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boys were attacked by seven Indians, who had come upon them unawares. Ed shot one of their horses and the Indians closed in upon him, shot him in the arm and knocked his gun out of his hands. An Indian made a lunge at him with a lance, which pierced his pistol scabbard. He managed to pull his pistol and killed the foremost Indian with it, then the other Indians ran to the fallen brave and Ed and his little brother made a dash for the ranch, with three Indians following, and in the chase one of the Indians shot Ed in the back with an arrow. The boys outdistanced their pursuers and reached home, where Captain English pulled the arrow out, and found that it had a long steel spike on the end of it. Ed was laid up with his wounds for nearly two months.
The next raid the Indians made was in 1870. A band of about 200 swooped down on the ranch of Charles Vivian, killed a Mexican and captured a Mexican boy. Before they reached the Dave Adams ranch the Indians met a party of five cowboys, Will Bell, Joe Tumlinson, Si Hay, John Smith and a Mexican. As they were greatly outnumbered, the boys had to retreat. Adams was at a pen near his house when the Indians came up and, having no gun with him, he tried to gain the brush, but was cut off and killed by the savages. The alarm was spread and when some of the Indians were within a half mile of Carrizo Springs several men went out and engaged them in battle, but were driven back. Other men had come in from the upper region and got around the Indians to the Adams ranch and engaged the main body in a desperate fight. While the Indians were killing Adams a wagonload of people who were going to Carrizo Springs drove upon the scene. They were Jack McCurdy, Jake Burleson, Pat McCurdy, Pleas English and Mrs. Levi English. They turned the wagon and ran from the Indians with only two following them, the others being engaged in the fight with the cowboys.