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‘THE CAPTURE AND>
THE ESCAPE >
. °° By HORACE APPLETON:
Twenty-five years ago important mails were
carried from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento
by-a postal system called the pony-rider express.
There were eighty riders and. four hundred
onies in this service. | .
® The rider whose adventures I am about to re-
late was a rather diminutive man, weighing about
- one hundred and-ten pounds, and was known on
te as Chubby. . . -
there o’elock one dark night, while going west,
through central Kansas, he arrived at Steel Plate,
the change stations. , |
one mail agent at the station informed him that
the Indians had raided a settlement about three .
i outh of the trail, between that point and
Black ‘Kettle, the next station, and had cut off
communication .between the two places, and that
the mail carrier, who should have reached Steel
Plate that day from the west, had not been heard
re also informed Chubby that the rider who
had reached Steel Plate the day before had not
dared to make the trip between there and Black
Kittle until his (Chubby’s) arrival. - 8
“Who is he?” Chubby inquired. /
“It’s Johnny Scully,” replied the agent.
hubby laughed. ~~ :
Soule wen © big, ‘red-headed Irishman, the tall-
est man on the line. ~ co os
He talked in a deep bass voice, wore fierce whis-
kers, and looked like a man whom a whole tribe
ians might try in vain to intimidate.
of ans is little Johnny?” Chubby asked. “If
he’s going to ride to Black Kettle with me, he’s’
t to be ready inside of five minuutes.” >
Fe Scully was found, and he tried hard to dissuade
‘Chubby from undertaking the perilous ride.
But the little fellow was obdurate, and finally
Scully got upon his horse, with a very ill grace,
and both set out for Black Kettle. - :
The night was dark when they started, much
to the satisfaction of both of them; for if the red-
skins were abroad, darkness was their only safe-
ty. . “ \ ~ eo ¢
The steel which Scully bestrode was a spirited
Morgan, who minded his weight as nothing, while
Chubby’s was one of the best on the line—a Royal
stallion, .
George animals were used to the road, and can-
tered briskly through the darkness with sure-
footed speed. . -
The riders had proceeded but a few miles, how-
ever, when the moon rose, casting a bright light
over the smooth prairie beneath them, every spot
on whose surface was plainly visible from the ele-
vated tableland over yhich the path led. .
“T don’t like this,” said Scully, suddenly rein
ing in his horse. “The Indians are between here
and Black Kettle. We’ve seen their smoke all
day. If they were-.on the prairie, we could see
them now. We can’t see them, so I know they’re
in ambush in the hollow ahead. You may risk
PLUCK AND LUCK ~
it by going through there, if you’ve a mind to,
but I’ve got a wife and children, and V’ll throw
up my place on the mail and be called the biggest
coward on the plains before I’ll ride into certain
- death with my eyes open.”
‘Chubby saw that it was useless to argue -with
him, and he accordingly started on alone, « :
_- Scully watched him a few moments, and then’
turned his horse’s. head-toward Steel Plate.
The hollow toward. which the pony-rider: was
going needs a word of description... ~~ . ‘
The mail route was laid over a high hill, which
at this point declined abruptly into the hollow. ~:
In order to make the descent possible for a.
horse, a “dugway” about five feet in width was
cut down the declivity. .
Consequently, on one side rose
bered hill, while on the other the land sloped, al-
most perpendicularly, to a narrow gulch between
two hills. :
* In the bottom of the gulch was a small stream,
which even: in midday. could ‘hardly be seen
through the thick underbrush. ~ me
‘ A. petter spot for an ambush could hardly be
ound, - : : ae :
'’ As Chubby reached this spot his nerves fairly
vibrated with excitement.
He was as positive he was running into am-
bush as if he had seen the Indians. oo
The first intimation he had of their presence
was the sound of a rifle-shot, and Royal George
sprang into the air and fell dead. .
_Chubby ‘no sooner felt the horse falling. under
him than he sprang to the ground. .
There was but one way of escape for him.
Above were the Indians. oe a
Five hundred. feet below was the gulch and-a
chance of concealment in the bushes. :
It was his only hope.
Five Indians
not daring to attempt the descent, commenced
firing in the direction of the rapidly receding fig-
ure of the white man. ~
_ He lay where he fell till the dim light of morn-
ing began to make objects’ around him visible,
_ Then he crawled into the underbrush, intend-
ing to go through the gorge and eome out on the
prairie, hoping thus to throw the Indians off his
rail, ” :
As he neared the narrow outlet between
hills he heard a slight rustling in the bushes, ane
immediately dropped down on all-fours, ~~
ter a moment, however, he crept toward the
steam to reconnoiter.
The next moment a heavy weight fell u on hi
and he felt his arms pinioned MPon Aim,
He struggled desperately, but the ‘savage—for
his captor was an Indian—pushed his face i
the soft mud of the creek-bank til] he was almost
smothered, and then dexterously tied his hands
a heavily tim-"
sprang -from concealment, and,.
with a whipcord, probably stolen from some prai- Lt
rie schooner. .
Having thus secured his prisoner, the Indian
pulled’ him to his feet, and looked him over, ap-
-
parently wondering that so small a person should —
make such a desperate resistance, . h
Chubby ‘described the Indian as'a very tall sav-
age with stooping shoulders, wearing/a “Heir of ay:
~~
blue-jean overalls and a plaid shawl.
The shaw] was tied around his body by a wor
man’s gauze veil, twisted into a string, ~~
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