Year: 1877

A dozen men-journalists hunters,
Indian fighters and miners around a
campfire on the trail to Deadwood. Soft
flakes of snow sailed in eccentric course
through the night air, and finally down
into the spluttering fire and upon the
cold earth.


There were other men on the tral be-
fore and behind. Men rushed wherever
the precious metal was discovered. There
were broken wagons, dead horses and
human skeletons along every mile of the
trail, and ferce-eyed Indians looked out
from every ravine and down upon travel
ers from every hill.


The dozen gathered closer as darkness
shut down, AMI the snow-fakes came
faster and faster, and by-and-by an old
man with grizzly locks and piercing eye
said, as if speaking to himself:


Custer went in to kill. 1t was an
awful thing to do-to rush 800 men down
on 5000 reds but he did it, and went in
to win. No other man will ever take
such chances"


And yet one was near by who meant
to take greater chances. SO cat-like was
his step that be almost entered the camp
before the sentinels saw him. He was a
giant in size, and, as he halted where the
light of the fire shone full in his face.
three or four men uttered ordinations
of surprise and horror. There was blood
on the strangers face, blood on his great,
rough hands, blood over his clothing
clear down to his boots. 1t was a ter
rible sight, and yet, as if something fur
ther was needed, the stranger turned his
back to the men, and they saw an attempt
had been made to scalp him.


Waterford ~ he whispered as he
looked from face to face.


Both were given him, and after drink
ing full quart of water he grasped a
loaf OF bread and hunk of meat. and
tore them with his teeth as a wolf would
have done. By-and-by, when his hunger
had been appensed, he said:


cit happened off this way, nigh to
twenty miles. / lost the trail somehow,
and the red devils swooped down on me
at noon to-day. The old woman and five
children were in the wagon. There were
forty or fifty reds, and it wasn't three
minutes before the hull family was dead
all but me -


His eye blazed with fury; he seemed
to grow in height, and, casting the rem
nants of the food into the fire, he fiercely
shouted:


"Think of the old woman having her
brains beaten out by the fends! Think
of the children being hauled out'n the
wagon, and scalped and stabbed and their
throats cut from ear to ear Come on
come with me -


He leaped over the fire and bounded
away into the darkness, but presently re-
turned and said with calmer voice:
g fit, of course. 1t was which for
who, but they were fifty to one. 1 drove
'em from the corpses. I dubbed em off
with my rifle. but they were too many.
1hCN oliot eiti SethooSo dlt, run llle
to the hills; they have hunted me all the
afternoon"


The giant trembled J 'af, and the
| fresh blood ran from wounds, and
trickled down in red paths over his
neck AMI checks and clothing. The
leader of the party tried to soothe him,
promising aid as soon as daylight came,
but the stranger waved his arms and
cried out:


"What can you do? The wolves are
/ feeding on my wife and children tonight
their scalps are back in the hills with
the Indian devils! Can you bring life
back to them? Give me a gun and al
AK


No one moved for two or three seconds
being spell-bound by his wild look and
words, and the stranger picked up cav
airy carbine and its box of cartridges
seized the light ak used about the camp
fire, and in another minute was lost sigh
of in the darkness, calling back, as hi.
step was lost to hearing: