The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-10-30

fall, and don't ever give up il tLey
chase us. Mommy and little Dan and
Jimmy may never see the light of
morning IL we fail
To Katie the strong light and broad
opennesS of the prairie were terrible.
She looked back across her shoulder to
the town, hearing yelis and the crack
or rifles and the noise OF fighting She
rode straight south. selecting the low
est ground, and intending to turn
southwest toward the fort when at a
safe distance. She had progressed
perhaps a mile, when, looking back
she saw a party Of Indians on horse
back shoot out from the edge of the
town, ranging a little west to soath-
The girls rudy cheeks whitened, and
her brown fingers ciutched the rein
nervousIy. We've got 10 outrun them
Bess,' she cried; we've got TO do it!
TIE 1.-THE, white mare, with her
light burden. went like an antelope.
breathing softly. and taking the
ground with long, sweeping, steady
lope. Let them do their fast run
ming first she said looking back
through her flying hair, wen set the
pace at the end
The tough Indian ponies, urged by
quirt and many a pealing yell, fol-
lowed her like excited hounds. but kept
to the west of her in their course.
| Clearly the Indians purposed getting
| between the girl and the fort before
attempting to run her down. The rae
ers were probably four miles out from
| Ludder when Katie realized the intcn-
ton of the painted fiends- she at once
| turned the mare straight toward the
! fort. and bending low over the ami
mails neck urged her with a series of
startling screams The Indians seeing
| the move, put their horses TO top
| speed. and riding across the inside OF
the angle made by Katies course.
| sought to cut her off.
But White Bess ran like deer and
the Indians crossed her course an
eighth of mile to the rear. They fired
no shots and ceased yelling, evidently
not wishing to brighten or press the
\ girl until they could get the advan-
| tage of position. They now pointed
| their course slightly to the south,
plainly hoping to allay the girls fears
| and gradually drive her northwest
/ and away from the fort. Evidently
! they felt that a straight race after the
| fleet mare would end in their defeat.
In spite of her intention Katie
! drew gradually toward the west in
| trying to keep away from her pursu-
ers. She must have been twelve miles
| from Ludder, and White Bess was wet
and breathing hard, when she struck
! the buffalo herd, the eastern end of
| that living lake which we had seen
! from the train when repairing the
! track
1T was a terrible blow to Katie's
| hopes. for she saw that she could not
| reach the fort unless she could get
on the south side of the mighty herd,
! and such a course would throw her
we'll nigh into the arms Of the saw
| ages. For a moment she pulled the
mare Up. looking wildly in all direc-
tons. For miles away to the south
| and west that hairy, awful sheet of
| dark forms stretched before her. Pant
ing and Mortified she set the tired mare
on the gallop again, riding straight
| toward the west. She must pass clear
around the herd and come in to the
fort from the south or west. Yelling
wildly. the Indians came after her,
the hardy ponies sticking to the chase
| like dogs. Katie's face grew drawn
/ and white; her red lips turned ashen
| and parched. She patted the neck of
! the dripping mare, praying her not to
fail. We must beat them, Bessi On,
we musti We must" she kept plead
ing.
That was about the hour in the aft
| ernoon when we Of the train were re-
1
| turn the bend beyond which lay the
! trestle of which Lyon had spoken. We
| had scarcely completed the repairs
| when we suddenly saw that the whole
! black mass of life stretching across
| the southeast was rolling toward us
like mighty wave. Pull ahead. LyOni
Get on the trestle. II 1t is still stand
ing! shouted the conductor. Lyon gave
the 40 steam. and we whirled away
| toward the bridge.
| Il fancy that there was not a man
on the train who did not feel his skin
| creep with fear and horror at sight
Of that resistless avalanche Of animal
life sweeping toward us The dark bill
low was miles wide and its rear was
| lost in clouds of dust. A band of 1ndi-
| ans, by Long Blankets order. or In
attempting to break through to join
the chief, had stampeded the might
est herd Of bison ever seen upon the
plains. The front Of tie herd was like
a long, uneven wall of rushing water,
from the lower edge of which gushed
out a curling surf. of dust, and beneath
| which all life that fell or was over
taken was drawn and trampled into
fragments. Hundreds of thousands Of
hoofs beat the earth and tie roar from
the rushing sea of flesh was like a
| strange new thunder. Coyotes, ante
lopes, and wild horses ran before it for
their lives We saw what was appar-
entity q child on a gray horse. leaning
forward over the animals neck, and
riding madly in the race with death.
East Of this astonishing figure we saw
eight or ten Indians, on ponies and in
war paint, stTaining toward the north.
with the nurdling black mass not 500
feet behind them. Even while we
looked we saw one Of the ponies fall.
and the Indian rider leap TO his feet
and run, only TO be drawn under in a
moment and disappear from sight.
In the thrill and horror OF the pros
pect, I did not regard my immediate
surroundings. until we suddenly rushed
upon the tTestle and stopped. Then I
saw that large body of Indian horse
men were riding at a gallop westward
on the north side of the track. Long
Blanket and his braves, caught in their
work of tearing up the track. were try
ing to get beyond the range OF the
stampede.
THE trestle was some fifty feet I'm
length, and apparently stretched across
the almost dry bed Of what once had
been a small river. The stringers and
ties at the highest point were not more
than ten or twelve feet above the
ground. Upon these the. engine and
two cars stood, the balance Of the
train reaching cut along the grade
eastward. All along the train I heard
shouting and stern orders as the thun-
der of the stampede grew in volume
and rolled toward us. Whether the
rushing sea OF frightened animals
would sweep the track away and GO
over ii, leaving US all lifeless, or would
! break and eddy around us no. man
! could say. I was hanging out from the
gangway. quivering in every nerve
while Lyons face looked white and
strange as be leaned from the window