The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-27
A Trap For indians

Benton cutting telegraph poles for an
army limo. On the third day IL private
named Brisbane was left in camD IN
act as cook. He had been instructed to
fire his musket in case lie saw Indians.
and, having heard no alarm, we start
ed for camp at 5 O'clock with a feeling
that all had gone well.
We reached it to find the man miss
Ing. His musket had been left behind,
anu nothing about the camp had been
disturbed. For an hour we expected
MS return at any moment, thinking he
nad away, but when night
came and passed we We're sure that the
Indians had had something to do with
MS disappearance. 1t turned out so.
While he was out after berries during
the afternoon Little Bears band had
bounced upon him and made him can
tive.
we heard nothing of him or them
until about sunrise next morning. We
were about to set Out on q search
when he appeared at the mouth of the
valley with an Indian beside him.
Brisbane had been stripped of all his
garments, and the Blood of a hare had
been daubed over him until he appea
ed to be wounded in a dozen places.
The Indian with him could understand
English very we'll, and the captive had
been told What to say. AS u attention
was attracted he called out:
Sergeant, the redskins captured me
Yesterday and 7 hnvn q e..
you. They say if you will come out and
surrender yourselves they will hold us
for ransom and treat us well. If you
refuse, they will attack the camp and
wipe you all out. There are about thir-
ty Indians in the band"
"Jim," called the sergeant when, he
had recovered somewhat from his sur
prise, "are you talking dead square?' :
mo. The force consists Of only elev-
en- men. There are six of you, and YOU
car stand them off for a week."
But how can we save your"
There Is no way. Make ready for q
row and fight to the last. 1t serves me
right for not being on the watch yes
terday. Goodby, boys, and do the best
you can and tell 'em at the fort how it
was with me-"
He turned and was soon hidden from
view, and we at once began prepara
lions for defense. We could be ap-
preached only from the front, and the
six of us felt ourselves a match for
double the number of Indians. For
half an hour we heard nothing more
from them. Then from a point down
b 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
seles 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 TWEEN
ty more warriors, and unless you sur
render 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 a term
which he knew the Indians could not
understand.
"The 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 toward our camp at the
top of his speed. Behind him were
the Indians, who had planned it that
way, thinking we would hesitate to
for fear of killing our comrade.
That was just what happened, and but .
for a strange circumstance the band
would have been upon us before a gun
was fired. Thirty or forty yards in
front of us was a shaky spot in the
ground. We had noticed it in walking
around, but had given it no special at
tention.
AS the Indians reached the spot in a
solid body the earth gave way, and all
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 a.. hole twenty
five feet deep, with the Indians lying
In a huddle at the bottom. Two were
killed by the fall and two others badly
hurt, while the soldiers neck was bro
ken as he landed at the bottom.
We made the Indians send up their
weapons and their dead and injured.
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 disposal of
them.
Little Bear and all the rest of the
living and unwounded were tied to
trees, and, cutting a generous supply
a -~@ - .-- - L. az