CHAPTER SIX.
ON THEY COME--ORDER OF BATTLE--NUMBERS PREVAIL--READY AND PETER SAVE MYSCALP--UNLOOKED-FOR AID--OUR WOUNDS ARE DRESSED--SHELTER ON THE VERGE OFCIVILISATION.
The two skulls were still in view, as the shrieks of the Comanches grewlouder and louder, and the sight of these mouldering relics determinedour party to conquer or to perish in the attempt. On came theComanches, their mustangs at full gallop, and their gay trappingsfluttering in the breeze. Their object was, apparently, to alarm andunnerve us before they approached. I looked round at the countenancesof my companions, to judge how far I could depend on them. Ready wasthe most pugnacious, as he stood up with his front paws on a chest,growling and snarling. There was a dogged resolution in Peter's face,which satisfied me that he would fight to the death; while Silas Slagand Senior Jack Lion were sufficiently cool and determined to make mefeel I could depend on them. The other men looked as if they wishedthat they were anywhere else, but at the same time would stand to theircolours if their comrades did.
"Now, lads, reserve your fire till I give the word," I exclaimed. "Leteach of you select his man. Fire one after the other, not all togetheron any account, and it will be hard if each of us don't hit his man.Load again as fast as you can, and be ready for the rest who may ventureto come on."
What I said encouraged my companions, and the plan which had at thatmoment suggested itself to me gave me a confidence I had not beforefelt.
"Now, all steady," I cried. "You, Silas Slag, will fire first, JackLion next, I will take the third and fourth shots with my double-barrel.Peter, you follow me, Sam Noakes next, and, Paul, don't fire till yourfather has shot his man."
The Indians had got within fifty yards of us, imagining that they wouldmake us on easy prey. I gave the word. Silas looked calmly along hisrifle. He fired, and as the smoke cleared away, an Indian was seen tofall from his horse. Jack Lion's trigger was pulled an instantafterwards, with the same success. I felt terribly cool; not at all asif I was about to take the life of one or more human beings. I havebeen far more flurried when a pheasant has got up close under my nose.Two of our enemies had fallen. I fired both my barrels, and two moremustangs were galloping away without riders. Still the Indians came on.Peter showed that my instructions had not been thrown away on him. Hefired with steadiness, and though the Indian at whom he aimed still sathis horse, the lance he held fell from his hand. One of our partymissed altogether, but the rest hit, if they did not kill, the Indiansthey had picked out. Silas, Lion, and I had our pieces reloaded beforeour enemies were upon us. With terrific shrieks they came close up tous, when we each knocked over another of the yelping band. This wasmore than they expected, and having endeavoured in vain to leap theirsteeds over the barricade which protected us, they wheeled round andgalloped off to a distance.
Our party shouted with satisfaction, but we soon perceived that our foeshad not retreated. After hovering about for some time, and apparentlyconsulting together, they again formed a dense body and advanced at fullspeed towards us. Hoping that the same plan we had before adopted wouldsucceed, we were waiting to fire, when the horsemen, separating, sweptround to the right and left with the evident intention of taking us inthe rear. Though there was no barricade on that side, we had the waggonto protect us; but then our horses were exposed, and might either bekilled or carried off.
"We are in a fix, I guess," exclaimed Silas Slag; "but never say die,lads; I have been in a worse one than this, and am still alive." Thisaddress infused new courage into the rest of the men.
The Indians, finding that our small band was far more formidable thanthey expected, had become very wary, and kept hovering around on everyside, just beyond reach of our rifles. Bound and round they swept,making various feints, for the purpose of wearing out our courage, Isuppose. This, however, gave us time to make further preparations fortheir reception.
By cutting some holes in the awning of the waggon, and replacing a fewchests and bags on one side of it, we turned it into a little fortress,likely to prove of service against enemies on horseback, armed only withspears and bows and arrows. Our chief cause for fear was, that some ofthem might dismount, when they would be much more formidable at closequarters. They did not, however, seem inclined to attempt such aproceeding. Now with loud shrieks they advanced, and then wheelinground, off they went as if in fall flight, but in another moment theywere again advancing towards us with threatening gestures. I thoughtthey would turn, but no; on they came from each quarter of the compass,shouting, shrieking, and flourishing their spears. The next instant aflight of arrows came flying among us, compelling us to sink down underour barricade to avoid them. This was no easy matter. One grazed myshoulder, and another went through Peter's hat, and for a moment Ithought he was wounded.
