372 BUFFALO LAND. 



'em by daylight. Then they would lay by, and push 

 on ag'in, when dark cum, toward Wallace. That lit- 

 tle spot of barracks, a hundred and twenty-five miles 

 oif, kept up our hope mightily. It was our light- 

 house, like. We were shipwrecked among savages, 

 and had sent a couple of yawls off, to tell the keeper 

 thar of danger. We knew if the news reached, 

 blue coats would flash out to us, like spots of light, 

 and our foes go before 'em as mist. 



"But footin' it nights, and lay in' by days, fur over 

 a hundred miles, through Injun countr}^, is slow 

 work, and we did n't, most on us, expect much ; and 

 our hearts follered the little black spots, showin' us 

 our two companions a creepin' off into darkness, like 

 a couple of wolves. It took good men, too, from our 

 little part}^, and fur awhile I was faint-hearted. In 

 our shipwreck, it seemed like takin' bottles which 

 might ha' helped to hold out, and flingin' 'em into 

 ther waves, with messages tellin' how and whar we 

 went down. 



" About two o'clock Lieut. Beecher died, havin' for 

 some time begged the men to end his sufferin's by 

 shootin' of him. 



" We all kept perfect quiet that night — no fire, nor 

 wur ther a sound heard, from our little island, by the 

 heathen on the bluffs. An just that quietness gave 

 'em the worst foolin' they ever had. It seems the 

 road down river had been left open by 'em, hopin' 

 we would steal out and run for it durin' the night. 

 We bein' all on foot, they could overtake us in the 

 mornin', and worry on us out easy. Durin' the dark 

 we waited quiet, and watched, and passed water to 



