The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-02-09

ZEN CENIS PER w EEk.
sleeping In the sunshine in winter and
the shade in summer. One day Uncas
strayed away from the post and did
not return.
Then came news that the neighbor-=
ing Indians had left their reservations
and Uncas was forgotten the pre-
i5yailing excitement. In those days many
Of the forts In the wild west were little
! better than blockhouses, and Fort -
was one of this kind. AS soon as the
| Indians were known to have broken
loose, the gates were kept closed and
the usual precautions In time OF hos
tlities were observed.
One day an order came for the COM
mand to march against the Indians.
The garrison. including the families OF
the officers, was left in charge Of SER
geant and eight men. Sergeant Winter
was one Of those better born and edu-
Gated young men who In those days
rarely entered the ranks the army
As soon as the command left he shut
the gates Of the fort and directed them
to be kept shut.
The second night after their depar-
t1lre sentinel was shot. No one heard
q report, but this was not considered
remarkable, for but one sentry was on
post and he could not see for a great
distance. first, because all the trees
4 near by had been felled and, second.
4 because the moon was approaching the
full in a clear sky.
Sergeant Winter kept the soldiers
/ death from the women. for 1t Indicated
! that Indians We're planning III attack,
and he did not wish to create an alarm.
The next night he watched with the
4 sentry, who Mas relieved every two
hours Winter toward morning Went
into quarters for few minutes to get
j a cup of coffee, and when he returned
the sentry was lying on his back with
bullet in his brain.
Winter resolved to sit up and watch
the next night himself. He slept sew.
eral hours during the day, directing
the men to make a sentry OF straw and
i clothe 1t in uniform. a 10 O'clock,
while the moon was obscured ny
cloud, the dummy sentinel was set up.
Then the sergeant posted Il real SEN
i tinel In concealment, and after arrang-
ing Il signal for his admission he crawl
ed out some distance from the fort and
took position behind Il stump. lie
chose Il point before the gate because
there was evidence that the sentfles
had been shot from that direction.
Winter waited till after. midnight
without experiencing anything unusu-
al. Then he saw something approach
ing When 1t came near enough for
him to see 1t plainly. he discovered that
! It was bear. 1t was waddling along,
occasionally pausing to nibble, but
gradually working nearer. The beast
passed within hundred feet of the
sergeant. who then recognized the gar
rson's pet, Uncas. He watched 1t 81
4 lently, not daring to make a sound for
4 fear OF hidden enemy, and saw 1T
& draw closer to the fort than he was
7 himself.
4 Winter made up his mind that the
willy Indians had sent Uncas In. expect
Ing the garrison to open the gates for
him and they would be ready to make
4 q rush at the same time. Doubtless at
that very moment they were lying in
concealmcnt near by. Worst Of all. he
feared d=that those In the fort, seeing
their old friend Uncas coming, would
not deny him entrance. What should
he dog
While he was deliberating Uncas sat
up on his mind legs, bear fashion, and
the sergeant caught sight OF Il black
line about yard long extending from.
the bears nose toward the fort Sud
denly q bit OF name shot out from the
farther end Of the black line, and a
q moment later came crack. The dunn
my sentinel on the fort toppled over.
Winter changed his surmises. The
Indians had doubtless killed Uncas and
were using his skin for Il cover Under
which tG pick off the garrison one by
one till all were killed Cautiously the
sergeant stole forward toward the dis
gulscd savage, the latter meanwhile
waddling on toward the fort. Then
Winter espied off to his left. but near
er the fort than he, an Indian crawl
up from behind the bank OF a creek.
Then came another and another till
Winter counted twenty savages.
4 1t now flashed through the sergeant's
i brain that the Indians had killed the
sentinel this time with a view to sur
prising the garrison before they We're
aware that the only man on guard was
dead Winters blood ran cold. The
garrison would be murdered while he,
1 their commander, was outside and un-
able to help them. There was but one
nope. By firing ON the Indians they
l1ight think there was a force without
ON which they had not counted, but in
doing SO he would give away his pres
ence and would probably be taken. and
tortured to death.
Winter resolved to take his chances
on the first Of these two suppositions.
Raising his rife, he took sure aim.
with rest ON the stump, and fired at