you? Are you men, to let a comrade be butchered?" She
appealed to her husband: "Are you a coward, too? Did I marry a coward?"

"We'd save Tom if we could, but the Injuns are ten to one. We don't
dare leave."

A cry welled.

"Tom's down again! He's fainted. There's the end to him."

"No, it isn't." Mrs. Pursley tore the gun from her husband's hand.
"The more shame on you, to let a defenceless man lie. But I'll not see
so fine a fellow as Tom Higgins lost for lack of a little help."

And before they could stop her she was galloping through the gate and
into the prairie.

"After her, boys! That's too much to stand. Never mind the fort."

They raced in pursuit. The one Indian was searching for his gun; the
other Indians, coming in, halted, confused. Mrs. Pursley was there
first--already on the ground and bending over Ranger Tom, trying to
lift him to her saddle. They had no time to waste. One helped
her--slung Tom across in front of a saddle; and fighting a rear action
they gained the block-house without a wound.

Tom Higgins was the hero, but Mrs. Pursley was the heroine.

Two of his bullets were taken out, and he got well, except for a limp
and considerable "botheration" from a third bullet. After the war he
made a day's ride to find a doctor and have the ball extracted.

"What's your fee, Doc?"

"It'll be fifty dollars."

"What? Not much, by golly! That's more than half a year's pension.
For less I'll fetch it out, myself."

He wrathfully rode home again; the ball seemed to have worked toward
the surface--yes, he could see it, away in.

"Old woman, hand me my razor, will you?" he bade. "And jest put your
fingers on this hole and stretch it."

Without a quiver he cut into his thigh, put in his two thumbs, "and,"
he said, "I flirted that ball out as slick as a whistle, at the cost of
nary a cent!"

In his later years Veteran Ranger Tom Higgins was assistant doorkeeper
for the Illinois legislature. His sturdy form and the story of his
fight with the three Indians when he covered the escape of Comrade
Burgess made him a famous character.

[1] For the story of the Prophet and Tecumseh, see "Boys' Book of
Indian Warriors."

CHAPTER XIII

JOHN COLTER'S RACE FOR LIFE (1808)

THE TRAPPER AND THE BLACKFEET

In all the planning for possession of the country north and west of the
Ohio River the Indians were far out-stripped by the white men. By the
treaty of peace with Engla