However, no harm came to them that day or night. The next morning Weikert and Wilkie went reconnoitering in the vicinity of Alum Creek where they encountered a detail of the marauders. The white men retreated speedily, but Weikert was hit in the shoulder in the exchange of fire.
In the meantime the camp on Otter Creek was raided. Instead of posting a lookout the campers were huddled together, waiting for dinner, and hoping they would continue to escape notice. Mr. Kenck’s mind was active with forebodings; addressing the elderly colored cook, he said, “Stone, what would you do if the Indians should jump us?” Stone laconically replied, “You all take care ob yoursel’ and I’ll take care ob me.”[204] In that instant the Nez Percé struck. The eight tourists scattered like surprised deer. Kenck was hit and killed; Stewart was shot, fell, and was overtaken. He pleaded so earnestly for his life that he charmed their savage impulse and was spared. Dietrich fell in the creek and remained there four hours.
Ben Stone ran as fast as his old legs would carry him, but in midstream they gave out, and he lay prone in the water. The red men left as suddenly as they came. When Wilkie and Weikert arrived they fell in with some of the others and started for Mammoth. Joseph Roberts and August Foller had slipped away, and as it later transpired they went west to Madison River and thence to Virginia City and home. The other seven reached Mammoth, where Dietrich and Stone unfortunately decided to remain pending the arrival of Roberts and Foller. Dietrich had promised young Roberts’ mother that he would be responsible for his safe return.
On August 31, Weikert and McCartney, the “hotel” owner, left for the Otter Creek campground to look for the two missing men and to inter the remains of Mr. Kenck. The latter business accomplished, they were returning when the renegades, who had just committed a fresh deed of vengeance at Mammoth, met them at the falls of East Gardner River. A lively skirmish ensued, in which Weikert’s horse was killed and the others got away, before a sheltered position was reached. The desperadoes withdrew, and the white men pursued a cautious course to Mammoth. It was in this stage of their journey when McCartney, observing that Weikert was pale as a ghost, asked, “Do I look pale?” “No,” replied his friend, “Do I?” McCartney answered, “No.” Each was trying hard to “buck up” the other’s morale.[205]
Upon reaching Mammoth they learned about Dietrich’s fate. On August 31 he and Stone saw a band of Indians pass McCartney’s place. They were Nez Percé on their way to Henderson’s ranch which they ransacked and burned. The next day, when they returned, Ben Stone made a precipitous exit from the cabin and ran up Clematis Gulch. Dietrich, evidently believing the Indians friendly, stood in the doorway. They shot and killed him. Several days before he had expressed a premonition of death to Weikert. In view of this condition his conduct was attributed to inexperience.
Ben Stone, it will be remembered, was the colored cook who had a narrow call in the Otter Creek melee. This second escapade was even a closer shave. Stone evidently possessed sufficient of the quaint humor characteristic of his race to warrant the perpetuation of an amusing frontier tale.
Following is the story, as related by Stone to the men at Henderson’s ranch, before he had fully recovered from his scare. The account begins at the end, wherein the negro was challenged by a sentry as he approached the camp:
“‘Halt, who comes dar?’ ‘Ben Stone.’ ‘Come in, Ben Stone.’ An’ you bet I come a-runnin’.” Then he rehearsed the day’s activities in this wise:
“I seed de Injuns comin’ aroun’ in de foah-noon dis mornin’. I tole Dietrich we had better be a gettin’ out ob dis, but he kept a sayin’ ‘I’ll neber go back to Mrs. Roberts widout Joe.’ ’Bout ’leven or twelve o’clock Dietrich says, ‘I’ll go down an’ change de hosses, re-picket dem, while you git dinnah, Ben.’ ‘I say “all right.”
“Well, while he was gone a changin’ ob de hosses, I looked out ob de doah an’ seed a Injun stick his head up ober a rock out in front ob de house. I didn’t wait for no lebe, I didn’t, an’ dropped eberyting an’ bolted trew de back doah, I did, up into de timbah an’ laid down awaitin’ for somethin’ to do next. I seed de Injuns all ’bout de house an’ pears like dey was mighty anxious to fine me, but I wasen’t anxious to fine dem. It war gettin’ along towards night, and I clim a tree. Purty soon a big Injun rode right down under de tree a searchin’ aroun’ for me. I jes hel’ my bref an’ say to myself, ‘Oh Mr. Injun; good Mr. Injun, don’t look up dis way!’ Boys, I ’clare to goodness I could hab touched dat Injun’s head wif my foot—but I didn’t!
“Bye’m-bye de Injun go away down towards de springs an’ I got down on to de ground an’ strike for de side ob de mountain whar I laid down. I was a layin’ in de brush, when all ob a sudden I heerd a crackin’ in de brush. Den, boys, I got right down on my knees an’ prayed (an’ I hope de God Almighty forgive me, I neber prayed before sense I lef’ my modder’s knee), but I jes got down an’ say ‘O Lod God A’mighty, jes help me out ob dis scrape an’ I will neber interfere wid you no moah!’ I heerd dis noise an’ a crashin’ in de bushes again, an’ I jes laid down wid my face to de ground an’ I spected to feel de tom hawk in de back of my head. All ob a sudden I turned ober and dar I seed a big black bar a lookin’ at me. Boys, I neber was so glad to see a bar afore in all my life. De bar he got up an’ run, an’ I got up an’ run to de top ob de mountain when I saw youah camp fire an’ heah I’ is—bress de Lod!”[206]
At the conclusion of this delineation two of Lieutenant Doane’s friendly Indian scouts rushed toward Stone with arms extended, exclaiming “How, how!” The distraught negro nearly fainted from a fresh attack of fright. No amount of explanation could convince him they were not after his scalp. Indeed, he was certain that the larger buck was Chief Joseph himself![207]