TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1860-1916
370
Killed a Mexican by shooting him in the back with an arrow and mutilating him in a horrible manner- They moved then, in the direction of Frio City, capturing thirty-nine horses from Messrs Brown, Allen, Gray: and Hon- neycut: turned Northward, passing with their stock along the "divide" of the Nueces and Dry Frio, crossing the Nueces at Camp Wood; and upon reaching the "divide" of the Frio, Sabi- nal, Llano and Devil Rivers, they encamped in a dense thicket, near Beaver Lake-- The scouting party above referred to hav- ing been formed, started two days after tr.e Indians passed Frio Canon in hot pursuit; keeping on their trail, until the Indian Camp was reached- The attention of the Scouting Party was first attracted by a few loose horses, and upon riding around the thicket in which the Indians had their Camp they discovered one in the act of bridling a horse, when Humphry, Avant and Sawyer gave him several shots, as he drew back into the thick brush- This seemed to startle them; and another making his appearance in a different quarter, Humphry & Sawyer drove him to cover, with his hands placed upon his side, "minus" the saddle, shield and bridle which he brought with him- Wells and Goodman were not asleep on their post for as the Indians emerged from the woods, they gave them Winchester Music to retreat by, while Patterson Wells and Green were speeding across the plain to "cut-off" a party of Indians coming to Camp, with pack mules, loaded with Buffalo meat -The Indians aban- doning the mules took to their horses and escaped into the woodS-- Patterson had succeeded in cutting off one Indian from the woods, and was charging him, when his horse fell, giving him a severe fall, from which he did not recover in time to avail himself of his previous advantage- The "boys" now determined to enter the brush and capture or drive the Indians from their Camp-Leaving four men to guard their horses, four entered the copse and moved in the direction of the smoke, which "so gracefully curled" above the trees, until they reached the Camp, which they found deserted- They, then began firing through the thicket with the hope of discovering the whereabouts of the Indians or of driving them from Cover, but without success- The day was now "far Spent" and the men being worn-out with fatigue and hungt!r, (having had no food for several days) concluded that, they had best recapture all the stock and retire to some point for the night where they could protect them-
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