The Perils and Adventures of Harry Skipwith by Land and Sea

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  OUR FRIENDS BESIEGED--WE SURPRISE THE COMANCHES--OUR VICTORY, AND OURFRIENDS RELIEVED--WHAT THEY HAD SUFFERED--THE YOUNG GIRL RESTORED TO HERHOME.

  "Forward!" was the word, and our whole troop galloped on, eager for theinformation the scouts could give us. We pulled up as they drew near.At first all we could make out were the words, "The Comanches are there;on, on! our friends are well-nigh done for." I ordered a halt, that wemight hear more exactly the information they had obtained, and have timeto form a plan, of operation with calmness and judgment. They had foundthemselves, from indubitable signs, in the presence of a numerous bandof Indians. Soon the sound of firing reached their ears. Two of them,leaving their horses with the rest, crept forward on foot, till theycaught sight of a rocky mound partly covered with trees. The Indianssurrounded this mound, and on the top of it some sort of fortificationhad been thrown up, which they had no doubt was held by our missingfriends. From the slow way, however, in which they were firing, it wasvery evident that their ammunition was almost exhausted, and that in ashort time longer their fate would be sealed. The Indians seemed awareof this, for, though completely besetting the hill, they kept closeunder shelter at a distance, only showing themselves when they had toadvance to get a shot at the besieged. One thing was certain--there wasnot a moment to be lost; for, even while we were advancing, the savagesmight make one of their fierce onslaughts, and destroy our friends.Still, the very greatest caution was necessary. The enemy faroutnumbered us, and were brave and wary. It was advisable, if possible,to take them by surprise, an undertaking of no ordinary difficulty, asTony Flack observed, in his peculiar way, when I proposed it: "Cap'n,did you ever catch a weasel asleep? No, I guess; then you'll not catchthese here red-skinned varmints, when they know an enemy's not far off."

  However, there was nothing like trying. I first ascertained from ourguides and the scouts the line of country which afforded most shelter,and then directed them to lead us along it. Though speed was important,concealment, till we could make a rush at the Indians, was still moreso; and I therefore ordered, as we got nearer, all the men to dismount,and to lead their horses, one following another, in single file, so thatthere would be less risk of our being perceived. I threw out scouts atthe same time, that we might not ourselves be surprised. As weadvanced, we listened anxiously for the sound of firing, to assure usthat our friends were still holding out. Not hearing any shots, I wasconsidering whether we ought not to mount and dash on all risks, whenone of my companions assured me that there was no hurry, that theIndians were too wary to attack the fort till long after our friends hadceased firing, and that very likely they would attempt to starve themout. Thus reassured, we cautiously continued our progress as before.Our well-trained hones seemed to understand the necessity for silence,and, it appeared to me, trod as cautiously as any of the party. Atlast, emerging from a valley, the report of a musket-shot reached ourears; another and another followed; they sounded louder and louder; weknew that at all events our friends were still holding out, and, whatwas of infinite consequence, that the Indians would be so engaged infront, that they would probably not discover our approach in their rear.But a thin belt of wood intervened between us and the enemy. I calleda halt. Every man looked to the priming of his rifle and pistols, andfelt that his sword drew easily from the scabbard. At a word theysprang into their saddles. Still I was unwilling to order a charge tillwe had got so close that we could not fail to be discovered. Ready,indeed, very nearly betrayed us, by barking at an Indian dog whichstrayed up to us, and I had to call him off, to prevent a combat, butnot without difficulty, as he seemed highly delighted at having found anantagonist worthy of his prowess. We now pushed steadily on; not a shotwas fired from the fort. We guessed, and rightly, that our friends'powder was expended. The Indians redoubled their fire, and withterrific yells were pushing on in dense masses towards the fort.

