Ben Stone, it will be remembered, was the colored cook who had a narrow call in the Otter Creek melee. This second escapade was even a closer shave. Stone evidently possessed sufficient of the quaint humor characteristic of his race to warrant the perpetuation of an amusing frontier tale. Following is the story, as related by Stone to the men at Henderson’s ranch, before he had fully recovered from his scare. The account begins at the end, wherein the negro was challenged by a sentry as he approached the camp: “‘Halt, who comes dar?’ ‘Ben Stone.’ ‘Come in, Ben Stone.’ An’ you bet I come a-runnin’.” Then he rehearsed the day’s activities in this wise: “I seed de Injuns comin’ aroun’ in de foah-noon dis mornin’. I tole Dietrich we had better be a gettin’ out ob dis, but he kept a sayin’ ‘I’ll neber go back to Mrs. Roberts widout Joe.’ ’Bout ’leven or twelve o’clock Dietrich says, ‘I’ll go down an’ change de hosses, re-picket dem, while you git dinnah, Ben.’ ‘I say “all right.” “Well, while he was gone a changin’ ob de hosses, I looked out ob de doah an’ seed a Injun stick his head up ober a rock out in front ob de house. I didn’t wait for no lebe, I didn’t, an’ dropped eberyting an’ bolted trew de back doah, I did, up into de timbah an’ laid down awaitin’ for somethin’ to do next. I seed de Injuns all ’bout de house an’ pears like dey was mighty anxious to fine me, but I wasen’t anxious to fine dem. It war gettin’ along towards night, and I clim a tree. Purty soon a big Injun rode right down under de tree a searchin’ aroun’ for me. I jes hel’ my bref an’ say to myself, ‘Oh Mr. Injun; good Mr. Injun, don’t look up dis way!’ Boys, I ’clare to goodness I could hab touched dat Injun’s head wif my foot—but I didn’t! “Bye’m-bye de Injun go away down towards de springs an’ I got down on to de ground an’ strike for de side ob de mountain whar I laid down. I was a layin’ in de brush, when all ob a sudden I heerd a crackin’ in de brush. Den, boys, I got right down on my knees an’ prayed (an’ I hope de God Almighty forgive me, I neber prayed before sense I lef’ my modder’s knee), but I jes got down an’ say ‘O Lod God A’mighty, jes help me out ob dis scrape an’ I will neber interfere wid you no moah!’ I heerd dis noise an’ a crashin’ in de bushes again, an’ I jes laid down wid my face to de ground an’ I spected to feel de tom hawk in de back of my head. All ob a sudden I turned ober and dar I seed a big black bar a lookin’ at me. Boys, I neber was so glad to see a bar afore in all my life. De bar he got up an’ run, an’ I got up an’ run to de top ob de mountain when I saw youah camp fire an’ heah I’ is—bress de Lod!”[206]