Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-12-19

its passage, and imbedded itself in the
opposite wall. In front Of me savages
fell, staggering, screams of anger and
agony mfngling as the astonished as
sailants realized the fight before them.
An instant we held them, startled,
and demoralized. The warriors bear
ing the log stumbled over a dead body
and went down, the great timber
crushing out another life as it fell.
Again we fired, this time straight into
their faces-b1t there was no stopping
them. A red blanket flashed back be-
yond the big tree; cultural voice
shouted, its hoarse note rising above
the hellish uproar, and those demons
were on their feet again, filed with
new frenzy. 1t was a minute-no
more. With blow that shook the
cabin, propelled by twenty strong
arms, the great tree butt struck,
splintering the oak wood as though it
were so much pine, and driving a
jagged hole clear through one panel.
Kennedy was there, blazing away di-
rectly into the assailants' eyes, and /
joined him.
| Again they struck, and again, the
| jagged end of their battering ram pro-
truded through the shattered wood.
We killed, but they were too many.
Once more the. great butt came crash
ing forward, this time caving in the
entire door, bursting it back upon its
hinges. In through the opening the
red mob hurled itself, reckless of death
or wounds, mad with the thirst for
victory; jam of naked beasts, crazed
by the smell of blood-a wave OF
slaughter, crested with brandished
guns and gleam of tomahawks.
There is nothing to remember
nothing but blows, curses, yells, the
crunch of steel on flesh, the horror Of
cruel eyes glowering into yours, the
clutching of fingers at your throat, tht
spit of fire singeing you, the strain o1
combat hand to hand-the knowledge
that it is all over, except to die.
had no sense Of fear; no thought bu
to kill and be killed. felt within nj
acknowledgements insane strength
The rifle butt splintered in my hands
: but the bent and shapeless barrel ros
and fell like a fail. saw it crusl
against skulls; I jabbed 1t straigh
into red faces brought it down witt
all my force on clutching arms. Fo
an instant Tim was beside me. 81
had lost his gun and was fighting wit
, knife 1t was only glimpse I ha
of him through red mist-the next il
slant he was gone. A huge fell0N
faced me, a Winnebago, knew, fro1
his shaven head. I struck him once
. laying open his cheek to the bone
then he broke through and gripped me
: The rest Is what-a dream; a de
lirium fever? / know not; it comes
me in flashes of mad memory. 1 wa
struck again and again, stabbed, an
flung to the floor. Moccasined fee
|. trod on me, and some fiend gripped m
Z hair, bending my head back across
dead body, until 1 felt the neck cracl
Above me were naked legs and arm
a pandemonium of dancing figures,
/ horrible chorus of maddened yells.
csught glimpse of Asa Hall fun
y high into the air, shot dead in mit
flight, the whirling body dropping int
|, the ruck below. I saw the savag
whose fingers were twined in my hal
r lift a cleaning tomahawk and circle
about his head; 1 stared into the hat
= of his eyes, and as it swept down
!, there was glare Of red and yello
y fame between us, the thunder of q
q explosion; the roof above seemed /
T burst asunder and fall in-and dar
IL ness, death.