"Fire, lads!" I shouted, "steady as before." I, with two of the men,sprang into the waggon to receive our enemies, and as they approached,we fired in quick succession; but, very naturally, our aim was not sosteady as before, and still on they came, shrieking terrifically.
As the Indians got within thirty paces of us, without stopping the speedof their mustangs, they for an instant dropped their lances, andgrasping their bows, let fly another shower of arrows. Then on theycame more rapidly than before. I did not look round to see who wasstruck. I felt a sharp pang in my side where an arrow was quivering. Itrusted that it was not poisoned; it had come through the tilt of thewaggon. I had no time to draw it out, for the point of a red warrior'sspear was close to me. I had fired one barrel, but I had the secondloaded. I pulled the trigger. The Indian sprang forward, the spearpassed on one side, and he fell dead at my feet, while his horse,turning aside, galloped off.
Our men had all fired, and three Indians lay dead in front of us. Butthough the front rank had wheeled round, the rest were coming on withfurious gestures of vengeance. Our little band was also sadlydiminished.
For an instant, not hearing Silas Slag's voice, I turned my head. Helay writhing on the ground, with an arrow through his breast, which hewas in vain attempting to drag out, while another man, though he stillstood at his post, seemed badly wounded with a spear-thrust in his neck.The pain in my side was increasing so much, that I every instantexpected to drop fainting to the ground.
I got out of the waggon, for in a hand-to-hand encounter I could fightlongest in an open space. I knew that it would be destruction to yield,so I instantly began reloading my rifle, while I shouted to mycompanions to struggle to the last. They were doing their best to keepthe Indians at bay while I reloaded. Again I fired; my aim wasunsteady; and I killed the horse instead of the rider. The animal felldirectly in front of me, and served as a barricade, but the Indian,disengaging himself, drew his scalping-knife from his girdle and sprangtowards me.
Weak, and suffering intense pain, I could do little to help myself, andthought that my last moments had come when, just as the Redskin wasabout to plunge his weapon in my breast, Ready, who had been watching bymy side, with a fierce growl flew at his throat, and compelled him toturn the intended blow on one side, and the next moment the butt ofPeter's musket came crashing down on his head and stunned him. The restof the party, still able to stand up, were engaged in single combat withthe more daring of our adversaries, while other Indians were flockinground, either thrusting at us with their spears, or with arrows in thestring, standing ready to shoot as opportunity might offer.
Now, indeed, I had lost all hope of escaping. More Indians weregalloping up, when, through a gap in their ranks, as I stood with onefoot on the dead horse, I caught sight in the distance of another bodyof horsemen moving at full speed across the prairie.
Had I till now entertained even the slightest hopes of resisting ourfoes, this circumstance made me feel that such hopes were vain; still"the never-say-die principle" made me resolve to fight to the last, andmy companions, I saw, were resolved to do the same.
We were, indeed, in a desperate plight. One man was killed outright,Silas appeared to be mor
tally wounded, and I expected every instant todrop. I heard the Indians shouting to each other--I thought probably tomake short work of us. Suddenly they wheeled round and galloped off, asI concluded, to wait till they were joined by the fresh band we sawapproaching, when they would again come on and crush us at once. AgainI loaded and fired, but it was a last effort; overcome with pain andloss of blood, I fell fainting behind the dead horse, which had servedas a barricade.
In vain I tried to rise. I heard the men about me shouting and firing;then there was a loud tramping of horses; the shouts grew louder. Inanother instant I expected to feel my scalp whipped off my head. Inthat moment I lived an age. I should have been glad to have lost allconsciousness. Had I been able to fight bravely, even against odds sofearful, I should have been content; but to lie helpless at the mercy ofsavages was terrible. I had heard of the tortures they were wont toinflict on their captives, and I expected to have to endure some suchordeal to try my courage.
On came the horsemen. Voices struck my ear, but they were familiarsounds. The words were mostly English. I opened my eyes. They fellnot on Redskin savages, but on a party of white men, well aimed withrifles and pistols, and broadswords or cutlasses.
"On after the varmint!" shouted one, who seemed to be the leader. "Someof you lads stay by these people. Doctor, there's work for you, Iguess."
While most of the horsemen, to the number of fifty at least, gallopedafter the flying Indians, some few dismounted and came within our camp.
"Why, lads, you seem to be in a bad way," observed one of them.
"I guess if you hadn't come, we shouldn't have had a scalp on the top ofour heads," was the answer. "There's the captain dead, and Silas Slag,the next best man, no better off; for, if he isn't dead, he'll be beforemany minutes are over."
