The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-03-30

My WORD. They don't seem to bottle
der. leading their horses. Blu the pro-
vision mules We're left behind and
stampeded. The horses We're tethered
to the bushes in a circle and thirty men
dug holes in the sand With butcher
knives and tin plates. Zipp, zipp. zipp,
came the Indian rifle bullets and horse
after horse fell where he stood. But
lighting rom the cover of a dead horse
is better than flying on n living one.
The fifty lay and held their fire.
The horsemen swept down to the
river bank and urged the Indian rifles
to shoot faster. A Yell ran up and
down their lines. like the Tapping of Il
flag in the wind. and the indian rifles
spat savagely. The poor. dumb horses
knelt and rolled over. The clear silver
note of the bugle spoke again. and
That's the last horse down." came a
voice In English from the bank. Now
We've got them.' But he wasn't the
and take them first. Their rifles kept
on barking.
We'll be shot like dogs here. Let's
try for the opposite bank. Who'll
Gomez"
II WILL"
Forsyth did not know who spoke. but
he stood up then gripping his revolver.
III shoot the first man who tries.'
An Indian bullet shattered his right
thigh. Morris. a surgeon of the reg
ular army. rose, to make room for For
syth in his pit and a bullet crashed
unconscious. The men We're shooting
carefully. rising over their pits to aim
and sinking back again quickly. But
the ndian rifles We're improving and
men We're hit occasionally. At noon ten
men We're wounded and three Others
lnnJ INlo4 ,.,l,,nOJ .,, -, T., .-r -.
thirty
~Thirty-seven against a thousand.
They had no food. One man scooped
MO the sand until he reached wa
ter and handed il around TO the 9TH
ers. The neat was parching. Forsyth
vas shooting when a dropping bail
broke his leg bone below the knee. The
surgeon was raving in deliruna. He
died next day.
~ huge warrior. wearing = WGr bon
net. swept around the curve of the riv-
er. followed by six ranks of sixty horse
mon. The rifles OF the Indians We're
silent IS ne harangued his The
hills We're black with women and chill
dren who had come from the village
to watch the massacre. The giant was
Roman Nose. a mighty warrior before
the-devil.
Forsyth's men slipped six cartridges
into their magazines. and, n for the
ecuS. mere Meit oiiiS tIilliS SEVEN Ol
them, but thirty-seven men shooting
straight could. perhaps, talk to those
red brothers in the. gates.
Waiting for Forsyth's Word.
Roman Nose started. his squadrons
along the river bed after
him. yelling exultantly. From both
side of the river the Indian bullets
swept across the island TO stop For
syth's men rising and firing at the
,N,cn,,,1,, JQy1t nc tlo crIJo1r-n,, II ,-n, ny
closer the Indian fire ceased. The
.eaguered men watched them as they
on terrible and menacing, but no
man fired. The White patch of river
bed seemed to slip back under those
hoofs. They We're a whirl-
Now"
F%orsyth's command cut his parched
throat like a file. and thirty-seven rifles
spat death. Their heads We're ringing
the heat and noise and the drift
white patch seemed to WAIVER. There
we're black moving blotches oil it, too.
Through the vapor they saw that great
aend riding forward still. And the
white patch was smaller.
Fire steady, men,"
That was Forsyth's voice again. but
It sounded like an echo. The Indian
N the heat had deafened
hem. And-there was the avalanche
Again. N again, and again.
he rifles spat death. The huge Indian
.ossed in the smoke like q mammoth
M then rolled over.
Flight Sn. men!"
Forsyth's voice was a hollow croak.
The white patch of sand curved out
anger and the charge crumpled up.
Roman Nose was dead. Fifty Indians
ay on the sand around him. The 9TH
,rc u-bao1oJ and rode a wa 7>bn riHa-I
nen and women shrieked i~mprecations.
The charge was broken.
Beecher lay dead in his pit hugging
his rifle in his arms. Another man.
a red gap cut across his forehead.
taught up Beecher's rifle and emptied
t in the air. He sank back swearing
srotesquely and then lay still, the blood
rickling from his forehead across his
ace n dripping on the sand. Grover
around the pits and counted
hree men dead. A wounded man rolled
lcross the sane shrielsing with laugh
er. He stood up and shook his fist
1t the banks. a rife bullet cut through
lis palm. Grover crawled over and
him. He sat up and held out
lis hand for Grover TO bandage.
Feast on Mule Meat.
Some men cut steaks from the dead
mules and ate ravenously. Forsyth
elt for his watch and brought out a
of crushed metal. A glancing
all had shattered IL. The men were
one by II TO the water hole
drinking. They looked Up at the
'un. IT was dropping to the west like
| burning glass.
Then the Indian war drums began
gait. TIE roll seemed to make the
,arth swing. Thu men kiaeit in their
and met the charge with a volley.
The riders pitched over into the sand.
Squadron checked and rode back
The cross FIRE from the banks
ashcd the hot air above them. One
nan SAT UP in his pit 10 eat q piece OF
ed meat. : dropping ball "thudded"
n mis- eye. His ari..s crooked under
lis neck ard his head fell forward.
they lost count o. time.
Tie sun slipped down to the lori-
line and lay there motionless, like
brass plate or Il shelf. The drum
ming commenced again and they knelt
n their pits to hammer the life out of
- - 1l~-- t. @Il . i