Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/233

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 173 taking refuge in the sink hole, which was close by where the main fighting had taken place. About the time the Indians were re- treating, Captain Craig exposed himself about four feet beyond his tree and was shot through the body and fell dead. James Putney was killed before Captain Craig, and perhaps one or two others. Before the Indians retired to the sink hole the fighting had become ani- mated ; the loading was done quickly and shots rapidly exchanged, and when one of our party was killed or wounded it was announced aloud. The sink hole was about sixty feet in length, and from twelve to fifteen feet in width, and ten or twelve feet deep. Near the bottom, on the southeast side, was a shelving rock under which perhaps some fifty or sixty persons might have sheltered themselves. At the northeast end of the sink hole the descent was quite gradual, the other end much more abrupt, and the southeast side almost per- pendicular, and the other side about like the steep roof of a house. "On the southeast side the Indians, as a farther protection in case the whites should rush up, dug under the shelving rock with their knives. On the sides and in the bottom of the sink hole were some bushes, which also served as something of a screen for the In- dians. Captain JMusick and his men took pavt on the northeast side of the sink hole, and others occupied other positions surroimding the enemy. As the trees approached close to tlie sink hole, these served in part to protect our party. Finding we could not get a good opportimity to dislodge the enemy, as they were best protected, those of our men who had families at the fort gradually went there, not knowing but a large body of Indians might seize the favorable occasion to attack the fort while the men were mostly away engaged in the exciting contest. The Indians in the sink hole had a drum made of a skin stretched over the section of a hollow tree, on which they beat quite constantly, and some Indian would shake a rattle called She-shuqui, probably a dried bladder with pebbles within, and even for a moment would venture to thrust his head in view, with his hand elevated, shaking his rattle and calling out "peash! peash!" which was imderstood to be a sort of defiance, or as Blackhawk, who was one of the party says in his account of that affair, a kind of bravado to come and fight them in the sink hole. When the Indians would creep up and shoot over the rim of the sink hole they would instantly disappear, and while they sometimes fired effectual shots they in turn became occa- sionally the victims. Prom about 1 to 4 o'clock p. m. the firmg was incessant, our men generally reserving their fire till an Indian would show his head, and all of us were study- ing how we could more effectually attack and dislodge the enemy. At length Lieutenant Spears suggested that a pair of cart wheels, axle and tongue, which were seen at Allen's place, be obtained, and a moving battery con- structed. The idea was entertained favorably and an hour or more was consumed in its construction. Some oak floor puncheons from seven to eight feet in length were made fast to an axle in an upright position and port holes made through them. Finally the battery was ready for trial and was sufficiently large to protect some half a dozen or more men. It was moved forward slowly and seemed to attract the particular attention of the In- dians, who had evidently heard the knocking and pounding connected with its manufac- ture, and who now frequently popped up their lieads to make momentary discoveries, and it was at length moved up to within less than ten paces of the brink of the sink hole on the southeast side. The upright plank did not