Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-12-18

eniy d TWO Gays rest after the two hun
dred mile trip from Rawlins. The mules
are about used up. When the wagon-mas-
ter reported to me this morning, I found
two mules unfit for service, and had them
led. We went into camp at $50 p. NJ, but
before doing so we left one mule dead III
the road. The wagons are nearly empty,
but the mules are so weak from starvation
that they can hardly walk.
Before we were out of sight OF camp we
picked up two horses. They were on a
round-topped hill and directly behind them
was a long clump of cedar and a field of
dense sage brush. It looked very much
like a decoy put out by the Indians to en-
trap some small party. Determined to
have the horses, I deployed the Company as
skirmishers and drew q half-circle about the
animals. They proved to be horses that
had been abandoned because at the time
worn out. They had picked up so as to be
not bad looking, and we took them along.
No signs of Indians were seen, but it is not
at all improbable that they were watching
us. Putting out horses for a lure is COM
mon among all Indians.
The teamsters were out of meat, and ask
ed permission to kill one OF a large herd of
cattle near the road. The train was halted
and in a few minutes the carcass of a COW
was in one of the wagons. The Utes IRE
out that much.
Passing the coal hole, now known as
'dead mans hole," I looked upon its lonely
occupant. The body lay as when | last
passed it. He looks as though sleeping. I
saw the man who found the body. He
says it lay with the head pillowed on a coat,
with q Winchester rifle at the right side, the
muzzle near the right eye, close to which
was a bullet hole, powder burned. The toe
of the right foot was near the trigger. The
theory is that the man was wounded by the
Utes, crept into the hole, and tearing to fall
alive into their hands, or crazy with pain,
shot himself. This is like the mystery Of
the dead horse, found saddled and bridled
with q bullet hole between the eyes, and an
empty carbine lying beside him, at the
mouth Of the Rosebud, in 1876, about sew
enty- fv piles from Clusters battlefield.
No doubt the horse belonged to one of
CUster's companions.
Just before we reached our present camp
| ground, we saw a number of new lodge
poles sticking out OF some brush. Riding
over to them, I saw lying beside them a
$ Dutch oven, two shovels and two camp
kettles, a squaw's dress, and one of the
men picked up q piece of gaily colored
calico. at shutdown one OF the pickets
brought in q mule. Captain W., who re-
turned from such q trip as [ am, taking,
brought in four mules, two horses and u
wagon. The mules are grazing instead of
being tied up, as is usual with government
trains. 1t is risky | know, but we have no
grain for them. We will leave here to-mor-
row morning at 6 o'clock if, as we used to
say when children, "nothin' happens"
The fire has run all over this country,
save here and there q spot which was too
wet to burn or guarded by running water.
Young is asleep, and a greyhound which
has attached itself to me, is snoring at my
feet. After closing my notes tor the night
I looked at my watch and found it YVES only
s O'Clock, and thinking of something | had
forgotten, concluded to finish. Before leav-
ing camp this morning | learned that a
party of forty Utes from the southern agen-
cy were in camp ten miles below here, on
White river. They have been sent out to
gather up Struggling bands and notify them
that negotiations were pending for peace.
| forgot to say at the time I wrote of
Lieut.. Weir's death, that a scout who was
with him "a former sergt. Major Of the Sd
cavalry, was also killed. His body was
not found by the party sent out for Weir.