Two months in the Camp of Big Bear | Page 7

I
should eat plenty. After breakfast they took us out of the house and
escorted us over to the church; my husband taking my arm, Mr. and
Mrs. Delaney were walking beside us. When we got to the church the
priests were holding mass; it was Holy Thursday, and as we entered the
door, Wandering Spirit sat on his knees with his gun; he was painted,
and had on such a wicked look. The priests did not finish the service on
account of the menacing manner of the Indians; they were both around
and inside the church. We were all very much frightened by their
behaviour. They then told us to go out of the church, and took us back
to Mr. Delaney's, all the Indians going in too. We stopped there for
awhile and an Indian came and told us to come out again, and my
husband came to me and said "you had better put your shawl around
you, for its very cold, perhaps we will not be gone long." We all went
out with the Indians. They were going through all the stores.
Everything was given to them, and they got everything they could wish
for and took us up the hill towards their camp. We had only gone but a
short distance from the house when we heard the reports of guns, but
thought they were firing in the air to frighten us; but they had shot
Quinn, Dill and Gilchrist, whom I did not see fall. Mr. and Mrs.
Delaney were a short distance ahead of my husband, I having my
husband's arm. Mr. Williscraft, an old grey-headed man about
seventy-five years of age came running by us, and an Indian shot at him
and knocked his hat off, and he turned around and said, "Oh! don't
shoot! don't shoot!" But they fired again, and he ran screaming and fell
in some bushes. On seeing this I began crying, and my husband tried to
comfort me, saying, "my dear wife be brave to the end," and
immediately an Indian behind us fired, and my husband fell beside me
his arm pulling from mine. I tried to assist him from falling. He put out
his arms for me and fell, and I fell down beside him and buried my face
on his, while his life was ebbing away so quickly, and was prepared for
the next shot myself, thinking I was going with him too. But death just
then was not ordained for me. I had yet to live. An Indian came and

took me away from my dying husband side, and I refused to leave. Oh!
to think of leaving my dear husband lying there for those cruel Indians
to dance around. I begged of the Indian to let me stay with him, but he
took my arm and pulled me away. Just before this, I saw Mr. Delaney
and a priest fall, and Mrs. Delaney was taken away in the same manner
that I was. I still looking back to where my poor husband was lying
dead; the Indian motioned to where he was going to take me, and on we
went. I thought my heart would break; I would rather have died with
my husband and been at rest.
"A rest that is sure for us all, But sweeter to some."
CHAPTER VII.
WITH THE INDIANS.
Hardly knowing how I went or what I did, I trudged along in a half
conscious condition. Led a captive into the camp of Big Bear by one of
his vile band. Taken through brush and briar, a large pond came to view,
we did not pass it by, he made me go through the water on that cold
2nd of April nearly to my waist. I got so very weak that I could not
walk and the Indian pulled me along, in this way he managed to get me
to his tepee. On seeing Mrs. Delaney taken away so far from me, I
asked the Indian to take me to her; and he said "No, No," and opening
the tent shoved me in. A friendly squaw put down a rabbit robe for me
to sit on; I was shivering with the cold; this squaw took my shoes and
stockings off and partly dried them for me. Their tepees consisted of
long poles covered with smoke-stained canvas with two openings, one
at the top for a smoke hole and the other at the bottom for a door
through which I had to crawl in order to enter. In the centre they have
their fire; this squaw took a long stick and took out a large piece of beef
from the kettle and offered it to me, which I refused, as I could not eat
anything after what I