  "They have calculated to a nicety the quantity of ammunition used, andthey know that it is all expended," observed the person who rode nextme. The Indians were, apparently, not much better supplied with powderand shot. We could see our friends springing to the ramparts to receivethe savages, who were rushing up the hill-side in overwhelming numbers,intent on taking the scalps of those who had so long resisted theirattacks. In a few minutes more, there could be little doubt that noneof our friends would have been left alive. We had reached the very edgeof the wood, and as we were full in view of the savages, we should havebeen perceived by them, had they not been so intent on the attack as notto turn their heads towards us. Our friends might have seen us, butthey took us, we guessed, for a fresh body of their foes. The time wascome agreeably to undeceive them. Forming my party by signs in closeranks, I led them slowly on, so as to get still nearer, if possible,before we commenced our charge. The frightful yells of the savagesprevented their usually quick ears from detecting the footfall of ourhorses. I looked round at my men. Their knees were pressed tight totheir saddles; their teeth were firm set; their heads, with their eyeswide open, were bent forward: their hands grasped their swords.Already, in anticipation, the onslaught had commenced. There was nonecessity for longer holding them in. I shook my reins, and waved mysword. We should be among the foe while our horses were fresh andvigorous. On we dashed. We could no longer restrain from giving way toa loud shout. The Redskins heard it and turned their heads. Ourfriends heard it too, and, recognising us, returned it with a will; buttheir voices sounded weak and faint. The Indians who were climbing thehill sprang down to join their companions, who hurried together in amass to oppose us; but they seemed to be a mob without a leader, and,unaccustomed to fight except on horseback, they were utterly unpreparedto withstand a charge of horsemen. We galloped towards them on theirfront; our friends rushing down from the hill, attacked them furiouslyin flank. In another instant we were upon them. The front ranks stoodbravely, and seizing our horses' reins, endeavoured to grapple with us;but we shook them off, and cut them down, and went on riding through andthrough them, till the greater number fled on every side. Some foughtto the last, trying to wound us and our horses; with most of these ourfriends on foot settled; we disposed of the rest, and then galloped onin pursuit of the flying multitude. I shouted to my men to keeptogether, for I caught sight of a group of horses, held by Indians, inthe distance; and I knew that if we could capture them, we should havelittle difficulty in overtaking the men on foot. Unfortunately severalof my party, unaccustomed to discipline, had scattered on either side inpursuit of the flying foe. Some of the Indians had turned to bay, andwere fighting furiously with them, and more than one man was wounded orunhorsed by the savages. In the meantime, the Indians who held thehorses seeing us coming, mounted and galloped off at full speed, thewhole stud following them at a rate which precluded all hopes of theirbeing overtaken.

  Our victory was complete, but an important object would be lost unlesswe could make prisoners of some chiefs or leading men, whom we mighthold as hostages for the delivery of the people who had been firstcarried off. We were by this time at some distance from the hill, atthe foot of which our friends were assembled. I shouted to all myfollowers, who were considerably scattered, to assemble round me, anddirected them, having fixed on three or four of the fugitives, who bytheir costume we supposed might be chiefs, to ride after them and totake them prisoners. All were, however, by this time at a considerabledistance. Three of the Indians we pursued managed to catch some of thehorses galloping round, and leaping on their backs were soon out ofsight. One tall chief alone, who seemed to be wounded, did not attemptto fly, but leaning on his spear calmly awaited our coming. I was ingreat hopes of taking him without resistance, but as we got close up tohim he sprang forward in a defensive attitude, thrusting his spear atus, and evidently resolved to fight to the last. He had already woundedone of our men and two of our horses, when a Spaniard, whom he wasattacking, drew his pistol and fired at him. With a ferocious grin onhis countenance he sprang into the
air, and fell forward on his face,dead.

  We now rode back to join our friends, anxious to hear an account oftheir adventures. The field was strewed on every side with dead bodiesof Indians. We had killed nearly thirty, while two of our own men hadfallen and four had been wounded. On reaching the hill we were warmlygreeted by our friends, whose haggard looks told the sufferings they hadendured, even before they had time to describe them. They had, itappeared, day after day, perseveringly pursued the enemy, whose tracesthey were on, but with whom they could not manage to come up. At lengththey got within four or five miles of them, and began to entertain hopesof surprising their camp. Preparations were made, and they wereactually advancing to the attack when the scouts brought in word thatthe Indians had disappeared. They were now well into the Indianterritory, and it was necessary to advance with the greatest caution.They were in the neighbourhood of the hill where we found them, when thescouts brought word that, at a short distance off, there was a largecamp of Indians containing a number of warriors, quite capable ofoverwhelming them. It might have been wiser to retreat, but instead ofdoing that they at once rode up to the top of the hill, and beganthrowing up fortifications from such materials as were at hand. Whilesome were thus employed, others remained in the plain to cut forage fortheir horses. They themselves had but food sufficient, on reducedrations, for a week or ten days. Their scouts meantime were watchingthe camp of the enemy, in case any opportunity might occur for rescuingthe prisoners. They soon ascertained that their hopes on this scorewere vain, for preparations were seen to be making for the usual mode bywhich the Indians torture and then execute their prisoners. Twounfortunate men were thus destroyed the next day, and on the followingtwo more were killed. It was proposed by some of the more daring of theparty to attack the camp at this period, and I think that the attemptmight have been successful, but the counsels of the timid prevailed.The consequence was that two of their scouts were caught and scalped,and they found themselves closely beset by the enemy. In this conditionthey had remained day after day, surrounded by such overwhelming numbersthat they had no hopes of cutting their way out. The forage collectedfor the horses was soon consumed, and, one after the other, most of theanimals died. They soon, too, had to kill more for the sake ofsupplying themselves with food. They had now no means of escaping, andthey had made up their minds to fight to the last, and to sell theirlives dearly unless relieved. Several of their number had fallen, butfewer than might have been expected.

