"Well, Dick was as full of arrows as a porkypine: one was sticking
right through his cheek, one in his meat-bag, and two more 'bout his
hump ribs. I tuk 'em all out slick, and away we go to camp, (for they
was jost a-campin' when we went ahead) and carryin' the goat too.
Thar' was a hurroo when we rode in with the scalps at the end of our
guns. 'Injuns! Injuns!' was the cry from the green-horns; 'we'll be
'tacked to-night, that's certain.'
"''Tacked be ----' says old Bill; 'aint we men too, and white at that.
Look to your guns, boys; send out a strong hos'-guard with the
animals, and keep your eyes skinned.'
"Well, as soon as the animals were unhitched from the waggons, the
guvner sends out a strong guard, seven boys, and old hands at that. It
was pretty nigh upon sundown, and Bill had just sung out to 'corral.'
The boys were drivin' in the animals, and we were all standin' round
to get 'em in slick, when, 'howgh-owgh-owgh-owgh,' we hears right
behind the bluff, and 'bout a minute and a perfect crowd of Injuns
gallops down upon the animals. Wagh! war'nt thor hoopin'! We jump for
the guns, but before we get to the fires, the Injuns were among the
cavayard. I saw Ned Collyer and his brother, who were in the
hos'-guard, let drive at 'em; but twenty Pawnees were round 'em before
the smoke cleared from their rifles, and when the crowd broke the two
boys were on the ground, and their hair gone. Well, that ar
Englishman just saved the cavayard. He had his horse, a reglar
buffalo-runner, picketed round the fire quite handy, and as soon as he
sees the fix, he jumps upon her and rides right into the thick of the
mules, and passes through 'em, firing his two-shoot gun at the Injuns,
and by Gor, he made two come. The mules, which was a snortin' with
funk and running before the Injuns, as soon as they see the
Englishman's mare (mules 'ill go to h---- after a horse, you all
know,) followed her right into the corral, and thar they was safe.
Fifty Pawnees come screechin' after 'em, but we was ready that time,
and the way we throw'd 'em was something handsome, I tell you. But
three of the hos'-guard got skeared--leastwise their mules did, and
carried 'em off into the peraira, and the Injuns having enough of
_us_, dashed after 'em right away. Them poor devils looked back
miserable now, with about a hundred red varmints tearin' after their
hair, and whooping like mad. Young Jem Bulcher was the last; and when
he seed it was no use, and his time was nigh, he throw'd himself off
the mule, and standing as upright as a hickory wiping stick, he waves
his hand to us, and blazes away at the first Injun as come up, and
dropped him slick; but the moment after, you may guess, _he_ died.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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