"We'll see," said a stranger, whom I guessed to be a surgeon,approaching the spot where poor Silas lay groaning with agony. "Takeyour hands off the arrow, boy. You'll not get it out that way. Many aman has lived with a worse wound than that through him. Here, some ofyou, lend a hand."
I just lifted myself on my side, and saw the young surgeon engaged withhis instrument in cutting out the arrow from Silas's body. The poorfellow groaned, but did his utmost to refrain from giving fallexpression to the agony he was undergoing.
"It will be my turn next," I thought to myself. "I must nerve myselffor the suffering I must endure."
I waited till the wounds of all the men had been attended to.
"There's the dead captain on the other side," said one. I had beendubbed captain by my companions.
The surgeon came up to me.
"I'm not quite dead yet," I murmured. "Just pull this ugly stick out ofme, and I hope to do well."
"No fear of that, captain," said the stranger. "Here, lads, some of youhold him down. It's an unpleasant operation, but it's necessary."
The surgeon was skilful, but I own that my nerves got such a twinge thatI would rather not dwell on the subject.
Our new friends now set to work to get us into marching order. One ofour party had been killed, and another wounded, besides Silas Slag, whowas in a very precarious condition, and I was very considerably hurt.The Indians had carried off four of our horses, but as six of theirnumber lay dead on the field, and others were badly wounded, they hadpaid dearly for their success. Fortunately none of the waggon horseswere missing. They were harnessed, and we began to move. Silas Slagand another man who had been hurt were placed in the waggon with me.Some spirits was poured down my throat, and after a time I recoveredsufficiently to ask questions. I found that the horsemen who hadarrived so opportunely to our rescue were in search of the very band ofComanches that had attacked us. Those predatory Redskins had attacked aparty of Texians travelling across the prairie, and were said to havekilled all the men, and to have carried off a white girl as prisoner.She was the daughter of one of the murdered men, an old officer of theUnited States army, and, I was told, was possessed of great personalattractions.
On hearing this, all the romance in my composition was instantlyaroused. I regretted my wound more because it kept me a prisoner thanon any other account, and longed to be in the saddle and in pursuit ofthe savages to aid in rescuing the poor girl. We were on our way backto the settlement to which she belonged, but of those who had come toour rescue, the doctor and the greater number were pushing forward aftertheir companions. They had vowed vengeance on the marauders, and werelikely to execute it in a terrible manner if they succeeded inovertaking them.
It was dark before we reached the nearest shelter. It was a farm-houseon the very verge of civilisation, surrounded with stockades to guardagainst a sudden attack of Indians. The inhabitants, who were of Germandescent, though speaking English, received us with kind expressions, andhad Silas and me and the other wounded man carried into their largestsleeping-room, where beds were placed for us, into which we were put atonce. The mistress of the house then came with ointments, and with thegreatest tenderness dressed our wounds, and afterwards brought us somelight and nourishing food, of which we stood in great need.
"I can feel for you, stranger," she remarked to me, as she sat watchinglike a mother by my bedside. "I had a son wounded by the Redskins manyyears ago. He came home, poor boy, to die. The young girl, too,carried off by the savages, is a relation. I tremble to think what herfate may be. All the men of our family, even my husband, old as he is,and my sons and grandsons, are gone in pursuit of the enemy. Altogetherthere are twenty of them from this farm alone. Ah me! I shall rejoicewhen they come book. It is anxious work waiting for them. I have lostin my time so many kindred and acquaintance through the treachery ofthese Redskins, that I always dread what may happen."
I did my best to comfort the kind old lady, and told her that as oursmall party had been able to keep them so long at bay, there could belittle doubt that a well-armed band, such as her friends formed, wouldhave little difficulty in conquering them.
The night, however, passed away, and nothing was heard of the party.Neither the following day were any tidings received. The anxiety of thepoor women, of whom there were a considerable number in and about thefarm, became very great. People from various other locations also camecrowding in, chiefly women, whose husbands and sons had gone on theexpedition, to make inquiries. Some, indeed, began to express theirfears that the party had fallen into an ambush and been cut off. Suchthings had occurred before. I was already better, and only wantedstrength. I offered, if men could be found, to head a party to go outin search of the missing band.
"They will be here by nightfall," said the old lady, trying to comfortherself.
I felt, from the remarks I had heard made, considerable doubt aboutthis, and could not help fearing that some catastrophe had occurred.Two whole days passed away, and still there was no tidings of themissing ones.