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ON THE BORDER.
I have knocked about a good deal in
my time, from doubling Cape Horn as a
sailor to digging gold as a miner, and
fighting Indians as a scout, and yet the
closest escape I ever had from death was
with my eyes wide open and through
my own stupidity. Early in the seven¬
ties, I was down m the Indian territory
buying horses for shipment east. I had
a partner, and we traveled with our own
team in a covered wagon. That terri¬
tory is not any too peaceful now, but in
’72-3 you not only wanted a trusty rifle
with you, but you wanted the knack of
drop] )ing your man first. Traveling from
1 > "inch as we did, with every¬
body Li ug that we had money to
buy horse;- with, our situation was one
constant vigilance. There was
never a night that both of us slept at
once, and never a day that we were not
the wateb for some pin" A get the
H li ' t u. In one tnp of ti months
Hi* 1 (lifl'eo'iit w;.i,rc.L **t gs pois
i ] ) 1 1 In gave up trying to keep
V hi mi Id i . igiw that t would
0 srth while toi sum' of the
i mds earning tht country to
i s ii af ',ck on ua, hut the fel
r< • t d di r» i l v, A uple of
rmcd with V j.chesters and re
,1 and detern\iia to defend their
y cost. )! , gOUlhl not to
V. ( Vc r west< rn out w, with
ns. is just careful
about t bull inU n body as
ne dn ■ in July, while we we e on the
it or k Cai tn nrer, and
t i'nty m *s below Shav*, leetown,
) i in oui team was bitten
cans 7? I w driving, and I
the ena r. e as it i 2 itself rom the
* and bi the hoi 5 t wiee on the leg.
is a hot da , the well heated
in- the t(O lson iry soon.
I n > rc'iYi .hL i tori d i were com
» land bv and sec s i imal suf *
u le. -vasn t an hour
,.i n . i e was sUuck : befo e '/as dead.
fn I>u in homes we stini * or deliv¬
at certain points, and thus had no
ones with us. To make our team
one of us must take the other horse
ride off and make a purchase. I had
over the route Indore, and I knew
the nearest ranch was twelve miles
the river. It was now 4 o’clock in the
and we were within half a
of the stream and in a wild and
district of country. We had with
in a tin box in the wagon over $4,000
gold, and the misfortune to our home
increased our anxieties. Mv
insisted that I should be the one
remain with tho wagon, and he had no
moved away than I began to make
secure. Tho very first move was
ice the tin box from the wagon and
it in the ground under the vehicle,
after that I staked out the horse, saw
every firearm was in good order, and
around the camp to drive away any
lurking about.
There was no use in expecting Patton,
partner, back lief ore 8 o’clock or
He would doubtless find a suitable
at the first ranch, but the ranch¬
might !>e away, or there were a
other reasons to call for delay. We
provisions with us. and at about 6
I built a fire and prepared my
and was about to begin eating
when 1 caught sight of a home and rider
approaching camp from the northwest.
Tlie ground was open for three or four
mill's, and as T had a glass with mo I
made out. while the horse was yet a mile
and a half away, that he bore a woman
on bis back. Had she been a squaw the
the sight would not have occasioned sur¬
prise, but the first look proved that she
was white and that her horse was jaded
and coming slowly. As I held the glass
on her I saw her turn and look back, as
one pursued, and long before she reached
me I had become greatly interested in
her case. She rode straight for the
wagon, and when she finally came up her
horse was very much blown, and the
woman’s face seemedfto betray both hope
and fear by turns. She was an average
looking female, about 40 yearn old, and
as she drew rein beside me we surveyed
each other for half a minute before
either spoke. During that interval I
caught an expression on her face which I
did not at all like. It was a sly, sinister
look, hut it passed swiftly away, and was
replaced by one of anxiety. I was the
first to sjx*ak, saying:
“Well, are you in trouble?”
“In great trouble, sir,” she replied,
“I have been living with my brother on
a small ranch about fifteen miles distant,
Two hours ago a dozen drunken Kicka
poo Indians visited the place, wounded
my brother and set fire to the house, and
would have assaulted me had I not fled
on this horse. They ^pursued me for
several miles, and I I”
Here she broke down and began to cry
and sob. What could Ido but ask her
to dismount, give her my promise of pro
tection, and say that when my partner
returned we would drive straight to the
ranch and sacrifice our lives, if need be,
to rescue her brother and teach the In
dians a lesson? She did not come down
without considerable palaver, seeming to
be very sensitive about getting me into
trouble, and when she did take a seat on
the blankets prepared for her, she con
tinued to cry and lament and would not
touch a mouthful of food.
