Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-30


the stars brilliant. the night still still can be-
Once or twice as go making the rounds with
| my old captain We hear the coyotes yelping out
on the prairie and the beavers splashing above
their dam IN the stream. AT the morn begins
TO grow chilly, and the coyotes become more
noisy and numerous. The general is sleeping
like weasel when l bend over to call him and
is up IN an instant. "Any signs of 'em yet?'
he asks. mot yet. sir. II is just daybreak and
go back TO my picket post at the FORT
on The LOOKOUT.
Little by little the dawn spreads over the
heavens and chill. wan ligh. over the rolling
prairie. Two miles away the ridge becomes
sharply defined against the sky. Of to the
southwest we can just discern the trail on
which We marched in last night At 4:30 our
horses, saddled and bridled, are cropping the
buffalo grass in the swale behind US and a mist
Is rising from the winding stream farther to
the rear. Four hundred troopers are up and
alert under those sheltering bluffs slipping
their morning coffee now and nibbling at the
| bareback III their saddle-bags. Out to the front
little hillock rises from the prairie, and
move my party thither and find a better view
Corporal Wilkinson and l, lying prone at the
| summit, while the rest of our party lurk in the
hollow behind us, are securing the distant
| ridge with field glasses. The sun is not yet up
when he suddenly exclaims
INDIANS.
''Look, lieutenant There are Indians." And
sure enough there they are; six. eight dozen of
them scurrylng to and fro on their nimble po-
MES and evidently In great excitement. sent
man to warn the general. and in ten minutes
out he comes with Buffalo Bill and half q dozen
officers. They remain in saddle down in the
shadows under the little knoll where they can
not be seen from the front. while he dismounts,
joins me at the top, and takes long look at the
warriors darting about on the ridge nearly two
miles away. These movements are puzzle
They seem watching some object off to the
west. Cody dlsmounts and joins u.s. takes a
lnnly n,,I .,T r II
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 objects off
TO the southwest The wagon train, by all
| that's wonderful
What's to prevent their attacking it," is the
question asked by one of the staff
Nothing" answers the general quietly. Il
| only hope they wil-so does Hall. He has two
companies of infantry hidden under those
wagon-covers and wouldn't ask ANYTHING bet
ter"
But now comes new excitement. Half a
mile out in front of the wagon train, riding
| toward us at an easy lope, come two horsemen.
ihey know we are down here under the bluffs,
| but the Cheyennes don't even dream of it. We
know the Cheyennes are swarming along that
ridge, but nobody at the train has the faintest
linking of it. Presently, down a shallow 1Avine,
hidden from the train and separated from the
trail by long tongue of prairie point" down
full tilt. swinging, swaying. bounding along on
! their mettlesome ponies. little band of Indians
comes darting straight toward US. Cody sees
their object at glance.
BY Jove! general. They are coming down
trying to surprise those two riders. They ex-
pect to meet 'em right here in front of u.s.
Let us mount this party and We can get EN-
up with you. men, is the order. BE
ready to follow Cody. You stay here" he says
| to me: watch until they are close under Won
Then give the word
STIRRING PICTURE.
And down he slides to his men below, while
Bill and half dozen troopers spring into sad
die, thrust cartridges into their rifles and
crouch eager for a spring. Looking forward
l can see the distant ridge lined with Indians,
hidden from the train yet visible to me. Mid
way to them the shallow ravine is filed with
the rapidly advancing party, the sunshine
cleaning on their naked, painted bodies, their
gorgeous war bonnets. shields, and glistening
ornaments. Over to the right front come the
two courlers, utterly unconscious of the death
dealing gang that is nearing them at every
jump, and AL 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. / can hear the bounding
hoofs of the ponies now, only 500 yards away
CHANGING back see Bill foremost of our little
party, his kindling eyes watching for my sig
nal. 'All ready, general? "All ready. give
the word when you like" is the low answer
Nearer and nearer they come. wait until
from the little knoll, then wave my hand and
yell.
THE SURPRISE.
snow, lads." crash and bang and hurrah!
Wild warning yells of the Cheyennes. vision
OF darting ponies; of streaming war bonnets; a
fusilade of carbines and pistols; rush Of hoofs.
a dozen things at once seem crowding on my
senses as | catch my own horse. bound into
saddle and go galloping ont to join Bill. The
first thing l see is our chief of scouts darting
full tilt at magnificent specimen of the Indian
warrior: flash go both rifles almost at the in
slant. And after a wild bound or two the
warriors pony plunges headlong. and the rider
limps desperately toward the yelling comrades
who are dashlng down to the rescue. Why
the whole ridge seemed suddenly to bristle
with red and feathered warriors, whiring,
yelling. raging down to annihlate the little
| band OF white men who had dared attack their
advance. Bill is off his horse in an instant:
! kneels; takes deliberate aim; the flame juts
| from the muZZle of his rifle, and with a wild
cry the Cheyenne pitches headforemost upon
the sward with bullet through his brain
Then there are shouts of warning. Look out
Look out.' as the thunder of hoofs and yells of
rage and defiance tell the coming of the Chey-
ennes sweeping down upon us. but Merritt ia
ready for them, too, and gancing over nv
! shoulder | see my own troop, Ky with Mason
at its head, in long extended line come trotting
| up over the bluffs, with Montgomerys grays
just behind them.
| DRIVE EN-, MASON.
are the only orders hear as 1 gallop over and
take my place in front of my own platoon and
then straight at the Cheyennes we go; troop after
| troop darting up the bluffs and spreading out
to the right and left as they ride in support 1t
is brilliant and stirring sight, but lasts only
q few minutes, for the Cheyennes for once in
their lives are beaten at their own game and
know it, Utterly amazed at the appearance in
their front of the regiment they thought to be
40 or 100 miles away to the south, they leave
yellow Hand and one of his brethren
stretched dead upon the sward, they drop their
pots and kettles, pack saddles and blankets and
away-away they so scurrying Tor the safety of
the reservation at speed that battles pursuit
Sitting Bull never got those fellows as allies at
| least. Buffalo Bill had one more feather in his
cap and Merritt had won the name of outwit-
ting an Indian at his own tactics That night
how the old men and squaws crowded around
us at Red Cloud. How they viii pered together
and pointed at Buffalo Bill. have had longer
and harder rides in forty-eight hours than that
one proved to be but none that ever were at
tended with such results,
| CHARLES KING, U. s. A.
| "Vas Marriage a Failure?"