HEROES OF THE LONE STAR STATE.

893

at once went for the Indians who were tying his master. Nor would he give up the fight until kicked and severely beaten.

The savages at once started with their prisoner down the valley. After traveling five miles they reached their village, a crowd of old men, women, and boys coming out to assault Big Foot. He was placed in a lodge under guard. The next morning a hideous, old squaw, with a face as wrinkled as a walnut, brought him his breakfast. Ugly as she was, Big Foot understood from her face and manner that she desired to be friendly.

After she left the lodge Big Foot heard a tremendous row outside, and two warriors came in and painted him black. At this point Big Foot gave up all hope of his life. When painted from head to foot the savages led him out doors, where the whole village was assembled, and proceeded to bind him firmly to a post in the ground. Near by was a great heap of dry wood. Twenty naked warriors, blacked from head to foot, armed with tomahawks and scalping-knives, stood by in grim silence, waiting to commence the death ceremony.

The chief now arose, and from a little platform he made a speech to his people. Wallace says, " I could understand but little of what he said, but it seemed to me, he was telling them how the white people had encroached upon them, and stolen from them their hunting grounds, and that it was a good deed to burn every one of the hated race that fell into their hands."

The speech ended, the twenty black warriors commenced

piling up the wood about Wallace, while the rest executed a

wild death dance about him.   Just at this moment the old

squaw, who had been so friendly to him in the lodge, broke

through the crowd and began to throw the wood from around

him, talking and gesticulating in the wildest manner. When they

seized her and threw her outside of the ring, she commenced a

shrill and voluble harangue to the crowd, in the midst of which

she frequently pointed to the prisoner, and boldly shook her fist,

with horrid jabbering, at his would-be executioners.

As the old woman proceeded with her harangue she gained 50