Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-02

OTTU MWA G.
commanded on all sides from higher
ground, its near vicinity shelterless. n
we tried to give them a stand-up fight
not man of us would have lasted
twenty minutes.
1t was abandon our horses, take to
the lake and swim up its sluggish cur
rent to the lodges Patterson's man had
the demons Of the caverns what they
might, to our thinking they were bound
to turn out a cheap bunch of tin horns
compared to the yelling band that was
already dropping lead enough into
that lake to make it look like hail
storm had begun.
So out Of the saddle we bounced,
packed the roast ribs and joints Of
venison and wild hog that constituted
our only food store. and plunged into
the lake. Swimming on our backs and
holding our arms above the water as
well as we could, we kicked our way
into a darkness that III bet nothing
short of Indians could have driven
several of us into.
We proceeded in utter silence. save
for the FLASHING Of our heels, until our
guide, true to his word, brought us
alongside the lodges he had promised
us. But right then the horrors hit us.
Alone. I believe almost any man of
us would have plunged back into
death by drowning. or capture and
torture by the Indians, rather than
remain. Cold. clammy bodies we
could not see banged us in the
face and were, gone;, impish claws
plucked at our hair and winged away
before we could belt them; and all the
time whir of mysterious wings filed
the echoing cavern.
I don't believe any Of us spoke for
twenty minutes after we climbed up
on the lodges. All, dare say, were
struggling as I was to muster nerve
enough to use tongue. I know I felt
that If ventured to open my mouth
should scream
Presently our guide called in
hoarse whisper, which the cavern
echoed again and again:
Reckon we're safe here. boys; but
amt she. hell for unholy?" ...... =.
THE Comanches are not going to
get to eat us up, but am allowin' 1t
went be long before something else
does.' answered Patterson; toughest
game to keep your seat in that ever
I've played"
After perhaps half an hour of tor
ment the ghosts quit us, flew back, I
reckon, to their perches alongside Of
Old Horny's fires. Fools II they didn't
for it was as cold in there as the sum-
NIT of Ell Captain.
Then, the cave silent. We could faint
ly hear the voices of the Indians, who
were counciling. I reckon, about how
they could contrive to get our scalps.
/ The hours passed. goodness knows
had long been taking turn about do
ling. Night or day was all the same
in there, for our matches were wet and
We could not consult our watches.
Finally the guard awakened the
sleepers, and we could hear the soft
FLASHING of swimmers. Presently we
took heart, for it became certain
they were approaching upstream, and
therefore were probably Indians-wel-
come enemies compared to the winged
horrors of the place.
Near to- us they came, almost d.
rectly beneath where We were waiting,
to smash their heads In
with the butts of cur rifles, which were
no good for anything else in the dark.
But just when another stroke or two
would have brought them within our
reach, our demons of darkness re-
;,f1 ofi h,sir oincv IL C01ln6od
like, a few millions more of their fell
low devils along.
One flutter did the business for that
little bunch of swimming Indians; they
let off yell that nearly deafened us.
and dove. And, honest, believe they
are diving yet, for it is certain that
they could not swim under water far
enough to get out Of our hearing, and
that we were unable to hear further
sound of them. Anyway, they were
was the main thing; we
didn't care how
Two days and nights we stayed in
Phantom Lake caves, so we learned
later when We got hack to the settle
ments. At the end Of that time our
food was exhausted, and our dread OF
LuC pace AldOC dAy IAlA6 OioS PASASAo
ble We swan near to the mouth OF
the caves, where we stopped until our
eyes got used to the binding daylight.
Then few strokes took us out into
the lake-to find, as we had figured,
that the Indians were gone, convinced
that the demons of the cave had not
left enough of us to filch scalp from.
Fast as we could we pushed on to-
v ard the Rio Grande afoot, over the
Dioblo Mountains and down to Eagle
Springs. Famished, ,footsore, and
tagged. we made the springs the sec
ond night, and fancied ourselves past
our worst troubles.
But, warned by past experience, we
camped among some boulders that lay
on the slope above the spring, and of
course set guard And it was well
indeed we did, for at dawn our two
sentries detected shadowy figures
creeping up on the camp, and fired, and