The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-05-22

answered. "TIl hoe an dig, an cook,
an guide fer money. But l won't fight
40 more fer homeopathy cause I
don't need it-partly cause I'm fight
in fer myself. I got a little left in
my britches pocket, but if l hadn't,
nv OF Marier wouldn't let me go hun
cry"
In April the two friends set out
afoot for the lower end of the High
lands. On the river they hired a Dutch
farmer to take them on to Albany in
his sloop. After two delightful days
at home, General Schuyler suggested
that they could do a great service by
traversing the wilderness to the valley
of the great river of the north, as far
as possible toward ~Swegachie, and re-
porting their observations to Crown
Point or Fort Edward, if there seemed
to be occasion for it, and if not, they
were to proceed to General Herkimer's
camp at Oriskany and give him what
help they could in protecting the set
tiers in the west.
"YOu would need to take all your
wit and courage with you,' the gen.
eral warned them. "The Indians are
In bad temper. They have taken to
roasting their prisoners at the stake
and eating their flesh. This is a haz-
ardous undertaking. Therefore, L give
you a suggestion and not an order"
'Ill go 'lone,' said Solomon. eff I
get ct up it needn't break n~obody's
heart. Let Jack go to one o. the
forts"
mo, I'd rather go into the bush with
you," said Jack. "We're both needed
there. If necessary we could separate
and carry our warning in two direc-
tions. Well take a couple of the new
double-barreled rifles and four pis-
tolls. If we had to, I think we could
fight a hole through any trouble we
are likely to have
So it was decided that they should
go together on this scouting trip into
the north bush. Solomon had long be-
fore that invented what he called "a
lightnin' thrower'' for close fighting
with Indians, to be used if one were
hard pressed and outnumbered and
likely to have his scalp taken. This
odd contrivance ne had never had oc-
casion to use. 1t was a thin, round
shell of cast iron with a tube, a flint
and plunger. The shell was of about
the size of a large apple. 1t was to be
filed with missiles and gunpowder.
nho DI17prar with itc cpr;n1 1r,oe So+
vertically above the tube. In throw
ing this contrivance one released it's
spring by the pressure of his thumb.
The hammer fell and the spark it
made ignited a fuse leading down to
the powder. It's owner had to throw
it from behind a tree or have a share
in the peril it was sure to create.
While Jack was at home with his
people Solomon spent a week in the
foundry and forge and, before they
set out on their journey, had three Of
these unique weapons, all loaded and
packed in waterproof wrappings.
About the middle of May they pro
ceeded in a light bark canoe to Fort
Edward and carried it across country
TO Lake George and made their way
with paddles to Ticonderoga. There
they learned that scouts were operat-
ing only on and near Lake Champlain.
The interior of Tryon county was said
to be dangerous ground. Mohawks,
Cagnawagas, Senecas, Algonquins and
1urons were thick in the bush and all
N the warpath. They were t%orturing
md eating every white man that fell
n their hands, save those with a Tory
mark on them.
"We're skeered o. the bush," said an
elderly bearded soldier, who was sit
ing on a log. "a man who goes into
he wildwood needs to be a good friend
: Cod"
"But Schuyler thinks a force of Brit
sh may land somewhere along the big
liver and come down through the bush,
a road as they advance" said
lack.
"a thousand men could make q toll
lble Vaughn road to Fort Edward in a