Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-14
THE FIGHT AT SUMMIT SPRINGS.
The Story of Battle with the Indians by
Capt. CharIes King.

clouds sailing high over the winding tran and
powdering the troopers with thick coating OF
their mother earth. Tbeie were eight com
panies in the long column when we came fling
out of the misty valley Just at the gray OF
dawn, but those wagons had to be guarded. and
so NJ troop was ordered to remain with and
fetch along the train. The rest OF US are
pushing northward as fast as our
stesds can bear Us, for somewhere
that low ridge, where the coyotes are yelping
and sneaking about under the rays OF the wan
ing moon. and the broad valley Of the Platte
with its sandy wastes and shallow waters. big
band of renegade Indians. Sioux, Cheyennes
and hrapahoes are 'stTe aking it, for the great
reservss ion TO the north, and every man In our
1Tmy Knows well that when they left the burn
ing settlement on the solomon they bore away
with them two poor women whose husbands and
brothers aud children they InaSsacFed IN cola
"IfI kill every horse in the regiment" said
the colonel, when the news was brought TO him,
I'm run those scouEdrels to earth be ore they
can reach the river. Five hundred of 'em, you
saw. Rill7'' he continued as he looked up from
the dipatch he was writing on HIS knee, II
don't care If there's 5000. -
And that was practically what the regiment
thought. All the livelong day. from dawn 20
O'Clock IN the afternoon, we had trotted in the
wake Of our scouts. hoping vainly that every
ridge we ne1red wOuld prove to be the one from
which the e5eing foe would be sighted. How
movements Of few Pawnee allies,
darling about far In the advance. How We
followed everv move that body made Was
there ever such a prince among scouts as
s.prffs1o Pi1l?'' It was ne who made the long,
,.-.J"Is ride cross country to where we were
Ian,-:rg far 70 the east; he who warned us Of
Tall Bull and his savage war; ors and OF their
rand retreat. scalp aad p.unter laden. TO scat
Ter among the villareS @! tEs sill distant ressr-
va'ionS II was a war party, unaccyni 'nleE Dy
women uncncTmbered by lodges. that made
tie dash along the solomon valley, but the
Pawnees swear that somewhere over that
yyav'' stil toward the snow peaked Rockies,
rbcse Inarauders have nag village OF their own.
II 10 rCn only reach the Platte ahead Of them!
iOr log sometimes through
doom ravines, sometimes clambering over grassy
bIuffs but all the while taking The shortest pos
sible route that Bill Cody's plaIaScraIt enables
him to select, heading Tor the iords OF lhat river
n Gnicksand and shadows. Once there. if we
make it ahead OF them, We can turn and bar the
siEo water between here and the river" said
Bill as the dusty column he ted on the bank OF
sfinv rlvulet. '.DismOuut - rang the trumpet.
1.T-readdle - came the brief order. Herd the
horses well back along the slope and don I let
'em near the stream til! they re perfectly cool;
Lsgs COR a cold lunch, washed 1t down with
,ybst 'sEili lrp'' would call "branch water,
and those of Us not detailed for guard or picket
threw ourselves the turf to snatch what
sIeep we might The sun went down unseen ny
TnoIe than half the eyes in our grImy little force
and here il is midnight now ana no report from
The scents There is little knot of officers
-sthered about the colonel pillow-an old Nc
CIelau saddle, for there ism a stltch OF canvas
nearer than the wagon train somewhere far to
tie rear-and leaning on his elbow that officer
explains the situation.
- :
WAGONS If they reach US and we can give the
horses a hatful OF grain and the men crp OF
coffee well and good. II not, wen push anead
on empty stomach5. That all there Is ABOUT
An around the silent bivouac-silent except
for sro-iuu trOoDeIs- the herds of the different
co1,nanies are clustered 'side-Hned" upon the
rolling prairie Most OF the horses, worn out,
are living down. ont beyond then the sentrles
are crouching. for only three nights ago the
Cheyernes charged the camp, hoping to STAN
nede cur stock, and very nearly succeeded.
out beyond the pickets the prairie wolves are
lifting IN 10 the starry skies their querulouS
yclp but suddenly from the northeast comes the
sonnd Of rand hOof beats-the challenge OF the
gentry the spirited, CHEEKY hail OF the coming
-ortv and in another minute Buffalo Bll''
has leaned from his horse before the colonel.
