Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-02

by q party or Indians ana captured.
The Indians had been acting ugly for
some time, but this was their first
overt act. There was little doubt that
Kennedy would be tortured and put to
death. There were but few men in the
place, but they gathered all the arms
they could carry and, mounting their
horses, rode in the direction their guide
led them in the vain hope that they
might save the captive's life.
When the aborigines OF America be-
came hostile they broke into their hos
tility all at once. The party found the
country through which they passed
alive with Indians ready for murder.
They were attacked by one of these
parties and put to flight. Tom Haw-
kins, though he had his natural eye I'M
covered-the patch was over the glass
one-was at a disadvantage. man
may see as distinctly with one eye as
with two, but he is a very poor judge
of distance. Objects seem nearer to
him than they really are. Coming to
narrow stream of water, over which it
was necessary to jump his horse, Tom
raised his animal too soon, and, instead
of getting over the stream. he went
into 1t. The horse was killed, and Tom
was shot on TO the opposite bank,
where he lay stunned for time and
before he came to himself was picked
up by the Indians. His comrades es-
capped.
Tom was taken to the headquarters
of the chief, where he found Kennedy.
Preparations were in progress for tor
turing the latter, and it was now decid-
ed to torture the two captives together.
Both were surrounded by a crowd of
shouting. jabhering Indians. Neither
was bound, because the intention was
to make them run the gantlet. The
Indians noticed the green patch over
Hawki.s, glass eye, and one young
buck covered his own eye with a leaf
and, squaring himself before the white
man, Knocked him, while the crowd Of
red men looked on with laughter and
hooting.
Tom turned away from them and,
making pretense of covering his face
with his hands, moved the patch to
cover his natural eye. leaving the black
one exposed.
Most of the Indians had not noticed
whether it was the right or the left eye
they had seen, and when Tom turned
again toward them they did not realize
that the patch had been changed
What they did realize was that a fend-
ish maniteu was looking at them
through an entirely different eye from
the one they had seen. From yelling,
chattering and laughing a hush came
over them. The young buck who, hold
ing green leaf over his eye, had stood
before Tom haunting him covered
away in superstitious terror, while the
others who were nearest also skunk
back Tom through the tiny hole In
the patch-the orifice was too small to
be observed by the Indians-saw his
advantage and resolved to use it to
save himself and his comrade II pos
sible. Turning his face to an individ-
f, ual Indian. he kept his devils eye on
! him. at the same time pointing his
! finger at him, till the man quailed be
! fore it. then fixed 1t on another till he
had effected the same result.
| When, advancing with the measured
]
man in turn, he had driven back a
number Of the Indians, he turned his
! attention to the chief. Taking his patch
from his natural eye, he displayed both
his gray and black eyes, producing the
| most uncaany effect Of all his different
eye displays. Then. raising his cIinch-
| ed fist. he stood. like JOve holding the
! lightning, regarding the trembling In
dian. as though about TO strike him
with some invisible weapon.
Though the two eyes as they were
| presented a horrible combination. Tom
made it more horrible by throwing all
/ the fierceness he was capable OF assum-
! ing into his natural eye And to en-
| able him to better do so, as well as TO
| affect the chief by speech. he threat
ened that If be attempted to hurt n
hair of his own or Kennedy's head he
would call q thuDderbolt from the sky
and wither him and his whole tribe.
! The Indian did not understand a word
he said, but Toms pantomime, lifting
his clinched fist toward the heavens
and bringing it down with terrific
force; the vengeance displayed in his
the artificial one, conveyed his mean
ing perfectly. The Indians eroveled on
the ground before him. many of them
hiding their faces.
Tom. seeing that his scheme was
ripe, pointed at Kennedy and told him
to walk slowly away. Kennedy obeyed
the order. though he was burning to
run. Tom kept up his maledictions
upon the Indians till his comrade was
out Of sight, then commenced his own
retreat
In order not TO lose sight Of the In
dians for more than n moment at a
time he whirled az he moved, thus
heightening the mystical effect But
the superstition Of the Indians had
been so worked upon that they were
only too glad TO get rid Of him. He
soon rejoined Kennedy. and they both
got safely away.
Hawkins not long after this procured
a gray artificial eye, but so long as the
Indians remained in that region he
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