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Show INDIAN DEPREDATIONS 69 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItlllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll li man quickly lowered his gun on the savage and fired. The Indian dropped, and the soldier rode away be-lieving he had killed Mm. ( Old Mareer says the wily redskin fell as the gun fired, and escaped with-out injury, and that not an Indian was wounded), Two others of the escort succeeded in mounting, one of them escaped on horesback, the other was thrown fro. m his horse a short distance east of the camp, but had the good sense to remain quiet for several hours while the reds were passing to and fro, sheltered only by the stunted greasewood. The fourth man that escaped ran southeasterly, evaded his pursuers, and plunged into the river, swam to the south bank, where, within the friendly shadow of the willows, he continued his flight to the camp of Captain Morris. The Indians who had taken positions to the north made no sign until the fleeing men were nearly onto them, when they sprang to their feet and with fierce yells poured a volley of arrows into the panic- strick-en men, who, no doubt, were congratulating them-selves on their escape. Captain Gunnison, after emptying his revolver at Carboorits, turned in the direction of the horses and had reached a point about seventy- five yards distant from the camp when he fell, stricken down by nearly a score of arrows. Temporarily screened by grass and willows, he lay helpless while the cries of his comrades and the discordant war- cries of the savages resounded in his ears. Some two or three hours later he was discovered by a party of the reds, among whom was Mareer, and who described in pan-tomime the last act of the terrible tragedy. Gunni-son was lying on his side, and when the Indians ap-peared, slowly and painfully raised himself to a bit- |
