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Show MM s? U ADVENTURES WITH SIOUX. l! rwo Iloys liar Ilnlr-ltalslng; Ktpert- J encH With Itsds tins. I An old trnppar tells this story of early- ( Minnesota days in Forcrt and Streitn. The man uf the Like Tnlcolt party about this time came In also for n team, to movo their otilflt homo, leaving: the. two boys to tako care of things until bis return. A warm, muggy day came while lie was nbsent, and tho boys, attending at-tending to their traps nnd carrying tbelr guns around during tho day, got thorn, both wet, nnd, boylike, neglecting to-clean to-clean and dry them, in order to render them sure Arc when needed, lay down to-slecp to-slecp lu their bed without removing thoir clothing, only drawing off their boots. Their cabin door opoued outward, out-ward, nnd just nt dnyllght. shortly nfier they awoke, they observed their door opening and saw an Indian swing It around and set n stick against ll, nnd then spring back nnd rnlso his gun alongside along-side two others who stood with gum presented. At tho first sight of tho Indian In-dian the boys sprang from their bed, and-while and-while In the net of luiowlug oft the covering and springing to their feet the savages fired. The distance was not over fifteen feet (I afterwards examined the ground carefully),nnd whllo it could not ngaln have been done In n thousand times trying without both being killed, the only hurt either sustained was a flesh wound by a small bullet through tho calf of ouo of their leys. Holzlug their guns, the boys aimed and snapped, but both guns fnllcd to go. Instantly tho thought of running, whllo yot the guns of tho Indians were empty, enmo to-thclr to-thclr minds, and with n word to each other they sprang through the low dour and rushed for the prairie. A: thoy did so, one or moro charges (probably front double-barreled guus) erected tnelr rush for the open nlr, nnd' tho unwounded hoy, Tom Klrkpnlrlck, hud n bullet part the hair nud graze the skin of the forehead. fore-head. . &$ lft .',".7 As the Indians ran after them tho-boys tho-boys presented their guns, nud after this maneuver had been a few times repeated the wretched cowards turned buck lo plunder tho camp, uud the boys wcro left to make, their journey nf forty miles to the settlements lu their stocking feet over tho burnt grass stubs of lho prnlrio. In tho afternoon tho wounded boy declared de-clared his Inability to proceed ftirlhor, nnd requested Tom to go to Iho settlement settle-ment and bring a wagon out for him. Tom accordingly hurried on, nn.i just nbout sunset, while descending tho river Just above the town ut Jackson (which town, by thoy wny consisted alone of a frontier post-ofllcc). Just ns ho ronched tho crest of n low hill and glanced across the ravine to tho summit of tho-next tho-next bill In front, he saw llvo Sioux, who, cnlchlng sight of him at the snmo nslnnt, enme for him on tho run.sprcad. lng their lino llko nu openlnc fan as they ruu. Tom turned and duukod down behind the hill, and lustcad of running dovvu thu ravine towards tho rirer turned nnd ran up it and out on tho high prairie, where, providentially for hi in, stood an old deserted field which had belonged to a Nortvoglnn settlor murdered fn tho 1 ist massacre, nnd which, now Btirrotinded by a high rail fonce, was occupied by n dense crop of tnll weeds. Tom sprang over lho fence, nnd in his peril nud his fright not for-gettlug for-gettlug to cnrcfully pirt lho weeds im front of each step and closo them together to-gether behind hi in, worktd his way woll out Into the Held nud fell lint. Soon nn , Indian, quickly followed by two others,. appeared perched nn tho top of the fenco, where for minutes, which doubtless doubt-less wore noxious ones for Tom, they surveyed tho apparently unbroken ex-pnnse ex-pnnse nf weeds, nnd ut length to his gtc.it lellrf turned bre'e towards, the river. Lying qulelly iiutll darkness shrouded his movements, Tom made bis wnv out of the field Into tho prnlrio, nnd making n wide detour reaohed the home of n friendly settler n few miles down tho river, where Just beforo morning the other boy put in an appcnrnncc.hs.Y-lng appcnrnncc.hs.Y-lng been unable to rest in tho cold of nppronchlng night, but compelled thereby there-by to keep moving, and doubtless pass-iug pass-iug the other Indians In tho night tlmo. |