nd turning their
horses up the river towards the mouth of Bridge Creek, sped for dear
life.

As soon as they had passed beyond the reach of the bullets and arrows of
the savages, Clark tried to persuade the boy to hold up and save his
horse. The boy, however, was thoroughly frightened and drove his horse
to the top of his speed. Clark, meanwhile, had looked back and saw the
Indians mounting, and now began a race, on one side for life, on the
other for scalps. The race was prolonged scarcely two miles when young
Masterson's horse began to fail. He was then a quarter of a mile ahead
of Clark, who, nursing his horse, kept just beyond reach of the bullets.
Gradually the gap between Clark and the boy narrowed, and slowly the
Indians began to gain. At last Clark rode up beside the boy whose horse
was thoroughly spent. He remained beside him until an Indian, riding a
black horse, Clark said, ran up within twenty feet of him. The boy saw
him raise his gun, and throwing himself from his horse with the
exclamation, "O, Lord," was lost to view in the dust. The Indian was at
least fifty yards ahead of the others and did not stop to kill the boy,
probably leaving him for those behind. Sure of Clark, he kept on, his
black and savage heart leaping with joy in anticipation of torturing
him.

After tolling the Indian some little distance and coming to a turn in
the road, Clark let his horse out and did not slacken his speed until
our camp was reached.

As may be well imagined, we did not spare our horses on the return,
Clark having been provided with a fresh animal. But it was six or seven
miles back to where Masterson left his horse. When we arrived there the
search began. But failing to find the body, the awful possibility began
to dawn upon us that he had been captured alive. Clark was wild. Had he
found the dead body of the boy, it would have been nothing compared to
the thought of his capture alive and death at the stake. A search now
began for the trail of the Indians, as they had evidently left before
our approach. But while this was going on, some of the men found the boy
under a bank, shielded from sight by over-hanging earth and matted
roots. When pulled out he was more dead than alive, his long bath in the
water rendering him practically helpless.

When sufficiently revived, he told us that when he threw himself from
his horse, he leaped into the brush, and coming to the creek, a small
stream, ran down until he saw the o