killed the |
sentinel this time with a view to sur |
prising the garrison before they were |
aware that the only man on guard was |
dead. Winters blood ran cold. The |
garrison would be murdered while he. /
their commander. was outside and I'M
able to help them. There was but one |
hope. BY firing on the Indians they /
might think there was a force without |
Dn which they had not counted. but in
lOing so he would give away his pres
ance and would probably be taken and
tortured to death.
Winter resolved to take his chances
IN the first of these two suppOsitions.
Raising his rifle. he took sure aim.
with a rest on the stump, and fired at
he pretended bear. 1t sprang up with
l yell and fell in heap Winter wait