Campfire Stories of Indian Character 535 



the capture, were soon brought from their hiding place 

 and loaded. 



They expected an immediate attack, but none came. 



And all day long the garrison was kept under arms, 

 ready for any sortie by the Indians. 



Night at last came, and, notwithstanding the terrible 

 warnings of the day, no extraordinary precautions were 

 taken. A guard of only seventeen men were under arms, 

 and of these only a few were on post about this barrack full 

 of maddened savages. 



All but Captain Wessells were so certain of a desperate 

 outbreak that night that Lieutenant Baxter and several 

 other officers sat fully dressed and armed in their quarters, 

 awaiting the first alarm. 



''Taps" sounded at nine o'clock, the barracks were soon 

 darkened, and the troopers retired. 



Only a few fights burned in the oflScers' quarters and 

 at the trader's store. 



The night was still and fearfuUy cold, the earth hid 

 by the snow. 



Ten o'clock came, and just as the "all's weU" was pass- 

 ing from one sentry to another, a buck fired through a 

 window and killed a sentry, jumped through the window 

 and got the sentry's carbine and belt, and sprang back into 

 the barrack. Then two or three bucks ran out of the west 

 door, where they quickly shot down Corporal Pulver and 

 Private Hulz, both of Troop A, and Private Tommeny, of 

 Troop E. 



At doors and windows the barrack now emptied its 

 horde of desperate captives, maddened by injustice and wild 

 from hunger. Nevertheless, they acted with method and 

 generalship, and with heroism worthy of the noblest men 

 of any race. 



The bucks armed with firearms were the first to leave the 



