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his face, he severed with one stroke herhead from her body, both of which rolled into the water beneath.
    As they came on homeward, they discovered two Indians on foot about a half-mile from them. The Indians were making for a timber which was still a half-mile further on. Some of the company were well mounted, and they instantly put out at full speed in pursuit. The young warriors outran the horses and reached the timber in time to conceal themselves before their pursuers came up. The whites partially surrounded the thicket, while some were sent in on foot to “drive” it. Soon they found and shot one, and all were busy hunting the other one. At length, Smith Hornsby, seeing him, shot, but missed him! The Indian then shot and wounded him in the shoulder. Having only a discharged gun and suffering from his wound, he started from the brush, at the same time calling out, “Here’s the Indian!” One of the surrounding party, William Magill,* in his excitement and haste, mistook Hornsby for the missing Indian, shot, and tore the unfortunate man’s arm literally into pieces. A physician who belonged to the company, after an examination, declared that amputation of his arm was his only chance for life. He positively refused to submit to the operation, declaring he preferred death to losing his arm. So, after lingering along in great pain for a day or two, he died and was buried according to the custom of the times.
    The earth was packed and smoothed above the body until perfectly level, then a fire was kindled upon the spot and left burning. Thus our dead slept in peace, concealed by a seeming campfire. This precaution was observed in order to prevent Indians from digging up the bodies and taking their scalps.
    On this raid, Colonel Neill adopted a singular, if not barbarous, method of sending destruction upon the Indians.Having procured some smallpox virus, he vaccinated one of the captive warriors, and then released him to carry the infection into his tribe! Nothing was ever heard as to the success or failure of this project.
    The subsequent history of one of these captives, a squaw, is not only interesting, but somewhat remarkable. After living in town a while, she seemed to have a growing and abiding horror of Indians, so that when a treaty and exchange of prisoners were made, she pleaded with tears to be allowed to remain with the whites. Sometime afterward, a Mr. [Sumner] Bacon preached in Bastrop, and never having before seen a congregation or heard preaching, she imagined that the whites were holding a council to kill her, and although several tried to quiet her she ran away that night and was never heard of again.
    Our settlers now had a short period of peace, the past raid having resulted in five or six captives, besides driving the thieves far from their accustomed haunts. But the quiet was of short duration and once more our citizens were aroused to extreme indignation and horror by Indian cruelty. Josiah Wilbarger, Stranuther, 5 [Thomas] Christian, and two others [James Standifer* and          Haynie 6 ] from Bastrop went above Austin and around Brushy Creek on a hunting and reconnoitering excursion. One morning in the course of their rambling they came upon the track of one Indian, which was evidently just made. They felt sure that this solitary warriorwas not far off, and pursuing his trail far enough to find signs of other Indians, they concluded to retrace their steps and get home. Four miles from Austin they camped for dinner, and while eating were attacked by a large band of Waco Indians—about thirty in number. Only two of the horses had been tied, while the other three, having been turned loose to graze, were out of sight. At the appearance of the savages, the two hunters whose horses were at hand mounted and fled, leaving their three companions above named to their fate. Each of these in their extremity took to a tree, Indian fashion, and prepared to defend