Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-23
DAILY SHORT STORY
A WOMAN OF BATTLE.

man was broken, nine of us troopers
of the Fourth cavalry, under command
of a sergeant, We're ordered out TO es-
cort the coloners wife from Fort Hill
to Lawrenceburg. that she might take
the stage there for a visit to her home
In the east. There was a truce just
then between white and red, though
liable to be broken by the latter with
out notice and at any moment
During the long days ride, the lady
being in an ambulance, we knew that
We were being followed by Indians,
but they did not seek to overhaul us.
At about shutdown we went into camp
on Il wooded hill, with the ground pref
ty thickly strewn with powders of all
sizes. We got the horses and mules up
there, but the vehicle was left down
on the plain. 1t was a cone shaped hill
amid half a dozen such, but it COM
manded the others. 1t was covered
with pines and cedars of small growth,
and there was a splendid spring right
OH the crest.
Darkness found US occupying circle
about forty feet across, with stones and
powders and logs for shelter. We felt
that we We're safe from attack that
night, but what would happen on the
morrow was a matter for grave COnsid-
Grafton. 1t was more than likely that
q couple of hundred Indians would be
brought up and take positions during
the night.
None of US except the woman slept
an hour all night long. We used le-
vers to loosen other powders and roll
them into the circle, and with our
knives and hatchetS we cut off limbs
and cut down small trees and used
them for climbing. We got the ami
mails into a sort of gully below US
and made their position as safe as pos
sible, and when daylight came there
was nothing more to be done. We had
above GOO rounds of ammunition and
could reckon on it lasting us mt least
three days, and we had food for the
same time and an unlimited supply OF
water.
Daybreak found us ready for an at
tack. The cOloncrs wife took her place
between two men, rifle i'll hand, and
for half an hour we expected sudden
rush. At the end OF that time single
warrior appeared to view and in bro
ken English demanded our surrender.
The sergeant answered dCfiantly, and
three minutes later there was an I'M
broken circle of fire about us. Indians
had mounted into the trees to the
right and left of us to get Il plunging
fire. and from the crests OF the lower
hills they poured in their bullets at
random.
At the end Of an hour they ceased
firing Not q man of us had been
touched, but stray bullets had killed
one of the mules and wounded two
horses. We looked for Il rush now,
and as we made ready for it the colo
ners wife quietly sank down beside
me and said:
I've tumbled over sage hens and
Jack rabbits, and l ought to be able to
hit an Indian. Do l look frightened:"
You are as white as ghost,
ma'am," replied as l turned to her.
but l am all right" she snilingly
said, land here they come
So they did. With every painted
warrior yelling at the top of his voice
the entire band charged US at once,
taking in the whole circle. 1t was not
until they got close up that we could
see anything to shoot at, and every
| few seconds the sergeant cried out to
us TO hold our fire. 1t was over in five
minutes. They had not expected to
find us so strongly intrenched, and we
knocked them over like ninepins.
| l believe we killed or wounded 4 full
score. and it took the fight out of them
so thoroughly that not Il rife was fired
again until afternoon. In this charge
l was sure that the cOlOners wife killed
one warrior and wounded another.
Soon after O'Clock. and without the
slightest warming. we were charged
again, and for ten minutes ii was q
wild melee We fired into their very
faces as they sprang upon the rocks,
and OF four warriors shot down out
side the breastwOrks we had 10 give
the coloneTs wife credit for three. Even
when the fight was at its widest l was
watching her. but with her Winchester
J at her eye she was taking aim and
! pulling trigger like 4 veteran of half
dozen battles. Her face was as
white as that of a dead woman. but
1 do not believe she felt the least fear.
| 1t was the red mems supreme and
| final effort, and 1t was we'll for us that
/ 1t was so. When we had beaten them
off the sergeant and another lay dead.
four men were badly wounded, and
/ they had cut our animals out of the
Gulch and run them off. Had the at
/ tack been renewed the savages would
| have gained a victory in no time.
| 1t was when we knew that the In
dams were drawing off that the brave
| little woman, who had certainly done
her share of the fighting, suddenly
burst into tears and tainted away, and
| it was a quarter of an hour before we
knew that it was Mysteries, instead of
wound. She rallied after awhile,
however, and it was her hands that
bound up the hurts of the wounded
and lovingly caressed the faces Of those
who had died defending her. We held
our position the remainder Of the day
and through the night and then, find