The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-09-09

clearing about twenty yards in
extent and gain another por-
ton of the woods, but before
doing this, I took the precau-
ton to look out. The prospect
was terribly discouraging, for
our immediate, and not more
than fifty yards distant I saw
four or five Indians galloping
toward us. Near by were two
cottonwood stumps, nearly tou-
ching each other, and behind
this slender barricade the soldier
and I knelt down, he with his
carbine, and with my revoIv-
er, ready to do for a few savages
before they could kill us. We de-
termined not to fire until they
came so close we could not miss
them-and there we waited. I
had given up hope, and made up
my mind that the end had come.
They had not yet seen us, and
when the formost man was
just abreast of us, and about
ten yards distant, I fired. They
came in Indian file, and at my
fire the turned right-about,
and were making off, when
Private O'Neil fired his carbine
at the second savage, who at
the moment was refining in his
pony to turn him back. The
private's eye was true and his
carbine trusty, for Mr.. Indian
dropped his rein, threw up his
arms and laid down on the
grass to sleep his long sleep. The
gentleman I had greeted rode a
short distance and then sudden
ly did likewise. The rest of the
party rode on, turned the cor
ner of the woods and disap-
peared.
I'VE remained in our position,
expecting every moment that a
hundred desperate savageS would
appear to put an end to us. Dur
Ing all this time the firing from
the bluffs continued, but after
we had fired our shots, it ceased
and we retired to the thicket
where we waited our fate, pos
sessed alternately with hope and
despair. From our position here
we could see the Indians on the
bluffs, their ponies picketed un-
der cover of the hill, and a line
of Sharpshooters, all lying flat
on their stomachs. We could
hear the battle going on above
us on the hills, the continued
rattle of m%usketry, the cheering
of our command and the whoops
of the savages. Our hope revived
when we heard the familiar
cheer of our comrades but de-
spondency followed fast, for
we again discovered that the
woods were on fire! The sharp
cracking of the burning timber
approached nearer and nearer
with awful rapidity, and we had
to shift our position. We crawl
ed almost to the edge OF the
wood, when we discovered that
the fiends had fired both sides!
We moved around until we
found a thick clump of what
they call burberry trees, under
which we crept. The grass on
the edge of this place was very
green; it had been raining a
little while before, and there
was no wind. When the fire ap-
preached our hiding place it ran
very slowly, so that I was en-
abled to smother it with my
gauntlet gloves. The fire con-
sumed all the underwood a.
round us, and was almost ex-
pended by this time.
There we were, in a little
oasis, surrounded by fire but
comparatively safe from the ell
ement, and with the advantage
of seeing almost everything a.
round us without being seen.
We could see the savages going
backward, and forward, and one
standing on picket not more
than seventy or eighty yards
from us, evidently put there
fire.
About 4 o'clock pm. this
picket fired four pistol shots in
to the air at regular intervals
from each other, and which I
interpreted as a signal Of some
kind. Soon after these shots we
heard the powerful voice of a
savage crying out, making the
same sound four times, and after
these two signals we saw two
hundred or more Indians leave
the bluffs and ford the river,
evidently leaving the ground.
About one hour later the same
double signals were repeated.
and many mounted Indians
left at a gallop. Soon the re-
mainder of those who were on
the bluffs also retired.
Hope now revived. The mus
kerry rattle had ceased and only
now and then could we hear a
far-off shot. BY 6 o'clock ev-
erything around US was appar-
emily quiet, and no evidence
or sign Of any Indians near us.
We supposed the regiment had
left the field. and that all that