Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-12-12
A FR|GHTFUL LEAP

OF us drew around our camp Lie
"that / was plotting a small part,
of Uncle Sans men up to one o
the new forts on the upper Brazos-
l believe they called it Fort Be!klaal
or some such name. The soldier
were a 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 anc
green as he was the lieutenant was
a gentleman and at heart as good 9
fellow as ever lived.
''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.
''I'd been down in San Antonio
about three weeks, and when the
quartermaster 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 l got acquainted with
the lieutenant the better | liked
him. But the fellows he had along
with him were of no account, and |
knew if the Comanches or Kiowas
should cross our trail they couldn't
be depended on.
owe had reached the foot of the
Black Hills, where the country is
badly cut up with deep barrancas,
crossing each other in every direc
ton, and, having had hard days
travel, proposed an early camp.
While looking for a suitable spot |
discovered fresh horse tracks and
knew that a large party of Indians
were in thes vicinity. Informed
the lieutenant of my discovery and
advised him to secrete his men as
soon as possible, for as yet l was
convinced our approach had not
been detected.
E'But as soon as the men heard
the word Indians they set up such
a hurrah that you'd have thought
them the bravest chaps in the
world, and it was not long before |
knew that the Indians had discover
ed us, 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 volley, lodged out of sight
again.
Il was for getting out of the prai-
RE as soon as possible and reaching
spot among the rocks at the COM
mencement of the rising ground,
where we could receive them at
better advantage, but the lieutenant
was so greedy fora fight that he
wouldn't listen to me a moment and
gave orders for his men to dismount
and form in regular line and await
the attack.
"But scarcely had some of them
obeyed the order than we heard a
yell, and the next moment the prai-
RE was covered with host of |
kiowas that came pouring
out of a barranca and charged right !
down upon us. The soldiers who had !
not obeyed the order, trusting more
to their horses heels than to their !,
rifles, 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 of those wild
riders. A part Of the whooping saw
ages made ii dash for the cowardlv
fools and soon had their scalps
while the rest, ranging past US will
4 headlong gallop and lying owe.
upon the farther side of the fer
little mustangs, sent a volley into
our ranks. And now, taking my ad
Tice, the lieutenant ordered his fell
ows to remount and in close order
make an effort to gain the rocks, /
But two of the men were past
mounting, and we had to leave them.
eve had about half a mile to 60
% get among the nearest rocks, but
o do so we had to run the gantlet
If the Indians, who kept up hot
discharge which made desperate
work in our little ranks. We spur
ed through the savages, who at
to cut in ahead of US, and
With our sabers and revolvers kept
he track clear till we had reached
he rocks.
Having gained the spot, howev-
F, we found, to our chagrin, that
,ur situation was but little inn
,roved. for the reckless and undis-
,,n,> M -, So