The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-11-27


grief or hatred for their captivity.
Tho braves. twenty in number, formed
the head of the band and kept no or
der of march as they spurred forward
their ragged, footsore ponies. Their
Springfield rifles, knives and toma-
hawks mad been taken from them. but
they still carried their once gay lances
and shields of buffalo hide covered
with rude pictures of the chase and
battle. But, though on other occasions
these would have betokened the free
warrior, they now only emphasized by
contrast the blankets that trailed in
gloriously from their wearers shout
ders to the ground and the dropping
feathers of the conquered chiefs.
A war priest, whose string of bears
claws. triple feathers, charms and bag
plainly betokened the medicine man.
headed the tribe. He was seated upon
a gaudily decorated saddle The nose
band, front and cheek pieces of his
horses bride were thickly studded
with brass nails. Bright pompoms Of
colored wool swung from the curb and
the throatlatch. and the nag's tail was
stifHy braided with strips of wooden,
scarlet and yellow and blue. Close be-
side him rode two stately braves of
high rank, their mounts as richly ca
parisoned, their buckskin shirts gor-
geous with bead and porcupine quill
embroidery. otter skin headdresses
upon their hair. Like their leader. the
dusky faces of the two Indians and of
those forming the rest of the party
were hideously painted, showing that
all had but recently been upon the
warpath.
The other half of the redskin com
pany was more squalid. A score of
spotted, sway backed ponies crept
along, bearing and at the same time
dragging heavy loads. Each saddle
held squaw and one or more small
children. the squaw with a cocoon-like
papoose strapped to her back. and at
the tail of each horse. surrounded by
linping Indian dogs, came travee
laden with a wounded or aged Indian
or heaped with cooking utensils, blan-
kets and buffalo skins.
One woman of all the squaws rode
pony that had not a double burden.
She was dressed in buckskin and
bright calico and sat upon a blanket
that almost covered her horse. Her
hair was braided neatly; her dark
cheeks were daubed with carmine. She
kept a rigid seat as she passed Dallas,
and her black eyes answered the 9th
er's kindly look with one full of sullen
pride. Beside her hobbled an aged has
across whose wrinkled mouth and chin
was a deep and livid scar.
When the Indians were past more
troopers followed. After them trun
died a half dozen light fieldpieces, the
wagon train and ambulances filed will
sick or wounded soldiers, all under
the conduct of a rear guard. SooI
the entire cavalcade was gone and haG
halted on the river bank to wait the
ferry. Dallas was alone again, listen
ing to the faint strains of the band
which from the cut was CALAMITY an
nouncing the return from the long cam
paign.
AZ luC OOOI VI Tie I4duCdSl lei
and his younger daughter were watch
ing the portage piecemeal of the
troops. But Dallas, starting the team
again, saw father and sister suddenly
turn from the landing to look and poin
toward the coulee. CHANGING that way
too, she saw the object of their inter
est. Over the brink into sight wa:
toiling a strange figure bent and al
most hidden under an unwieldy load
She moved aside in some trepidatioI
to await the creatures advance. Up
on its back as it tottered along was
score of pots and pans tied together
and topped by a sack of buffalo chip.
that at each step rolled first to ont
hand and then to the other. Yet witt
all the difficulty of balancing the fue
sack and preventing its falling to tn,
ground the straggler did not fail t,
keep in place q drab face covering
The mules stood perfectly quiet IN
til the figure was near; then they be
came uneasy for the second time ant
SHE'D back upon the plow, tanglins
their harness.
The effect of this was startling. TIL,
sack of chips came tumbling off til,
/ pots and pans, spilling upon the road
way. The tin things followed, with
crash, and, with a grunt, the bent fig
ure retreated a few steps and uncov
cred its face.
/ In very amazement Dallas let go th'
mules. The creature facing her was
young and pitifully thin About face
dripping with perspiration fell MOI
/ of tangled hair. Under a tattereC
mourning blanket a bullying calico
waist disclosed, through many rents, (
| lean and bony chest. and below thu
| leather strap that belted both the som
/ Der blanket and the waist hung limpl.
! the shreds of a fringed buckskin petit
| coat. The straggler was an indians
male-yet, despite his sex, he wore
not a braves dress. but the filthy, de
grading garb of a squaw!
He watched Dallas with coxve5