  Attacked day and night, their provisions entirely expended, with theexception of a little putrid horse-flesh, our friends were on the pointof rushing out against the enemy to perish in the fight, when we wereseen charging down on the enemy. Never did succour more opportunelyreach a hard-pressed garrison. What was next to be done was now thequestion. A number of the Indian horses were still scampering about,and fortunately the greater portion were captured. We were thus able tomount all the heavier men of the party, while the stronger horses weremade to carry two men each. As the day was drawing to a close beforeall our arrangements were made, we resolved to camp on the hill, wherewe could defend ourselves, rather than risk a march at night, when wemight be attacked to disadvantage. Having lighted our fires, attendedto our wounded, cooked our provisions, and made ourselves as comfortableas circumstances would allow, we sent our scouts as usual to give noticeof the approach of an enemy. Though the Indians had been signallydefeated, they still mustered we knew in the neighbourhood in numbers sooverwhelming, that we could scarcely expect they would not make anotherattack on us. I felt the responsibilities of my office, and could notrest, in spite of the fatigue I had gone through, more than a fewminutes at a time. I rose several times during the night, and,accompanied by Ready, climbed to the top of a rock on the brow of ahill, whence I could look out on the wide extent of open country, which,with the exception of small spaces covered by woods, stretched around.Not a sound, however, was to be heard: there was not a sign, that Icould discover, of a foe near us. I regretted that our expedition hadnot proved more successful. We had relieved our friends and gained avictory, but another important object was not attained. We had notrecovered any prisoners, and the poor young girl, in whose fate I hadbecome interested, was still a captive in the hands of the savages.Again I awoke and went to the rock. A few streaks of light wereappearing in the east, and grey dawn was stealing over the landscape.

  It was time to arouse the camp, and to commence our journey, unless ourscouts brought in such information as might lead us to hope that wemight recover any survivors among the prisoners, either by force ornegotiation. I was about to utter the usual shout to awaken thesleepers, when my eye was attracted by an object moving in the distanceover the plain. What it was I could not tell, till it resolved itselfinto a horseman galloping at full speed towards us. Presently, as thelight increased, I observed some other objects still further off, movingat like speed, and which I took to be other horsemen, very probablypursuing the first. The first was seeking us--of that there could belittle doubt. Not a moment was to be lost; I shouted loudly to mycompanions, ordering them to mount their steeds, and follow me. Peterhad run for my horse, which was picketed near. I dashed down the hill;about a dozen men followed me closely. I galloped on. The long locksof the seeming horseman, streaming in the wind, told me that a woman wasapproaching, while almost close behind her came eight or ten savageswith their lances in rest, intent on her destruction. This made me themore eager to place myself between the lady and her pursuers. My mencame on in good order, while others were hastening down the hill totheir support. The stranger was fair and young. We opened our ranks tolet her pass, pointing to our friends behind, and then spurred onagainst the Indians. Seeing that their prey had escaped them, theyturned and galloped off. We sent some shots after them, and two felldead from their saddles. The rest we pursued for some distance; but,unwilling to tire our horses, and aware of the danger of getting farfrom our main body, we allowed them to escape, and returned towards thehill. We found a group at the foot of it. They were surrounding thefugitive, who was no other than the young girl of whom we were insearch. She had fainted when she found herself in safety among herfriends. After a little time, however, she recovered, and was able togive an account of the fate of her companions. Every one of them hadbeen tortured and murdered. She had stolen out of the tent of thechiefs in which she had been confined, and, mounting the fleetestmustang of his stud, had made her escape.

  There was now no reason for our remaining in the neighbourhood. Wereached the settlement without any further adventure, when I had thesatisfaction of restoring the young girl to her friends, and receivingtheir thanks.