Thrilling Encounter

[A Black ITills It!cr to the Cinclnnati Enquircr.] On üie Hli inst. fourtcen of na foundcd this oamp or diggings, which is thirty-sevcn miles from Deadwood, and in a locality mnch infested by liostilo Indians. Three of our party aro from Illinois, ono from Ganada, two from Michigan, one from Omaha, two from Üie city of Chicago, and the fourteenth mail was from Ohio. On the morning of the 8th inst., soon after wc liad disposed of breakfast, a deer was observed on the hillside, about a qunrter of a mile away. The Buckeye and the Canadiau at once nished for their guns, and were about leaving camp to secure a shot at tho game when the entire balance of the party strongly protested agiiiust such recklessnesB. We kuew to a certainty tliat therc were hostiles all around us, and every flrearm was left where it could be grasped at a momcnt's warning. liad the deer not again appeared in full sight, seeming to be surveying the camp, the men would havo rerarnèd to thëir shovols. While detennined to go they waited a moment to prepare themselves. The Buckeye took all his firearins, and the Oanadian took a doubie-barreled shot-gun and a revolvdr. Work was suspended for a few minutes as the men movod out. Between our cnmp pad the deer tho ground was uneven and covercd with bushes tall enough to cover a man. The deer stood in nn open spot higher up and plaiu to the cyc. Securing good positions, wo waited to note tho bucccss of tho shots. Tlie men crept through the bushes until within close range of the game, and then botli lired at once. We saw the deer give a convulsire start, as if hit, lose its legs for an instant, and then bound up the liill undercover. In about two minutes more the two men were seen to cross the open space in pursuit. Expecting they would soon return, we resumed work, and were not greatly concerned until two long hours had passed. It was then agroed that tho men had either encountered Indiaus or become confused and lost. The country in that direction was strange to all of ua, and consisted of broken ground, hills, ravines and here and thcre a grassy valley, long and narrow. What transpired after we lost sight of the two men is told by the Canadian, whose name is James Lennox, and whose home is in Ottawa. They believed the deer to bo mortally wounded, and followed it up the bilí a quarter of a mile along its crest, and then the game descended the hill and continued along a valley stretching back for two or three miles between two ridges. This valley was not over thirty feet wide at any pomt, and had probably been gullied out by the spring torrents. The men found blood on the grass here and there as they followed the trail at a lope, and every minute they expected to see the deer before them. The valley ran as toituous a course as the average river, and, while "loping" around one of the sharp curves, fully expeeting to find the deer beyond, the two minera ran upon an Indiun village containing about twenty lodges. Squaws were sitting around the lires, boys were running over the graas, and from twenty to thirty warriors were grouped around the deer, either dying or dead, a few rods above the camp. Lennox says they were within thirty feet of the first lodge when they halted. Their surprise was bo great that they stood there for a moment without moving or speaking. Squaws and children roturued their stare, doubtless just as much amazed, but the Indians were the first to take in the situation. A grand yell of alarm was uttered in chorus to attract the attention of the wamors, and then the two miners turned and fled. Both fully realized the danger, and both put forth every effort to secure all the start possible. The yell of alarm from the camp was answered by the warriors, and about a minute after that there came another shout signifying that the redskins were in pursuit. At this time there were two bends or curves between the flecing miners and the Iudian village, and they were rapidly nearing another. The Ohio man did uot seein excited or frightened. He probably realized that they were too far from ojr camp to evade the Indians by flight down that narrow valley, and os they ran he said to Lenjox : "As soon as we turn this bend we must take cover ; you go to the left md I will to the right, and we can clamber up the ridge aud conceal ourselves bofore they sight us. After they give up the search we must make our w'ay to tho camp as best we can." After getting fairly arouud the bend cacli dashod for the ridgo. It was covered with loose rock; bushos and stnntod trees, and wan hard climbing. Ijennox lost his gun bef ore hehadclimbed thirty feet. It feil and loclged in the bushos at the base of the ridgo, and he elimbed on without it. "Wlien about fifty fout up ho hoard the Indians coming, and restcd whcro hc was, afraid that soine noiso might betray him. Their heavy boots had left a phiin trail, aud