Year: 1875

my heart stood still with apprehension.
ALI this while the flames were coming
nearer and nearerl They were not now
| more than a quarter of q mile distant,
| and coming on with increasing fury.
Unless some one came to my rescue /
should certainly perish. What could
do, alone and helpless, upon the
great prairie, with perfect lake of
fire sweeping on to nay destructionl
"My God," 1 cried aloud, ''win no
ono save me from a horrible death p


81 am here for that purpose" said .
familiar voice close behind me. turn
ed my head and beheld my nearest
neighbor, Henry Thompson, in the act
of dismounting from his horse.


'"This is ticklish situation, Ward"
said he, as he fastened to me and be-
gan to help me out of the ground.


"What angel of mercy sent you to
me at this critical moment ?" said I,
almost crying with Joy.


The same angel that watches the
welfare of every human being must
have guided me to you," said Thomp-
son, working away to get me out of the
ground. my wife and were expect
ing you at our house tonight and after
supper we just walked out in the pleas
ant moonlight to meet you. We saw
you coming when you were some dis
tance from us, and we also saw the In
dians when they surrounded and cap
tured you and your wife. We waited
in the shadow of some bushes until
the Indians had gone, then took my
wife back to the house and followed
going to do with you. At some dis
from fhTo r0lono r xpi$rauuo1 oil
the Indians did TO you, and when they
left carne on here. There, now, come
out of that hole and let us be getting
away from this place."


obeyed, and then looked around
at the fire, which was now frightfully
near.


"Quick," said Thompson, who had
mounted his horse, 'get up behind me
and let us be Off"


obeyed without a word, and in an
instant later we were flying over the
plain at mad gallop. Not a word
was spoken by either until we were
out of the range of the fire. We had
barely accomplished this when loud
report shook the air, and we knew
that the flames had touched the con-
tents of the powder horn.


shuddered IS I thought of the fate
that would have been mine had not
Thompson come to my aid. Then my
thoughts turned to my darling wife,
and the silence remained unbroken
until we had gone several miles. At
last Thompson spoke:


'sThe Indians think you are dead by
this time, Ward they will not expect
any one to follow them, and conse-
quentiy we shall have less trouble
with them when we arrive at their
camp. We can rescue your wife with
out difficulty, 1 think-and yonder is
the camp" he added, as we suddenly
caught sight of several fires on the
plains about mile ahead of us. We
were very cautious in approaching the
camp, and within half an nOur after
we first saw the fires We were hidden
near the camp, watching the move
ments of the Indians. Presently all
became quiet about the camp, the saw
ages having retired within their wig
vans.


Itwas now considerably past mid
night, and as there were no guards
stationed around the camp, we we're at
liberty to move as we pleased. We
walked through the camp in every di-
rection, but some time was spent in
looking for my wife before we t0und
her. We found her at last near the
centre of the camp, completely laced
to the trunk of a huge oak. To re-
lease her and beat a retreat from the
camp was the work of but few mo-
ments. Having procured horses, my
wife and started homeward, while
Thompson slipped back into the camp.
When he joined us again the spirit of
Rolling Thunder had flown from its
mortal tenement. We travelled in 81
lence, and at last, in the gray dawn of
morning, we came in sight of our
homes. After many thanks to our
friend and neighbor for the service he
had rendered us, we separated-he to
his home, and we to ours. Shortly
afterwards left the West and return
ed to my old home in Kentucky. Long
years have come and gone since then,
but never shall 1 forget the events
of that night on the plains.-Cinci'a-
natl Times.