The Morning Star And Catholic Messenger

How The Modocs Fought.

A TOUCH OF THE HOMERIC.

A correspondent says:

There are some funny incidents of the late battle which have not yet been printed, but which go to show the brazen effrontery of these Indians more than anything else. About noon of the day of the fight, while Fairchild's company were in the very hottest of it, P. A. Dorris, one of Fairchild's men, suddenly heard a voice from above him, apparently not more than forty feet off.

He looked up and could just see through the fog into a little crevice in the rocks. There were two Indian faces, which he at once recognized as belonging to Bogus Charlie and "Frank," the latter the same who accompanied Dorris and Fairchild when they went into Captain Jack's camp six weeks ago. Quick as lightning Dorris dodged behind a rock, when the two Indians began to laugh and jeer him. "Hi!" said Frank, "you old man Dorris, why you no go home and stay there? What for you come here to fight Modocs? You say you no want to fight. We no want to fight you. You Siskiyou boys better all go home. You can't get Injun out of lava bed." Dorris made no answer, but stood behind the rock, out of harm's way. Just then Colonel Green, who heard the talk, came up and called to his men, "Charge on that place, boys, and rout out those two Indians; there's only two of them." The men were met with the fire of three or four rifles from the crevices in the rock, and for an instant they wavered, "Up and at 'em boys!" yelled Colonel Green. "To be sure, yes, that's all good," shouted Bogus Charlie from behind the rocks. "Up and at 'em! but why you no come up and at 'em yourself? You're a pretty soldier! Why for you no come up yourself, eh?" Colonel Green could not stand this taunt, and he made one spring at the rocks. The Indians fired at him, but the fog was just thick enough to render their aims imperfect. The soldiers followed the Colonel, but before they could climb up to the point, the Indians dodged back and the jibes and jeers died away in the distance.

Ten minutes afterwards Dorris came out from behind his rock and groped his way through the fog. He hadn't got but ten steps when he heard Bogus Charlie's voice again from another direction.

He looked, and as the fog lifted a little he saw the Indian's head just above a rock. "Hi! you old Dorris; why you no go home? Nobody wants to kill you; you want kill me. You come up here," Dorris lifted his gun, but before he got it up Charlie twisted his fingers at the end of his nose and with a leer dodged behind the rock and was seen no more.

All through the fight the Indians had several scalp-poles planted on the rocks, each with several white scalps dangling to it. These have the same significance that a battle-flag usually has. Every once in a while they would come up and shake the poles in a suggestive manner, and then dodge behind the rocks. The savages all fought without clothes, save a clout about their loins.

They fought with terrible desperation, and had it not been for the fog it is certain hundreds, instead of tens, would have been killed. Fairchild and his men got possession of the spot where his interview was held, but were unable to keep it. the Indian fire from the rocks above being too hot for human endurance.

Fairchild got behind some rocks to protect himself from fire, and while there Shacknasty Jim and Scarface Charlie, who were not twenty rods off, rode up from behind their shelter and called out, "Hi, John! come up here and get some supper, We've got more to eat than you have."

Mr. Fairchild did not go to sup with the Indians, but when the fog thickened got down on his back and rolled out of the line of fire.