The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-07

and you can stand them off for a
/ week.
! But how can we save. you?"
There is no way. Make ready for
! a row and fight to the last. 1t serves
me right for not being on the watch
yesterday. Goodbye, boys, and do the
| best you can. and tell EN- at the fort
how it was with me-
He turned and was soon hidden from
| view, and we at once began prepare
tions for defense. We could be. APP
preached only from the front, and the
six of US felt ourselves a match for
double the number of Indians. For half
an nour we heard nothing more from
them. Then from a point down the
valley came walls and cries of pain and
distress, as though the captive were
being tortured
Our first thought was to rush out,
but after listening more closely all de-
clared that the tones were those of an
Indian, and that the plan was to draw
us into an ambush When it was found
useless, the cries ceased and an hour
later Brisbane appeared on the same
spot as before. At the bidding of his
guard he shouted:
Little Bear has been Joined by
twenty more warriors, and unless you
surrender yourselves all will be killed.
You are to have half an hour in which
to make up your minds
Are you prevaricating, Jim?" asked
the sergeant in reply, using term
which he knew the Indians could not
understand.
Tine biggest kind, sergeant. There
are no new arrivals, and don't let them
humbug you into surrender"
The captive spoke so fast that the
Indians could not follow him, but sus-
pecting something wrong they led
him away. Then we lay ready and
waiting until close upon noon, when
Brisbane suddenly appeared at the
mouth of the valley, running towards
our camp at the top of his speed. Be
hind MIN were the Indians, who had
would hesitate to fire for fear of kill
ing our comrade. That was just what
happened, and but for a strange cir
cumstance the band would have been
ty or forty yards in front of US was
shaky spot in the ground. We had TO
ticed it in walking around, but had
given it no special attention.
AS the Indians reached the spot in a
solid body the earth gave way and all
went out of sight in an instant. A crust
of earth about thirty feet square went
down. and when we rushed out it was
to look down into hole twenty-five
feet deep, with the Indians lying in
huddle at the bottom. Two were killed
by the fall. and two others badly hurt,
while the soldiers neck was broken as
he landed at the bottom.
No body of redskins ever received
a greater surprise and all further
thoughts of fighting were abandoned.
We saw. plainly enough that they had
a
probably been years and years form
ing. The crust would have held UP
two or three men, but the weight of
eleven was too much.
The Indians looked upon it as a
trap set for their destruction by the
Great Manitou. and were frightened
into helplesSneSS for time. The only
way for them to get out was to be
hauled out. We cut a lot of vines to
use as ropes, and first hauled up the
body of our comrade- This we care
fully examined and found that the
poor fellow had not been gashed or
tortured as we all feared would be
the case.
We next made the Indians send up
their weapons and their dead and in
jured. When all were out, we realized
that the colonel at the fort would not
thank us for bringing in a lot of
troublesome prisoners to be cared for,
and that we must make some other
them down in cold blood, of course.
but yet we wanted to give them an
object lesson.
Little Bear and all the rest of the
living and unwounded were tied to
trees, and cutting a generous supply |
of switches, we took turns at the
''fatherly act" and did not rest until |
each one had been soundly licked. !
There was as much bowling and wall |
ing as if the veteran warriors had been
so many boys, and all felt the degra- |
dalton as keenly as the pain.
When the performance was over the |
redskins were cast loose and told to |
take their dead and wounded and clear
out, and they obeyed the order very
willingly. We left without exploring |
the pit, but six months later some men |
who were prospecting for silver /
camped near the hole and explored it. |
They found it to be the doorway Of a /