Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06

| Hides" and muscles are all tough az
whip-leather by the time. ALI We want
is to 'get there" and give these would-be
allies of Sitting Bull a lesson. At 1890
we again reach the palisaded output al
Sage Greek and our infantry friends give
eager welcome. Here we cram our belts
with ammunition; give our horses water
and feed; then on we go east-northeast
over rolling prairie. The day is hot, and
Bill Cody's strawberry roam plays out, and
he gets another "moUnt" from his old
friend, the Adjutant. On, on, on-some-
times at rapid trot for half mile or so,
but mostly st steady walk, We push ahead,
and at sunset mark a winding belt of
green far down in the low valley ahead.
At p. M. silently we wind in under the
bluffs, and at halt and di5mount among
the cation woods along the stream. Mes
sieurs les Cheyennes, you are beaten. We
are first at the ford.
| NIGHTS VIGIL.
Eighty-fiye miles in 81 hours! Nothing
| to speak of by steam, rail, stage or pony
express, but something of an exploit
when it means that a column of cavalry
has made that distance in that time and
every horse and man is aft" and ready
| for everything that may turn up on the
morrow. No fires are allowed. All ex-
cept the guard "turn in" for a nights
rest. I was officer of the guard last night
at the Niobrara, but Co. "K" is detailed
en- masse for camp guard and picket
duty tonight and that means me again.
Gen. Merritt directed me to take six men
and post myself with them at ridge a
few hundred yards to the southeast and
keep viligant watch for anything and
everything that may come from that d.
reotion. If anywhere the Cheyennes must
| be over in the breaks just beyond the
| high ridge we had marked something like
two miles away. "CalI me at half past
| three" he says, and rolls himself in his
| blanket by the side of fallen cotton
wood.
The skies are cIoudless, the stars bril-
liant, the night still as still can be. Once
or twice as go making the rounds with
my old captain we hear the coyotes yelp
ing out on the prairie and the beavers
| splashing above their dam in the stream.
At three the morn begins to grow chilly,
and the coyotes become more noisy and
numerous. The General is sleeping like
weasel wnen I bend over to call him
and is up in an instant. "Any signs of
'em YETI" he asks. "Not yet, SIR" It is
| just daybIeak and 1 GO back to my picket
post at the fort.
Little by little the dawn spreads over
the heavens and chill, wan light over
the rolling prairie. Two miles away the
ridge becomes sharply defined against
the sky. Off to the southwest we can just
discern the trail on which we reached
| last night. At half-past our horses,
saddled and bridleo, are cropping the
| buffalo grass in the swaIe behind us and
a mist is rising from the winding stream
| further to the rear. Four hundred troop
ers are up and alert under those shelter
| ing bluffs, slipping at their morning cof-
fee now and nibbling at the hard tack in
| their saddle-bags. Out to the hillock
rises from the prairie and 1 move my
party thither and find better view
| Corporal Wilkinson and /, lyingFprone at
| the summit while the rest of our party
Turk in the hollow behind us, are scouting
the distant ridges with field glasses. The
SUI is not yet up when he suddenly ex-
claimed:
"Look, Lieutenant! They are Indians!"
And cure enough, there they are six, eight,
dozen of them scouting to and fro on
their nimble ponies and evidently in
great excitement. sent man to warn
the General and in 10 minutes he
came with Buffalo 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 dismounts, joins me at the top
and takes a long look at the warriors
darting about on the ridge nearly two
miles away. These movements are a
puzzle. They seem watching some object
off to the west. Cody dismounts and
loins US; takes long look and says: "I'm
damned il | know what those fellows are
fooling about. More and more of them
pop into sight and then-just as the sun
peeps over the horizon it flashes upon
some glistening white object off to the
southwest. The wagon train, by all that's
wonderful"
"What's to prevent their attacking itf"
is the question asked by one of the staff.
"Nothiug," answered the General quiet
ly. 81 only hope they will-so does Hall.
He has those wagon covers and wouldn't
ask anything better"
But now comes a new excite ment. Half
q mile out in front of the wagon train,
riding toward US at easy lope, come two
horsemen. They know we are down here
under the bluffs, but the Cheyennes don't
even dream of it. We know the Cheyen
mes are swarming along the ridge, but no
body at the train has the faintest idea of
it. Presently, down a shallow ravine,
hidden from the train and separated from
the trail by long tongue of prair
"point," down full tilt, swinging, swaying,
bounding along on their mettlesome
ponies, a little band of Indians comes
dartiug straight towards US. Cody sees
their object a5 glance.
"BY Jove! General, they are coming
DOWN trying to surprise those two riders.
They expect to meet 'em right here in
front of US. Let US mount this party and
We can get emil"
"Up with you, men" is the order. "Be
ready to follow Cody. You stay here"
he says to me; swatch until they are
close under you. Then give the word"
And down he slides to his men below
while Bill and half a dozen troopers
spring into saddle, thrust cartridges into
their rifles and crouch eager for spring.
Looking forward l can see the distant
ridge lined with indians, hidden from the
train yet visible to me. Midway to them
the rsvine is filled with the rapidly adj
vancing war party, the srnshine cleaning
on their naked, painted bodies, their gor-
geous war boDhets, shields and glisteniRg
ornaments. Over TO the right front come
the two oouriers, utterly unconscious of
the death dealing gang that Is nearing
| them at every jump, and ALL alone on
the little mound-am enjoying one of the
most stirring pictures OF savage warfare
it was ever my lot to see. Nearer they
come. I can hear the bounding hoofs of
| the ponies now, only 500 yards away.