OUR ESCAPE. 93 



unbuttoned my holster, but I was too late in drawing my 

 revolver, so I threw up my left arm to ward off the blow, which 

 broke the arm above the elbow and cut my head open. I 

 drew my revolver and fired at him, hitting him in the chest, 

 and thinking that I could not possibly get away, I fired at him 

 a second time, the ball taking him in the throat just as he 

 staggered back. I then put my back against my horse, which 

 being used to firing had stood quite still, and faced the other 

 Indians. These, on seeing their chief fall rushed into their 

 tents, and I knew they had gone for their guns, so making a 

 desperate effort, I scrambled on to my horse and rode off, 

 Badger having already started and being some distance in 

 advance. A good many shots were fired at me during the 

 first few hundred yards, but I lay forward on my horse, and 

 they all missed me, though some of them seemed to come pretty 

 close. I soon caught up Badger and told him that he had to 

 stick to me or I would shoot him, and being little more than a 

 boy, only twenty-one, he was so frightened that I do not think 

 he wished to leave me. 



The Indians' horses were several hundred yards from their 

 camp, and it took them fully ten minutes to get them and 

 saddle up, but at the end of that time we saw them coming 

 strung out in a long line. We were fully two miles ahead by 

 this time, and we kept our horses at three-quarters speed, which 

 we found prevented their gaining on us. As we rode along 

 Badger and I consulted as to our best route, as he knew the 

 country well, and so far as I could judge from what he said, for 

 an Indian or an half-breed has a very poor idea of miles, we 

 were nearly three hundred miles from Fort Garry, the first 

 settlement being some twenty miles nearer a fearfully long 



