The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-03-31
LOSE CALL
By BUFFALO BILL
|FDoN TRUE TALES Of I11R RkAuo6
roeso1anneR1 nnn ~ WI ~ 6m

to the timber. The smoke and flames
forced them out of their hiding place
just as Jackson and Gerard Joined
them. having left their horses where
they first met, stuf1ng grass in their
nostrils to prevent them from attract
ing attention. Wrapping their blouses
around their heads, they succeeded in
escaping into the thick brush along
the bank Of the creek. From here they
saw that McDougall had Joined Reno
with the pack train. At the finish of
the firing in the direction where Gus
ter was hundreds Of Indians returned,
and the fight on the hill was kept up
all night. The two scouts got their
horses and, with O'Neil and De Rudio
holding the tails. decided to ford the
river under darkness at the place
where they had crossed in the morn
ing. By making a detour round the In
dams and as 1t was dark they passed
close to three bands Of red men with
out molestation, O'Neil and De Rudio
on the occasions keeping alongside the
horses and out Of sight. The fourth
party came along and shouted to them
in Sioux, and Jackson and Gerard cut
loose and the two afoot dropped and
hid In the sagebrush.
The Indians pursued the horsemen
a short. distance, firing shots at them,
but did not see the two men in the
sagebrush, although they passed in sin
gle file within three or four feet of
them.
ONeil and he reached the ford and
decided to secrete themselves and wait
until daylight. The moon came out but
d1mly, and they saw q party that look
ed like American cavalry, as they were
on American horses and dressed in the
soldiers uniform, the leader riding a
sorrel horse with four white legs. He
was sure that it vas Captain Tom Gus.
ter. Elated, he cried out, Hello, cap
tain! The rider stopped, and, although
they could not see him, a fiendish yell
and a volley of bullets told them they
were Indians. They rushed through
the brush, the Indians firing at the
moving bushes volley after volley.
Their escape was miraculous.
It turned out afterward that these
Indians by their firing spoiled a bit Of
stratagem they had arranged to deceive
Reno by dressing in the clothes Of
dead soldiers Of Clusters command,
and, equipped with clinklng sabers and
on American horses, they expected to
deceive him in the night by pretend
ing to be men Of Clusters party. This
firing ut De Rudio and giving the In
dian yell put the Reno men on their
guard. Proceeding on their way, two
Indians came hunting for the fugitives,
believing, of course, that 1t was only
some wounded soldier. While hunting
for them they approached within five
yards, and, evidently having seen
them, one jumped from his horse,
when De Rudio fred and dropped him
dead, O'Neil's carbine knocking the
other one out Of his saddle and killing
him. The Indians in the hills saw the
flash and puff and fred another volley
In that direction, but the two desperate
men hastily concealed themselves be.
hind n big log which several bullets
had struck. The bullets struck the
ground within a few feet and even
inches of them continuously.
Again the woods were fired at this
point, but as 1t had been rainy in the
cTening the smoke was stronger than
i.e flames and was thus their saliva
lion. and they hid in a deep part o.
the creek with only their heads out Of
water, but with their cartridges anG
firearms on the bank ready for action
They remained there and in q little
oasis Of bushes that the fire had no
touched, without moving or speaking
until . O'Clock on the Goth Of June
About + o'clock there were two sigma
pistol shots fired, the Indian vedett'
left his post at the ford and a LOUD
vciro was heard haranguing the In
dams. and a band Of three or four hun
drcd passed closely and rode of. The,
could see them for miles down tn,
river and heard them singing q pecul
lar chant. By $50 they had gone a
far as they could see, and 1t was evi
dent that something had caused then
to move away, as it appeared to then
that the troops must have also left th,
hill.
Hungry, exhausted and dispirited
their condition can be. imagined-th
command gone. and they a hundre,
miles from the Yellowstone river
However, when everything was quie
in the dark night they started In tn
direction Of Reno's retreat, and afte
about five miles they came to a hig
hill, from which they saw a fire. A
times the fire disappeared. and the
concluded that there must be huma
beings passing around it, which hid
occasionally from sight. But wha
t kind Of human beings-Indians G
white? There was the rub. The
crawled on with great cautiousnes'
fearing the Indians would have to b
: crawled through even to reach Rem,
If 1t was Reno. when their hearts wei
: raised by the braying Of a mule. Still