Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-08-10
TRANSL lated
By HARRY VAN AMBERC
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

From the date of the first settlement
Of America there was warfare with the
Indians. and during the war Of the
Revolution there was also war with
the British. But by that time the In
dian fighting had rerreated westward.
In 1777 Harrodsburg. Ky. was sur.
rounded by red men, and the people,
not daring to go out to hunt for game.
were often in great straits for food.
The settlement was protected by one OF
those stockade forts used at that time
for keeping off savages, and when
they We're hostile the inhabitants of
the place were obliged to keep within
its Enclosure.
During this Indian hostility and con-
sequent lack of food youth Of sixteen
made himself invaluable by leaving
the fort before dawn. hunting all day
and returning after nightfall with the
game he had shot. James Ray was
the name of this brave boy, and he
afterward became general officer in
the United States army.
One day Ray and companion were
outside the fort shooting at a mark.
Suddenly Ray heard the report Of a
rife and his friend fell dead. 1t did
not require process of reasoning for
Ray to know that the shot had come
from an Indian. Looking about him
he saw the redskin who had killed his
friend and raising his rifle was about
to shoot him when there was a whoop
from another quarter. Then Ray took
to his heels and ran like a deer toward
the fort few hundred yards distant
Ray was very quick runner. The
Indians could not catch him. but they
followed him with a brisk fire. He
reached the fort without having been
hit. but found the gates closed. Those
within had heard the firing. had shut
themselves in and were too terrified to
open the gates. Ray called upon them
to let him in. but fearing that if they
N4Si luc StlN USCS "Oulu 4O11O" I'LL duu
massacre the garrison they refused to
do so.
Ray threw himself fat on the
ground. stump covering him from
the fire Of the enemy. That is, the
! indians couldn't hit him. though their
bullets sang in such proximity to his
ears as to make him think that the
! next would cut off one of them. or per-
| haps tear strip out of his side or
| go through his foot. He was but half
a dozen steps from the fort. within
which he would be safe if he could
only get there.
But this was impossible so long as
the Indians were threatening him.
! Near enough to see those in the fort
| looking through the loop holes he
talked with them about ways to extri-
cate him from his position. While the
| bullets were singing on either side OF
him he was conversing with his moth
er. There seemed no way to relieve
him except to open the gates. and by
doing this many lives might be sacri.
! feed in an Intellectual attempt to save
one.
| There was one in the fort who sui
fered as much. doubtless far more
than Ray himself. That was his moth
err. She looked through loophole
where she could see him lying in hi:
perilous position. and she could SET
each squirt Of smoke as it left an In
dian rife, knowing that it marked tn
sending OF bullet to kill her boy
And Ray could not only hear the bull
let sing by him and feel the dust sprin
king over him, but saw his danger re
t1ected in his mothers face.
Hour after hour passed without any
change in the situation. When il
seemed impossible for him to lie any
longer in one position and he attempt
ed to change it. the consequent expo
sure of some portion of his body would
draw more fire. admonishing him tt
endure the constrained attitude rather
than risk a wound by trying to relieve
1t. The ground on each side Of hin
was torn up in burrows by the bullet:
that had been Shot through it. and h,
was covered by dust they had thrown
upon him.
Night was coming on and the In
dams were drawing nearer. When i
became dark there could be nothing t,
prevent the savages from coming nea
enough to take him or to shoot hin
from q position where the stump woul
not protect him. For four hours he ha
laid in view Of those in the fort. hi
mother trying to encourage him, ye
herself needing encouragement. whel
a sudden thought occurred to him.
For heavens sake" he cried, ''di
a hole under the cabin wall and tax
me in
All wondered why they hadn'
thought Of the plan before. Pick an
spade were brought. and a hole wa
sunk in the ground. Then when it wa
of depth sufficient to excavate unde
the wall. a channel was run out to tn
young hunter and he was drawn with
in the fort.
Ray had no sooner emerged from tn
hole than he found himself Rugged
his mothers arms. and the other
crowded round to congratulate hin
The redskins heard the shout Of tr
umph that was raised in the fort an
knew that the man they were firing 8
had escaped. But how? 1t was sti
light enough for them to keep in vie
the stump behind which he had take
refuge. and had he got up and bee
assisted over the stockade he woul