Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-01-25

and wilkins, was stationed in the CEN
ter Of the rear line, the woods lay
quiet, seemingly empty of any Indians.
David turned about and glanced
toward the center of the camp. Fifty
yards away were the tents of the OFF,
GERS, lighted up by the campfires. He
could distinguish the figures of them
all. They were all fully dressed and
we're buckllng on their sword-belts as
they talked. Harrison was standing
impatiently waiting while an orderly
struggled with his horse.
Hargrove, dlvining that 1t was the
generals intention to ride away
toward the points where the savages
were attacking in numbers, struck
David on the shoulder in his hurry:
"Go ask Colonel Deck -
to stand herel Quick, b
! Ha; -lson goesp
David ran toward Il
he reached them, Harrison succeeu., =.
In getting his foot into the stirrup and
threw himself into the saddle. Decker
was about to mount. David saluted
as he ran, crying, els Captain Har-
grove to stand where he Isl"
Harrison answered before the colon
ell could reply:
"All the captains are to hold their
companies as they standl You will
do nothing but hold the ground until
light enough to ADVANCED
He gathered up the relns and with
a bound was gone through the falling
mist, Boyd, Owen, Hurst, Taylor,
Washington Johnston and Daviess
urging their horses at his heels.
David ran back toward his captain.
The horrid tumult at the northwest
and southeast angles grew louder. Da-
vid listened with an excitement that
filed his es with the sound of his
own hearts %. Two hundred
yards awr liked in a
ceaseleSS
The drums
drummer at the o..
beating the long roll; til.
varying tattoo, spread its imp
summons through the night with h
sound that forced its way through all
the wilder babel of the camp. David
wondered why it had not begun SOON
err; 1t did not seem possible that not
sixty seconds had elapsed since the
first alarm had been given.
A cold gust made the raindrops
waver. He became conscious that his
teeth were chattering. Two men,
wriggling on the ground, succeeded in
scattering the fire so that its light
died down to the embers. David saw
the other company fires go out, one
by one. But they had not all been ex-
tingulshed soon enough.
AS the light Of the fires died out the
flashing of the rifles became more
plainly visible. The damp air was
heavy with the acrid smell of powder
smoke. In the swamp at the east Da-
vid could see the flames of the IndI-
ans rifles twinkling like flreflies.
The uproar at the northwest angle
of the camp, two hundred yards away,
grew louder. David strained his eyes
through the darkness but dlstin-
guished nothing. Suddenly from the
dark angle trumpet blared out its
immemorial summons to charge. On
the last note arose a burst of cheer
ing.
"ChargingT calculated Hargrove
at David's side.
1t was the plan of the Indians to
wait until a girdle had been formed
on three sides of the camp, where a
simultaneous attack might be made,
north, east and south; but before they
had completed this detour of the
wooded plateau the impatient saw
ages stationed at the northwest cor
ner had drawn in closer and closer
to the American sentries In their ca
gerness to rush In. It was one of
these whom Stephen Mars had heard
gliding through the wet underbrush /;
and at the report of his rifle the In
dams threw aside concealment and
began the onset on the north flank of
the little army, without waiting for
more Of their numbers to complete the
circle on the east front.
And so the men of Gelger's Ken
lucky Rifles and those of Captain
Barton's regular troops, forming the
northwest angle, awoke to find q hun
dred shadowy forms rushing on them
with the cries of wild beasts. Their
answering fire burnt the very breasts
o. the Indians and lighted up the
painted, hideous faces. There was no
time to reload; the rifles became clubs
that swung and crashed against rib
and skull, or red warrior and white
went down locked In the terrible en-
brace which the bloody knife alone,
rising and falling, might end.
But the angle held firm. When Har-
rison and his staff reined in their
horses at the spot, the hand-to-hand
conflict was over, and the savages had
retreated to the shelter OF trees
where they might have time to reload
their guns. Behind them they left q
score Of dead and dying OF their own
Il - -