DEATH OF PAWNEE. 223 



attempts never answer), fired one barrel of his revolver 

 over his head. The consequence of this was that 

 the Indian, thinking that he had missed him, screamed 

 a whoop of defiant derision, and went faster than ever. 

 To permit a prisoner to escape from military custody 

 would be disgraceful in an officer, and is, both in 

 England and America, contrary to the articles of 

 war. Mr Bayard, therefore, with the second barrel 

 of his revolver shot the Indian through the heart, but 

 as he did not on the instant fall, he fired a third barrel, 

 the bullet of which, as the prisoner was then in the 

 act of dropping forward, went over his head, w r hen 

 the redskin fell lifeless on the ground. On searching 

 the body, it was found that to the last the man intended 

 resistance, for though bidden to deliver up all his arms, 

 concealed in his vest was a beautifully painted arrow, 

 of the brightest colours, and stained at the point, per 

 haps with a deadly poison. 



Some days after this occurrence, and about six miles be 

 yond and west of Pawnee Fork, as the Government mail 

 was proceeding on its road in the care of three men, it was 

 surrounded by Indians, who bade the driver halt, and 

 demanded food. There was something so threatening 

 in the manner of the redskins, that while complying with 

 their request the conductor, from the looks of the 

 savages, saw that he was a dead man, and in a very 

 abortive and hopeless attempt, which of course only 

 hastened his end, ordered the driver " to head his mules 

 for Pawnee Fork," in a desire to turn back from his 

 mission and to escape. Of course the very moment that 

 the mail reversed its position the Indians fired and killed 

 two out of the three officials on the spot, wounding the 

 third severely, who ran with his mule into the grass, 



