The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April, 1953 Page: 31
641 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Surveyors Fight
was bleeding to death. Henderson cut off the top of Lane's boot,
bound the wound with his own shirt, and stopped the flow of
blood. About fifty Indians came to the mouth of the ravine,
but they could not see the four men because of the darkness in
the heavy foliage. Some of the Indians passed so close to the
little party as they lay concealed in the bushes that Lane says
he could have placed his hands on their heads. As the surveyors
worked their way down the creek, they heard the signal for the
Indians to return from the pursuit, the sound of a conch shell
being blown. About an hour before daylight the group reached
Richland Creek and a short distance down the bed of the stream
found a pool of muddy water, the first drink they had had in
about twenty-four hours.
Violet's thigh had been broken when he was shot, and he
could crawl no further. One of the men bound up his wound
as best he could, and the wounded man was left near the water
with the promise that aid would be sent as soon as the three
surveyors reached the settlements.
At daybreak Henderson, Lane, and Burton crawled across a
log, in order not to leave tracks, to a small, brush-covered island
in the stream bed. There they lay concealed all day while the
Indians rode up and down looking for them. The men had two
pistols, two rifles, and a Bowie knife between them. At dusk,
when Lane rose to leave, the pain from his wound was so great
that he fainted. Burton told Henderson that they had better
leave the wounded man behind as he could not make the trip
and would greatly encumber them. Henderson replied that Lane
was his friend, that they had slept on the same blanket together,
and that he would stick with the wounded man to the end. Lane,
who had regained consciousness during the argument, rose to
his feet and, in his own words, "cursed Burton, both loud and
deep, telling him he was a white-livered plebian, and, in spite
of his 18o-pounds, I would lead him to the settlement."1
The three men started for Tehuacana Hill, twenty-five miles
loLane, Adventures, 29. Of his friend Henderson, General Lane later wrote:
"I wish to pay a tribute of respect to my old friend, William Henderson, now
living in Corsicana. It has never been my lot to meet a more polished gentleman,
gallant soldier, or trusty comrade. To him I am indebted for my life, for without
his aid I could not have made my escape."-ibid., 33.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April, 1953, periodical, 1953; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101145/m1/49/: accessed May 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.