The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-11-10
CHapTER xxxIx.-con,lnued.

the Saturday. During this interval we
waited with scouts out for the upcom-
ing of the mountain men. AT moor Ma
jor Ferguson sent a ina express to
Lord CORVALLIS. urging the hurryins
on of the reinforcelnents. not knowing
h a his former dispatch had been in
t%ercepted, nor that Tarleton had not as
yet Started to the rescue. A little later
the scouts began to come in one by one
with news Of the approaching riiemen.
Their was but a small body of them.
not above a thousand men In all, so the
spies said, and my heart misgave me.
They were without cannon and they
lacked %bayonets; and moreover. when
all was said, they were but militia, all
the Indians. Could they successfully
assault the fortified camp whose de-
fenders-thanks to the majors ingen-
uity-had fitted butcher knives to the
muz.les of their long guns in lieu of
b%ayonets? Nay. rather would they
have the courage. to try? =.
Twas; late in the afternoon before
these questions were answered. The
rain had ceased, and tn. chill October
trees. With the clearing skies a cold
wind had sprung up, and on the hill
top the men covered behind the rock
breastWork and waited In strained ST.
lence. AT the last moment Major Fer
guson sent Captain de Peystei' to me
with the request that l take command
of the Tory force set apart to defend
the wagon barricade-this IL my weari-
ness would permit. I went with the
captain to make my excuses in per-
son.
Say no more, Captain" said this
generous soldier, when l began some
lame plea for further exemption: " 1
had forgot your sword-cut. Take shel-
ter for yourself, and look on whilst we
skin this riffraff alive
And so he let me off; a favor which
will make me think kindly of Patrick
Ferguson So long as l shall live. For
now my work vas done; and had he
insisted. l should have told him fatty
who and what l was-and paid the
penalty.
l had scafce rejoined, Tybee at the
wagons whek the long roll of the drums
broke the silence of the hilltop, and a
'volley fire ,of musketry from the rock
breastwork on the right told us the
battle was on. .'Tybee gave ME one last
r%eproachful look and stood out to see
what could be seen, and l stood with
him.
Your friends are running" he said,
when there was no reply to the opening
Noiiey. and truly feared he was right.
AT the bottom of the slope. scattering
Iroups of the riflen1en could be seen
fastening to right and left. But l
would not admit the charge to Tybee.
Il think NIT" I objected, denying the
apparent fact. They have come too
far and too fast to turn back now for
q single overshot volley."
But thsyll never face the fire up
the hill with the bayonet TO cap it at
the TOP" he insisted.
That remains to be. seen; we. shall
,kss..: presently Al. thought so:;thcfe
1Ifey come"
AT the word the forest-covered steep
at u end of the Hill sprang alive with
dun-ciad figures darting upward from
Tree to tree. Nolley after volley thun-
dered down upon them as they climbed
but not once did the lodging charge
up the slope pause or falter. Unlike
all other irregulars l had ever seen.
whose idea of battle Is to let off the
piece and run, these mountain men
hello their fire like veterans. closing in
upon the hilltop steadily and in a grim
silence broken only by the shouting en-
couragemeats of the leadeEs-.this until
their circling line was completed.
Then suddenly from all sides of the
beieaguered oamptarose a.yeIl5to shake
the -steutest- courage. and with that
the wood-coyered slopes began to SPIT
IRE. not in yolleys. but here. and there
in Irregular snappings and crackitngs
as the sure-shot riflemen saw a mark
to pull trigger on.
The effect of this fine bead target
pTaetiee-for it was naught eise-was
most terrific. All along the breastwork,
front and ar.fcrouching men sprang
up.at the rifle crsckings to f1ingitheir
arms all abroad n 10 fall wrfthing
and wrestling in the death throe. At
our end OF the hill, where the rock
barrier was thinnest, the slaughter was
appalling: n above the din of the
firearms we could hear the beloved
commands of the sturdy old, Indian
fighter. Benjamin Cleaveland; urging
his men UP to still closer quarters. "A
little nearer, my brave boys. "a little
nearer and we have them! Press cnsup
to the rocks. They'll be as. good a
breastwork from our side as from
theirs"
You will read in the histories that
the Tory helpers of Ferguson fought
as men With halters round their nerks:
and 30. indeed, a-many. of them did.
But, thought they We're most piti!ess
enemies OF ours. L bear them witness
that they did fight we'll and bravely,
and not az men who fight for iearls
sake.
And they were most bravely Differed.
Major Ferguson. boldly conspicuous In
q white linen hunting shirt drawn ovei
his uniform. vas here and there and
everywhere. and always In the place
Who're the bullets flew thickest. His
left hand had been hurt at tho first
patriot gun fire. but it still held the
silver whistle to his lips. and the shrii
s1sirling Of the little pipe. was tbs
10yahat irallying signal. Captain de
Peyster.1 too. did ample Justice 10 tht
uniform he Wore: n when Campbell.
yirginians gained the summit at tbs
far end of the hilltop. twas de Peystel
who led the bayonet.eharge that forced
the patriot rifiemcn some little wa,
downfthe slope.
But these are digresstons. No maj
sees more OF a battle than that litts,
circle Of which he is the center: alst
the fighting was hot enough at TIN
wagon barricade to keep both Tybe'
was going on Beyond U narrow rang,
OF sight or hearing. You must picture
therefore. for yourselves, a very devils
hilltop SC 1901 as the mountain me-
gained their VANTAGE ground at .gth
fronting OF the roek4bfeastWork: cries
frantic shouts OF God save the king!
s:yells fierce and wofdless; men In re-
and men In hpmespun rushing mad;
tt~hither4and yon In a vain attempt I
5repNl q front and real attack at tn
same Instant y Twas a hell set free
with no quarter asked or given. an
where we8stood. the Tory defenders Q
ftNATN Vtyu ~ he v>rfn1S8&Eu ,saS,o nrnS0nfi