It had grown dark by the time I had
eaten my supper, and it was now time to
look for Patton. I sought, as any man
would have done under the circum
stances, to cheer the woman up, and by
and by she gave over crying and seemed
a bit more hopeful. She explained that
she had removed to the teintory fiom
Clarksville, Ark., three years before,
being a-widow withone
had died withm the year, and the brother,
who was an old baclieloi, and not in good
health, had come on to remain until the
place could be sold out. A Kickapoo
buck had taken a great fanc\ to the
woman and w anted^ to many her, and
her the raid indignant made that lefusal day. had Her called story do\^ filled
me with indignation, and as the night
came on I was terribly impatient foi
Patton to return. About half-past 9
o’clock I heard the gallop of horses, and
was ready to welcome my partner, but
before they bad come in sight the widow
sprang up in great terror, and cried
out:
“Oh, sir, they are the Indians who
have been on my trail! Don’t let them
take me away! Let me hide in ths
wagon!” they will
“In with you quick, and
have to kill me before they lay hands on
you, ’ * I replied, and she disappeared be¬
neath the cover with astonishing celerity.
The gallop came nearer and nearer,
and presently a voice hailed me:
“The camp thar—lielleJ”
“Who is it?”
“Friends.”
“Come in.”
With that a half breed and a Kickapoo
came riding into camp on horses which
had neither saddle nor blanket. Both
men looked savage and sullen, and were
well armed. The half breed could speak
very good English, and when he had
come to a halt and looked around, he
said:
“We are after the woman who came
into your camp a few hours ago. I see
her horse over there.”
“By what authority do you demand
her?”
“None of your business. "We have
for her, and we mean to have her. ”
come
“Do you mean that you will take her
by force?”
“I do; and let me give you a piece of
advice. I see you are a tenderfoot,
Don’t put on too many airs in this coun
try. It’s a great place to have one’s
wings cropped in a hurry. Don’t at
tempt any foolishness with us, or you’ll
know what hurt you. ’ ’
never
I had my Winchester in hand and two
revolvers in my belt
tempered man, ther won a
some shooting befor lie ban con'' E
his bombastic speec 1 J am alow U
anger, especially whe, * ..man life may
pay the forfeit, and I ear l .mi throe,;*>
without being roiled • * a., w.w
hidden away in the won ;nd aad a/,
revealed her presence them byword
or move.
“If the woman chooses to go with yo*
well and good,” I answered, a;
t h e fellow over by the ught vi the camp
fire. “If she does not you cannot take
her.”
“Oh we can’t, eh2 You crow pretty
loud for a spring chicken. Well, ask the
wench to make a choice.”
The wagon was about ten paces from
fj ie fi re> a nd i n the shadow, although not
so much so that I could not see it pretty
plainly. I had made a step toward it
when I saw a black object under the
wheels, and, supposing it to be a wolf, I
raised my gun and took a snap shot,
caring only to send a bullet near enough
f 0 drive if away. The object disappeared
with the echoes of the report, and as I
walked along to the wagon the two l‘*d,
w j 10 j iad no t dismounted, accompanied
me Standing within five feet of the
vehicle I called to the woman and asked
B fi e desired to go with the men, and
8 j ie replied: them, if
“Oh! sir, save me from even
y OU have to shoot me.”
“But vou’ve got to come!” shouted
^ half breed.
“She shall not go!” I shouted at him.
0 u tw0 villains sixty seconds in
-^hich to leave camp. Now go!”
Th / were cloge together, and my rifle
CQver d both> The ^venty y ioo ke d straight at
me for fifteen Qr secondhand
then turned and rode away in the dark
negg> j followed t hem for 100 yards,
when thev - urged f tlieir horses to a galop,
^ vodQ tQ he north without looking
back j gtood and looked af te r them
untU j could n0 i ong er hear the beat of
their horses ' hoofs, and I felt rather
^ ud of my n£rve ^ dr i vm g them
way It did not oc Cur to me until next
day ^ that either or both of them could
ha e gQt the drop on me up ^ the time I
raised my rifle, and that while they
were making threats of what they would
do they left their rifles lying across their
saddles. They simply permitted me to
I force them out of camp at the muzzle of
, my Winchester, and that was a part of
! their plan. When I returned to the fire
the woman was beside it, her face betray
ing fear and distress, and as soon as I
came up she clasped her hands and tear
fully exclaimed:
“Oh, you will not let them take me
away__you will not!”
