Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-01
COLUMBUS, O., FRIDAY MORNING,

time. Within half an hour the cook had
to prepare breakfast, the horses had to
be fed, watered, hitched mp and saddled,
the tents had to beifoldedi up, bedding,
camp furniture and provisions reloaded,
and it is well known by those who have
had practical experience, that if an Off
Ger does not see personally to all these
particulars being attended to, he loses
all cf his own and all of the Government
property confded to his care, before he
reaches the place of his destination. The
afternoons were not any less exciting,
after the camp was reached. Every
thing loaded and packed up in the morn
ing had to be taken down again, the
tents erected on the hot sand or short
grass, the animals taken care of, and
then came for the author of these lines
in his capacity of quaItermaster and
commissary, the agreeable duty of issu-
ing written orders for corn to eight hun
dred animals, for shoeing perhaps doz-
en- of them. for providing Tom, Dick and
Harry with boots and other wearing APP
parel, and of issuing to every separate
company provisions for FIVE days. Coun
ell Grove, small town in Kansas, was
the last civilized place we passed and
the first place where we met with num-
Der of Indians, whom the Government
has provided with pretty stone houses
in the vicinity of the town.
They are not at all savage, like their
brother red skins further West, but
equally dirty, lazy and thievish in their
habits. Although every family has
been given house and plenty of ground
to cultivate, they prefer to abandon
them and live like so many pigs in a
small space of ten or twelve feet square,
where you are apt to find from twenty
to twenty-five men and women stretch
ed on the floor, doing nothing, and de-
pending for their daily bre ad on what
one or two of their crowd can pick up
by stealing or begging. The arrival of
Government troops was not sooner
known to them, when about two dozen
red skins made their appearance in our
camp, mounted on small ponies, each of
which generally carried a man, woman
and two little children on its back.
They proceeded in single file, as is the
invariable custom of every Indian tribe,
their leader asking the first soldier he
met for "hoggy meat" (salt pork, was
directed to my tent. Much to my sur
prise they walked in without saying
word to me nor to each other, sat down
on the ground inside, and those who
could not find room, outside the tent.
This Quaker meeting lasted about half
an hour, when the chief asked me for
hoggy meat, which is one of the very
few English words that tribe appeared
to know, and he was provided with a
small quantity of bacon. and hardbread,
which he at once divided, looking out to
secure the largest proportion for himself.
After another short delay they left, but
made their appearance the very next
day again in increased number, and ask
ing for more provisions, but they were
notified in distinct terms and signs of the
hand, that we had by no means arrived
here in orderto feed the Indians.
Another interruption of the monotony
of our journey after having reached the
almost boundless plains, was the first
sight of buffaloes. That days march
was but a short one, so as to enable the
officers to participate in the hunt, which
was arranged for the afternoon. One of
the wagonmasters, who had some expe-
rience in that description of warfare,
acted as guide, and off we started to the
place where large herd of the huge in
habitants of the plains were quietly
grazing, until one of them caught sight
of our party and instantly set the whole
herd of about one thousand animals
running to escape their enemies. The
scene which now followed battles descrip-
ton. In an instant the horsemen flew
in every direction, trying to select some
fat animal for their prey. 1t requires.
however, good horse to keep up with a
buffalo, and bullet fired at distance
takes no effect whatever. Every man
commenced operations on his own hook,
and several narrow escapes took place
before the hunters returned into camp
that evening. The Colonel came very
near being "gobbled up" by the horns of
buffalo as he approached the animal on
his frightened horse. One of the wag-
onmasters, who happened to ride the
heetest Government horse in the COM
mand, succeeded in the heat of racing to
get with his horse into one of the holes
which the wolves dig for sleeping in,
was thrown head over heels almost under
the feet of buffalo, and as he got up,
found the horse stretched out dead, hav-
ing broken its neck as it fell. The re-
suit of my first effort during that hunt
was the killing of pretty good sized
animal and of a calf. There were
enough bufaloes killed that day to pro-
vide the whole command with fresh meat
for several days to come. The loss of
horses and mules during the whole jour
ney was very light, hut wagonmastera
have not the reputation of being over
scrupulous when they find an opportuni-
ty for making the animals disappear
after having reached camp and having
them picked up by some of the ranch
men on the road, with whom they are gen
orally we'll acquainted and associated in
their speculations. Several animals had
been lost, and 1 strongly suspected foul
play; so when two more very fine mules
were one morning reported to be missing
1 made up my mind to convince myself
personally, if possible, of the where.
abouts of the animals. Two wagon.
masters and several officers turned back
with me on the road we had come from
and the former soon discovered the track
of the animals, which we eagerly fol
lowed. Thus we may have made about
ten miles when we discovered camp al
distance, and being anxious TO hear Of
the fate of the mules, for which L was
responsible, spurred my horse and rode
ahead of the rest of the party. Close