The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-05-29

first Hisswift-sfepping gray at the head I
nf the column keeps Us all al rapid walk /
or comSortless jog. but no man cares for Z
comfort Hides and muscles are ali !
tough Is whip leather by this time. All /
We want Is TO . get there and give these /
would-be allies Of Sitting Bah lesson.
Al 1870 We again reach tie pslissded
outpost a; sage Creek. and our infantry
friends give eager welcome Here We
cram cur belts with ammunition, give or
horses water and feed, then On Ne 20
again e4stnorfh-ezst. over rolling prsirie.
The cay is hot, and Bill Codyis sirzxber-
~ roam piays ouf, and be gets another
mount frou his old friend, the sdsu-
t2nt On, on, on-sonetimes 81 rapid
frof for half q miie or -. bat mostly al 8
steady walk. We push ahesu. and al sun
set marx winding belt Of green in the
low valley ahead. At 5 P. u, silently
We wind IN under the bluffs and AZ 8 halt
and disEnount among the cottonwoods
along the stream. Messieurs les Chey-
snnes. you are beaten We are first al
the ferd-
Eighty-fye miles in thirty-one hours,
Nothing 10 speak Of by steam, rzil, Stage
or pony express, but something Of an ex-
plot when it Ines1s that 3 column Of
cavalry has made that distance in that
tiIne, and every horse and man Is I'll -
and ready for anything that may turn up
on the nOrroW No fires are allowed.
All except the guard turn IN for a
nights rest I vas officer Of the guard
last night ST the Niobrara, but Company
K Is detailed en- naasse for camp guard
and picket duty tonight and thai means
me again. General Merritt directs me 10
take six men and post myself with them
al ridge few hundred yards 10 the
southeast, and keep yigilani watch for
anything and everything that may come
from that direction. II anywhere, the
Cheyennes must be over IN the breaks
Just beyond the high ridge We had mark
ed, something like two miles away. cali
me At half-p4zt three he says, and rolls
himself IN his blanket by the SIDE of =
fallen c0ttonvood.
Little by little the dawn spreads over
the heavens and chill, van Light over
the rolling prairie Two miles away the
ridges become sharply defined aezinsI
49,. n+T.c IL ....-.,,. ! .,-,-. - -. -
discern the trail on which We marched in
last night At hSlfpast four cur horses,
saddled and bridied, are cropping the bUi-
iAlo grass in the sEzse behind Us and .
mist is rising from the winding stream
further to the rear. Four hundred troop
ers are up and alert under these shelter
ing bluffs, slipping their morning eeffee
now and nibbling at the hzrdtsck IN their
saddle bags O1f to the front 3 lite
hilloek rises from the prairie, and I move
nv party thifher and fnd better view.
Corporsi Wilkinson and !. lying prone Al
the summit, while the Eest Of the party
iurk in the hollow behind rs. are securing
the distant ridge With field glasses. The
sun Is not yet up, when he suddenly e1-
claims:
Look, Lieutenant, there are Indians =
and sure encagh, there they are. six.
eight, dozen Of them scurTying to and
fro on their nimble ponies and evidently
IN great excitement / sent a man TO
xzrn the General, and in ten minutes out
lie comes with BGfAlo Bill and half =
dozen officers They remain in saddle
down in the shadows under the little
knoll where they cannot be seen from
the front, while he disDo1nts, joins ne
Al the top, and takes long look a. the
warriors d4rting about on the ridge near
ly two miles away These movements
are puzzls. They seem to Be watching
some object or to the West. Cody dis
mounts and joins Us takes q long look,
and says
I'm blessed If know what those sei-
loss are fooling about. More and more
Of them pop up into sight, and then-jnst
as the sun peeps over the horizon ii fash
e upon some giisienisg white objects OF
70 the southwest The wagon train, by
all that's wonderful p
What's 10 prevent their attacking i ~
e the question asked by one Of the stafE.
Nothing answers the General, quiet
y. only hope they will-so docs
Hall lie has two companies Of infantry
hidden under those wagon covers and
wouldn't ask anything better
But now comes new excitement Half
S mile ont in front Of the wagon train
riding toward Us al easy lope, come tEo
horsemen- They know We are down
here under the bluffs, bat the Cbeysnnes
don't even dream OF it. We know the
Cheyennes are ssarIning along the ridge,
but nobody al the train has the fainfest
iakling Of H. Presently, down 4 shallow
rAvine, hidden from the train and sepa-
rated from the trail by 8 long ton que Of
prairie point down full tilt, swinging.
swaying. bounding along on their netiie-
some ponies, little band Of Indians
come dartiDg straight toward rs Cody
sees their object at glance.
By Jove, General They are coming
down trying to surprise those two riders
They expect to meet en- right here in
front Of rs Let Us moant this party, and
We can get 'em :"
Up with you, men isthe order. BE
ready to follow Cody You stay here,
ne SAYS 10 me watch until they are
close under you Then give the word
And down he slides 20 his men below.
while Bill and half a dozen troopers
spring into saddle, thrust cartridges into
their rifles and crouch eager for . spri ng-
Looking forward ! can see the distant
ridge lined with Indians, hidden from
axe train. ret visible to me. Midway 70
them the shallow ravine Is filed with
the rapidly advancing war party, the
sunshine cleaning on their naked, paint
ed bodies, their gorgeous var bonBets.
shields and clisfeniDg ornaments Over
II Il,