I assured her that they had been driven
off, and that she was safe, and her grati
tude was unbounded. It was now 10
o’clock and after, and Patton had not yet
returned. It was useless to expect him
until morning, and I set about preparing
the camp for the night. As there was a
strong probability that the two men
driven off would secure re-enforcements
and return during the night, I tied the
horse to the wagon, told the woman that
she could occupy the vehicle, and pre
pared to spend the night on guard. She
seemed to oppose this latter arrangement,
doubting if the men would return, and
declaring it was a sacrifice on mv part
she could not accept. I bundled her into
the wagon, however, promising that I
might catch a nap at 1 or 2 o’clock if
all was quiet, and by and by I let the fire
go down and took my circle around the
camp with cat like step. A few coyotes
and wolves came about, but nothing
seemed to disturb me, and the hours
passed away until 2 o’clock. By that
time I was very tired and sleepy. I
dared not stretch out for a regular deep,
knowing that the danger was not yet
passed, but I sat down on a knoll about
forty feet north of the wagon to nap a
little, knowing that any noise of account
would instantly arouse me. It was per
haps a quarter bf an hour before I ac-
ally foil a sie Imosv inst ttly I
l g<*u to dr that I was
tied fast to a t g and that
a rattles* -e * - > r‘“toward me
Th(3 pnr 7*; iu f’V v
movement f ,
nelp’ese- t- ji\ o» .ne A
repine w as ar; n : if hq dream t ad
been a reality, am* my “ ,id ti as a. Cxewt
as a bell. Hie e&spent came very wowiy,
* every two or three fee to rear \z s
be,ul and look about air- .ten rt was
ulnn ton fed ^ 0 m ~ 'xu»
> el a h ut lt had a
liaiu \’ a £ d th ? £? v nd clut phed a bull dog
pistol. 1 he pistol J was pointed full at me,
and * saw bummer was up.
“Whiz!” went a shadow before my
face, and then I saw behind me. The
snake was no longer in front, but creep*
ing up in my rear, and yet I saw him afl
plainly as before. He came on slowly— "When
cautiously—always a little nearer the pistol
within three feet of my heels
was raised to the back of my head, and 1
said to myself: bul
“So I am to be shot. It is a large
let, and it will go clear through my head.
I wonder why he didn’t bite me? If I
was loose I would make a fierce fight
my life.
“Clug!” It was the sound of bf a pistd
hammer striking on the center a cart
ridge—a cartridge which had failed to
explode. In the same second I was
my feet. A human figure stood befori
me. I gave my heavy rifle a half sweep stifled
and the figure sank down with a
shriek. Then I was fully awake, and I
bent over the stranger, to fifid it was the
woman who should have been asleep in
the wagon. She was unconscious, but
clutched firmly in her right hand was a
bull dog pistol. I wrenched it away and
carried her to the embers of the fire,
when I had secured a blaze I saw that I
had struck her on the head the and pistol, given and her
a bad hurt. I examined
when I found that the cartridge had been
tried by th- hammer, it did not take me
long to unravel the plot against my life.
I bound the woman hand and foot, and
then kept vigilant watch until daybreak enough • ’
She recovered consciousness long
before this, but the only aid I extended
was to loosen her hands and place a dish
of water beside her. She did not address
m e, and I had no word for her.
When day broke there was another
surprise for me. A Kickapoo Indian lay
dead under the wagon, shot through the
heart. It was a great mystery tb me, bu*
the woman was ready to clear it up. I
untied her, washed the blood off her face
and head, and then she gave the whole
plot away. Patton had been made a
prisoner by a gang of outlaws in order
that I might be robbed. These men knew
of the tin box in the wagon. The woman
had t** 11 sent into caijfip with the story
f* ie knowing that she would get
^ ie wa g°n. The two men came to
distract my attention, and the Kickapoo
U P to receive the box. The woman
couldn’t find it, and I mistook the Indian
tor a wolf and killed him. Then
woman concluded that I had the money
on while I napped she crept up
to shoot me and secure it. She told the
particulars as coolly as I relate them to
y° u > when she had finished she asked*
what I was going to do about it. Patton
^ b 7 tha * * ime returned, having raiwd
such a row that his captors feared to de
tain him . longer, and he answered the
question by picking up a rope and
t * or , nearest tree,
This broke the woman down, and she
and pleaded so abjectly that we
left her free to go where she would
we drove on. To have taken her to
Ockmulgee, Kickapoo or any other town
as a prisoner would have been to cause uf
g rea * delay and annoyance, and it >
some consolation to know that the
I gave her caused a wound from
she would not recover for
She was penitent enough as we dr
away, but six weeks later was kb
with her husband, a half breed, w
stealing stock from die Creek Indian
New \ ork Sun.
