Red Plume — page 85: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AN ATTACK AND REPULSE. 85 overpower the hunters and trappers, and to win a rich harvest in their camp. They ought, also, to have been deterred from such an undertaking, by the remembrance of the prophesy of their medicine-man. with the big arrow, for he had told theii * that. their expedition would be successful, if no rain should fall, and a shower had commenced duting their conflict with the Néz Percés. The rain did not dampen their ardor i in the least. On they came, galloping and yelling, as if they meant to nee Tight over the barricade and through the camp. Captain Stecle had not attempted to assist the Néz Percés, becanse it was against his rule to interfere in “any conflicts among the Indians; but, when he saw that the Blackfeet were preparing to make an attack upon him, he did not try to con- ceal his joy, for he hoped to give those banditti of the wilder- ness a lesson that they would be likely to remember. As the painted, yelling horde dashed on toward the wagons, discharging their arrows and fusees, he did not giye the word to fire, until they were quite close, and then sucha volley of rifle-bullets was poured into them, as sent them back much faster than they had come. | When beyond range, they halted, and faced about, as if as- tonished ; and then, wheeling to the left, made the circuit of the barricade, and attacked it on the other side. Again they dashed on, as fiercely and as confidently as before ; ; again they were allowed to approach near the line of wagons, and again they were met by the murderous volley of those terrible rifles, which sent them off in utter confusion. They stopped hot for their dead or their wounded, and neyer looked back, as_ they ‘sped away over the prairie. Captain Steele, seeing how cotapletely they were routed; in- stantly resolved to follow up his acdyantage, and punish then, so severely that they would neyer molest white men again. Like a skillful General, he lost no time, but ordered all his men, ~ except a strong guard for the camp, to mount and pursue The order was quickly and joyfully obey ed, all the free-trap- pers gladly volunteering to join in such excellent “ sport.” The renegade, who had téund wp his wolitided tée, could Bot be dissuaded from accompanying them, and he was followed by La-la, who had seized one of t the horses of the slain Indians, comicboolks.com