Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-18
TEE FIGHT AT SUMMIT SPRINGS.
Tho Story of Battle with the Indians by
Capt Charles King.

twelve hours the battalion rode through the ho
July day, mostly at the trot, sending the du'
clouds sailing high over the winding trail anc
powdering the troopers with a thick coating Of
their mother earth. There were eight com
panies in the long column when we came hnne
cut OF bn ste tbose wagons had to be GUARDED and
fetch along'' the train. The rest of US are
pushing northwsrd as f fast .o as cur
ahead OF us = somewhere between
that low RIDGE. where the coyotes are yelping
and nneaking about under the rays of the wan
ing moon, and the broad valley OF the Platte
with its sandy wastes and shallow waters, big
ann Arapahoes are ''streaking ito for the great
reservation to the north, and every man in our
army 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 and children they massacred IN cold
blood. >, ia
the colonel when the news was brought to him,
.'I'll run those scoundrels to earth be.ore they
can reach the river. Five hundred of 'em, you
saw. BiIl?'' he continued as he looked mp from
the ditpatch he writing on his knee, -
don't care if there's $780,
And that was practically what the regiment
thought. All the livelong day. from dawn to
O'Clock in the afternoon, we had trotted in the
wake of our scouts. hoping vainly that every
which the fleeing foe would be sighted. How
we strained our eyes In watching the
movements OF our lew IaNnSS dIiASSs
darling about far in the advance. How We
followed every move that body made. Was
there ever such q prince among scouts as
F'Euffalo BillH'' It was he who made the long,
terilous ride 'cross country to where we were
crmping far to the east; he who warned us OF
Tai Bull and his SAVAGE warriors and OF tneir
ter among the villages OF the still distant reser
vations 1t was war party, unaccompanied by
pomen unencumbered by lodges. that made
tba dash along the Solomon valley, but the
Parpees swear that somewhere over that
way \stil toward the snow peaked ROCKIES,
these ynarauders have big village OF their own;
II we CHI only reach the Platte ahead OF them!
All day long, jog, jog, jog, sometimes through
deep savines, sometimes camoefing over gras os
sible route that Bill Cody's plainscraft enables
him to select heading for the fords OF that river
of duicksand and shadows. Once there, II we
make it ahead Of them, we can turn and par the
way. A., , :, ;a
nill "a the DUSTY column halted on the bank of
. tinv rfvulet ''Dismount - rang the trumpet.
uUpsaddie, - came the brief order. Herd the
horses well back along the slope and don let e.
said the colonel. We rummaged our saddle
bags for cold lunch. washed 1t down with
what stBill Arp'' would call "branch water, ~
and those of us not detailed for guard or picket
threw ourselves the turf to snatch what
sleep we might. The sun went down unseen by
more than half the eyes in our grlny little force,
and here ii is midnight now and no report from
the scouts. There is little knot OF ofncers
gathered about the colonels pillow-an old NC
Eisiien saddle for there isn't stitch of canvas
nearer than the wagon train somewhere far to
the rear-and leaning on his elbow that officer
sye mil out at 2 o'ciock-wagons or no
wagons If they reach us and we can give the
horses hatful of grain and the men cup OF
coffee we'll and good. If not, we II push ahead
ON er1pty stomachs. That's all there is about
All around the silent bivouac-silent except
for snoring troopers-the herds of the different
comnanies are clustered ''side-lined' upon the
rolling prairie. Most OF the horses, worn ont,
are living down. Out beyond them the sentrles
are crouching for only three nights ago the
Cheyepnes charged the camp, hoping to STAN
pede our stock, and very nearly succeeded.
6ut beyond the pickets the prairie wolves are
lifting nm to the starry skies their querulous
vein hui suddenly from the northeast comes the
sound of rapid hoof beats-the challenge OF the
sentry the spirited, CHEEKY hail of the coming
party, and in another minute Buffalo Biz
has ieaped from his horse before the coloneIs
rartv and the Pawnee scouts who follow at his
horses heels bend over the necks Of their pant
ing ponies to listen: -. s,. IT,.
rive struck the big trail about hfteen miles
over TO the west. They're moving, village and
ALL They have their rear guards out looking
for pursuit along their track and never dreaming
of our trying this dodge. II my belief they are
canned to-uieht within days march of the
Platte, and II we pull out n w we can head 'em
off. -
NO excitement. Tumble up' men is the low
toned order of the sergeants, as they scatter
among the sleeping groups. And IN twent5 min
utes we are away, riding in silent, shad IVY coll
umu I'M the northward slopes and moving at a
steady walk. Some men have not been sufhcien-
" aroused to prevent their doing OIL again.
score of troopers are noduing over their POM
mels we reach the ridge
For hours glide along over the dew-laden
sward The dawn comes stealing up the east
erp 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 a rosy blush spreads like mantle over the
Orient. Lighter and lighter grows the morn
ing and along the column the bearded faces
looked pinched and blue. How welcome would
ono TN Of coffee bel "Confound those Indians
anYwayi Why can't they give a fe low a chance
for breakfast growls the captain OF the
And at last the Platte valley is in sight. Ten
and we are unsaddled in the shade of the cotton
woods. Eleven. and the scouts are back with
Noon. and again in the saddle. The blue,
pinshed look is gone from TOE eyer eoefy S
southwest, not six miles away, big herds Of In |
dian ponies have been espied; grazing quietly |
view OF pursuers from the south, faithfully |
guarded by 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 |
from side. White men never played this |
game before.
under the shelter of the bluffs and ridges. |
Gaunt and weary were the steeds at dawn, |
huupry and tired as was every man, the cry of |
.Iudians ahead!'' has banished every sluggard |
thought II we can only approach unseenl II |
we can only reach the village before they hive |
time to mount and meet US, we can rescue those 4
poor women and deal vengeance to the murder |
ers OF their loved ones. 'Trotl' is the word 1
pass ed down the column, but the colonel's hand |
warns The trumpeters to silence. LOOK to your /
carbines meni Loosen few cartridges in the |
ioopsp' are the muttered cautions Of the otbcers
as they move Up and down along the trotting |
ranks. We are marching by fours now, and |
heading Just q little south OF west. |
Crouching along the ridge line to |
our left we can see the Pawnees, |
and still further on rides Buffalo Bill, every now
aud then peering over the crest with his brown |
curls tossing in the rising breeze, and still sig
Mailing s.straight sheadi straight aheadt' At |
last we must be due north of their position. The
colonel canters away in answer TO q sign from |
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 q dozen little columns moving briskly |
IA parallel rows are popping up over that divide.
AWAY to the south stretches g rolling plateau. |
Beyond that there is q deep depression wherein,
as every troop leads will understand, the hostile
village is lying, and beyond that, covering or
dottsng the upland prairie for acres and acres |
are almost countless numbers of Indian |
ponies. The quarry IL in full view. One
hundred and fifty miles have We come on this
night nnd-day chase, sweeping around their
right Funk, and here We are square in their /
front--the last quarter earth from which |
they loek for attack. Mark the eyes of the |
forensoxt men in every troQpt See how thew