Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
About one o'clock I mounted Pinto and started south, striking for
a high mountain, from which if I could once reach the top, I
could, with the aid of my glasses, see all over the entire
country. While climbing this mountain I ran on to a bear cub.
Seeing that he was very fat, I shot him and lashed him behind my
saddle, and was soon climbing the mountain again, which was, in
places, steep and very rocky, with scattering pine trees here and
there. After going about a half a mile and just as I came to the
top of a steep little pitch, I came face to face with a band of
Apache Indians. I did not take time to count them, but thought
there were about eighteen or twenty of them, I fired four shots in
quick succession. The first two shots I killed two Indians, but
the other two I could not tell whether I got my men or not, as I
was just in the act of turning my horse when I fired. They fired a
perfect shower of arrows at me. To run back down the mountain the
way I came was a matter of impossibility, as it was both steep and
rocky, so I took around the side of the mountain, thinking that I
would be able in a few moments' run to reach the top of the
mountain, where I could have a better show to defend myself.
I had to ride all over my horse to avoid the arrows, first on one
side, hanging by one foot and one hand, then on the other side.
I had not run more than one hundred yards until I knew there was
something wrong with my horse, for he had always before seemed to
know when I was in a tight place and seemed eager to carry me out
of danger. I gave him the spurs three or four times but he did not
increase his speed in the least, and then I knew well that he had
been shot, and it always seemed a miracle to me that I went
through all that and did not get shot also.
It is quite useless for me to say I thought my time had come. On
looking ahead some fifty yards I saw a pile of rocks about four or
five feet high, which I made a bee line for. Getting to the rock
pile I dismounted and ran between two large rocks where poor old
Pinto tried to follow me, but he received two more arrows in his
hip and one in his flank. He fell to the ground, and after falling
raised his head, and looking toward me, whinnied.
The poor faithful old fellow lay there and would whinny for me at
intervals as long as he lived, which was perhaps half an hour. The
reader can fancy my condition just at this time. Here I was almost
surrounded by hostile Indians and the only friend that I had with
me dead. I did not expect to ever get away from there, for I
expected that while a part of the Indians guarded me the balance
would go off and rally reinforcements.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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