rarity. and the Pawnee scouts VINO tolow. at ms
horses heels, bend over the neCks OF 'helF paul
ing ponies TO listen:
1--WE struck the big trail about fifteen miles
TO the west They e moving, yLI. vi. anu
all. They have their rear guards out looking
for pursuit along their track and never dreaming
Of our trying this dodge. II 5 my belief they are
catnped to-uight within day marcn OF the
Platte, and If we pull out no" we can heaa EN-
..Puu cut it Is No trumpet call, no sound,
no excitement. Tumble up men IS the low
toned order of the serGeants, they scatter
among the sleeping groups. And IN twenty MN
utes we away, riding IN silent, shRdowy col
umn up the noTthward slopes ana moving az q
steady walk. Some men have not been suticien-
lv aroused to prevent their doing of again. A
pcorc OF troopers are nodding over Their pom
lnels as Ue reach the ridge.
For hours we glide along over the dew-laden
s7varl The dawn comes stealing up the east
ern skies. The dim figures of the scouts be-
come slowly revealed-far to the front. The
night lamps in the heavens fade slowly away
and q rosy blush spreads like mantle over the
Orient. Lighter aud lighter grows the morn
ing and along the column the bearded faces
looked pinched and blue How welcome would
one tin of coffee be! "CoDfound those Indians.
apvWavl Why can they give fellow chance
for breakfast?' growls the captain of the
foremost troop. Five O'Clock. six. Seven,
And ~ la gt the Platte valley in sight. Ten
aud we are unsadded in the shade of the cotton
woods Eleven, and the scouts are back with
stirring news. by the ETERNAL bOys' we've
Noon. and again in the saddle. The blue,
pinched look is gone from every iace-oanlshed
by tidinEs that stir the blood. over 10 the
southwest not six miles away, big herds OF in
dian ponies have been espied, grazing quietly
along the northward slopes. Hidden from the
view of pursuers from the south, faithfully
guarded 6y the vigilant scouts left back along
the trail dreading no attack from any other
quarters Tall Bull has pitched his tepees at
the springs, and there is wild revelry among his
women and children over the reunion with their
braves. There must be over eighty lodges. say
the Pawnee scouts, and no ore guards them
from our side. White men never played this
game before.
Look along the column now, as it steals away
under the shelter OF the bluffs and ridges.
Gauut and weary as were the Bteeds at dawn,
hungry and tired as was every man, the cry of
s'IDdiaus ahead!'' has banished every sluggard
Thought II we can only approach unseen! II
we can only reach the village before they hBve
poor women and deal vengeance to the murder
ers of their loved ones. ''Irotl' is the word
passed down the column, but the colonel's hand
warns The trumpeters to silence. Look to your
carbines meul Loosen a few cartridges in the
loops!'' are the muttered cautions OF the officers
ms thev move up and down along the trotting
ranks. We are marching by fours now, and
heading Just a little south OF west.
CrcSching along the ridge line to
our left we can the FRwnees,
and still further on rldes Buffalo Bill, every now
aud then peering over the crest with his brown
curls tossing in the rising breeze, and still sig
mailing straight aheadl straight aheadl' At
last we must be due north of their position. The
colonel canters away in answer to a sign from
Cody and with eager eyes we watch them point
ing southwark over the divide. Then comes the
adiutant at sputtering gallop. Troops! Column
leftI'' IS the order. And the next thing we
know half n dozen little columns moving brIskly
in parallel rows are popping up over that divide
Away TO the south stree ches a rolling plateau.
Beyond that there is deep depression wherein
as every troop leads will stsnd, the hostile
village is lying. and beyond that, covering or
dottlng the upland prairie for acres and acres
are almost countless numbers Of Indian
ponies. The quarry is full view. One
hundred and fifty miles have we come on this
night aud-dsy chase, sweeping around their
right hAnk 4, and here We are square In their
front-the last quarter earth from which
they look for attack. Mark the eyes OF the
foremost in every troopl See how they
CLEAN! Look At the colonel out in front of~the
old gray priCl.s his and