Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-08-27


blue the sun had just passed the me.
ridian and was streaming hotly down
on the stirring picture. Northward
the ridge line and the long, gradual
slope seemed alive with swarms of
Indian warriors many of them dart
ing about in wild commotion. About
the little eminence where Stabber and
the Fox had again locked horns in
violent alteration, as many as hum
dred braves had gathered. About the
middle knob, from whose summit
mirror flashes shot from time to
time, was still another concourse, lis
tening, apparently, to the admoni-
tions of n leader but recently arrived,
chicftain mounted on an American
| horse, almost black, and Ray studied
the pair long and curiously through
his glasses. Lame Wolf, probably"
| said he, but the distance was too
great to enable him to be certain.
What puzzled him more than any
| thing was the apparent division of
authority, the unusual display of dis
cord among the Sioux. These were
all, doubtless, of the Ogalalla tribe,
Red Clouds own people, yet here
they were wrangling like ward 'heel-
ers" and wasting precious time.
! Whatever his antecedents, this new
conner had been powerful sower of
strife and sedition, for, instead of
| following implicitly the counsels of
one leader, the Indians were divided
now between three.
90 -,
wind was sweeping stronger and
| stronger with every moment, as the
| sunwarmed strata over the wide, bill
| lowing surface sought higher levels,
and the denser, cooler current from
| the west came rushing down. And
now all sounds of the debate were
whisked away toward the breaks of
| the old South Cheyenne and it was no
| longer possible for old Sioux cam
paigners to catch a word of the dis
cussion. The leaves of the cotton
woods whistled in the rising gale, and
every time a pony crossed the stream
| bed and clambered the steep banks
out to the west, little clouds of dun
colored dust came sailing toward the
| grove, scattered and spent, however,
far from the lair of the defense.
But, while the discussion seemed
endless among the Indians on the
northward side, never for moment
| was the vigilance of the circle re-
| laXed. South. east and west the
| slopes and lowlands were dotted with
| restless horsenen, and from young
| Clayton came the word that through
| his glass he could make out three or
| four warriors far away toward the
| Moccasin ridge. That's good" said
| Ray. 1T means that they, too, are
| looking for column coming out from
| Frayne. But where on earth did all
these rascals come from? There
must be 400 now in sight"
Well might he ask and marvel!
| Stabber's little village had never
more than so warriors. Lame VOLTS
| band was counted at less than 24O
| fighting men, and these, so said the
agents of the omniscient bureau,
were all the Ogallalas away from the
shelter of the reservation when the
| trouble started. No more should be
allowed to go, was the confident
promise, yet Il fortnight nearly had
elapsed since the frontier fun be-
gan. News of battle sweeps with
| marvellous speed through Indian
haunted lands, and here were war
riOrs by the score, come to strength
en- the hands of kindred in the field
and, more were coming. The mirror
signals plainly told them that. Yet it
was well nigh one o'clock and not an
other hostile move was made. Fox
then was being held by stronger
hands. 1t meant that Lame Wolf
had listened to reason-and Stabber,
and would permit no fresh attack un-
til his numbers should be so in
creased that resistance would prac-
tically be vain. 1t meant even more
that the Indian leader in chief com
mand felt sure no force was yet
within helping distance of the cor
raled troopers. He could, therefore,
take his time.
But this was a theory Ray would
not whisper TO his men. lie knew
Webb. He knew Webb would soon
read the signs from the north and be
coming to his relief, and Ray was
right. Even as he reasoned there
came a message from across the
grove. Lieutenant Clayton said the
Indians he had seen away to the
south were racing back. Thank
Cod was the murmured answer no
man heard "Now lads, be readv!"
was the ringing word that reused the
little troop, like bugle call "to arms"
And even as eager faces lifted over
the low parapets TO sean the distant
foe, fresh signals came flashing down
from the northward ridge, fresh
bands Of warriors came darting to
Join the martial throng about the
still wrangling chicftains, and then,
all of a sudden, with mighty yelling
and shrill commotion, that savage
council burst asunder, and, riding at
speed, a dozen braves went lashing !
away 10 the westward side. while with |
fierce brandishing of arms aud shields |