tho redsluufi had pfissed thoin only i huudred feet wlién they discoverrd that the min'èrs had taken cover in tho bushes. They divided into two partios and closely Kcniinod the baae of tlie ridgo on MM side. Lenuox could seo them moving along below him, and, happening to giance across at the: othcr bank, he boheld tho Ohio man standing on a rocky shelf not twonty feet above tho Indians. The hillside at nis back was too stoep to climb, and all escapo was cut off. When first soen by Lennox the Bnokeye was kneeling down, revolvers and extra amnmnition on the rock in front of him. Ho could not teil where his comrado was, and was making preparations to defend his life to the last. The Indians discovered him first, his trail being plainest, or beeauso the Canadian had left none as he drew nimself up the ridgo. The first yell from the Indians was answered by a shot from his rifle. Standing on the edge of the rocky SRerJP, he difcharged his ritte as fast as possible into the dusky crowd below. Lonnoxsays hesaw tliree or fonrfall,but they wero dragged nway by the retreating band. BflDM ril!l Hl "lc vull'y and some down it to get out of range, but it was only a minuto before they took cover on both sides of tlie valley and bogan a rapid fire. Tho Buckeyo sat down, his riflo across his kuoos and his back t tho overhanging cliff, and was quite protecfed from the bullets. Some of the Indians were on his side of tho valley and some on the othor, and they eonld not exactly lócate him. The bullets struck tho clift' above him and tho bushes beneath him, but ho was quite safo until some of theru could gain a position opposito and abovo him. The lire of the Indians slackcned for three or four minutes while they planued, and then grew warm as a warrior worked his way along through the bushes and rocks not moro than fiftorn feet below where the Canadian was hiding. Tho Buokeye read the plan, and his eycs wero constantly scanning the hill-.idc opposito. The Iudian was just getting into position for a pluuging shot whon aisfovored by the miuer at bay, and tho next instant he received a ball from the Henry rifle through the head. Ho roso up, liftod his arms, and then feil forward and rolled down to the grass. There was a terrible yell from the wia;;es as a dead warrior pjjaahpd down, aud tlun a doep silence feil upou thevalloy. Tlie Canndian admita that h; wau too frifilitened to make the least movcmont He oxpected that Indians were working around to positious above hirn on both ridges, nna ho drow lumsclf into as email a spaoo (9 poBBiblo, and kept his eyes oa the brave man opposite. All the chances were against the Buckeye, and he knew it. It was only a question of time when the savageswould seouro positions from which they could riddle his body with bullets. Áf ter the silence had oontinued unbroken for five minutes, lie caught the only plan oftering the least hope of success. Reasoning, undoubtedly, that the Indiana were by that time making tticir way up the ridges, and that the Yiilley was clear, he made reiuly to descomí, and dash off down the valley, hoping to secure start enough to insure his escape. He laid his rifle one side, tightened his belt, and then taking a revolver in either hand, he slipped off the lcdge, and in another minute was in the vnlley. There was a yell from above as soon as he struck the graas, some one having been left to watch for snch a move. The Buckeye dashed away at his best poce, followed by whoopsand shouts, and screams, and the noise of Indians crashing through the buslies, as they dropped into the valley. He was either intticepted or overtaken before running forty rods, as He halted and opened fire with his revolvers. Lennox heard him shout fiercely and deüantly, as if determined to die game, and the crack ! crack ! crack ! of his revolvers could be plainly dotectcd from the reports of the rifles. It was two or throe minutes before the flring ceased, and then the silence was broken by wails and laments from red men, proving that the miner had sent more than one of them to the happy huuting grounds. In a sliort time the equaws and children came down the valley, and the laments were renewed. Lennox saw a boy have oue of the Buekeye's revolvers and a squaw carrying the otlicr, but he saw no scalp or dead body to prove beyond question that his comraaq was dead. Howover there is no doubt about thiï, as he has not been heard of since. Lennox scrambled furthcr up the ridge as the Indians bogan to return up tho vaJley, carrying their dead and wounded, and it was not until two days after that a party of six men from our camp, out in search of the missing, ran across him in the hills, almost dead from fright, fatigue and hungi'r. His statemeut is undoubtedly correct in every particular, and it may be some little cousolation to tho friends of the nameless Ohioan to know that he died as only brave men do.