The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-23

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RGy1ae,Stoads 7autely looking dorm on the
stiJEeni,s9J saGsaesot, 1sisJdther's old friend.
Far up in the northwest, along the
banks, tileSbroad, winding: stream the
Sioux cailsthe Elk, a train of white,top-
ped army wagons is slowly crawling
eastward. The October sun is hot at
MONDAY, land the dust from the loose
soilsrises like heavy ,smoke:a and powders
every face and form in the guarding
battaaion,soItlrat features are1well nigh
indistinguishable. Four companies of
staiwart, sinewy infantry, with their
brown rifles slung over the1shouider, are
striding along in, dispersed order, cover
ing hesexposed southern hanl1from sud-
den attack, while farther out along the
ridgeAine, and far to the front and rear,
cavalry skirmishers and scouts are rid
ing to and fro, searching every hollow
and ravine, peering cautiously over
every ''divide," and signaling halt or
forward" as,the indications warrant.
And yetnot hostile Indian has been
seen; not one, even as distant vedette,
has appeared in range of the binoculars,
since the scouts rode in atadaybreak to
say that5big bands were inthe immediate
neighborhood. Ithas been along, hard
summers work for the troops, and the
Indians haNe.been, to all commands that
,bcasted strengthen swiftness, elusive as
the Irishman's flea of tradition. Only to
those whose numbers We're weak or
whose movements were hampered have
they appeared in fighting trim. But
combinations have been too much fol
them, and at last they have been ''herd
ed Down to the Elk, have crossed, and
are now seeking to make their way, witt
women. children, tepees, dogs, "travois,
and the great pony herds, to the fast
Desses OF the Big Horn; and now come:
the opportunity for which an old Indiar
fighter mas, been anxiously waiting. In
a big cantonment he has held the mai1
body under his command, while keeping
out constant scouting parties to the cas-
and north. He knows well that, true K
their policy, the Indians viii have seat
tered into small bands capable of reas
senrbling anywhere that signal smoke
may call them, and his orders are tt
watch all the crossings of the Elk anC
nab them as they come into his district
He watches, despite the fact that it Ii
his-profound conviction that the Indians
viii be no such idiots as to come jus
where they are wanted, and he is in n,
wise astonished when a courier comes il
on faded horse to tell him that they hav,
doubled" on the other column and ar
now two or three DAYS march ava,
down stream, making for the big bend.
the eastward; he can pick them up a
he goes. He sends the main body of hi
infantry, regiment jocularly known a
s'The Riflers," to push for a landing
some fifty miles down stream, scoutin!
the lower valley of the Sweet Root o.
the way. He sends his wagon train
guarded by four companies of foot ant
two of horsemen, by the only practi
cable road to the bend, while he, wit
ten seasoned "troops" of his pet req
ment, the til cavalry, starts forthwith
on long detour in which he hopes t
lOuIlu UP cdNl CebAlGo GO 1A~
slipped away from the general rush
Even as 'sboots and saddles" is sound
ing, other couriers come riding in fror
Lieut.. Cranes party. He has struck til
trail of big band
When the morning sun dawns on tn
picturesque valley in which the canton
ment nestled but the day before it iHu
mines an almost deserted village, an
brings no Joy to the souls of some two
score Of embittered civilians who had al
rived only the day previous, and who's
unanimous verdict is that the army is
fraud and ought TO be abolished. Fo
four months or more some three reg
Iaents had been camping. scouting
roughing it Whereabouts with not cen
of pay. Then came the wildly excitin
tidings that boat was on the way II
the Missouri with satrap of the pay d.
partment. vast store of shekels and
strong guard, and as a consequence ther
n would be some 1900 men around tn
cansonment with pockets full of none
and no one to help them spend it, an
nothing suitable to spend it on. 1t We
a duty all citizens owed to the territor
to hasten to the scene and gather in fo
local circulation all that was obtainab
of that disbursement, otherwise the cur
of the army might get ahead of then
and the boys would gamble it ava
among themselves or spend 1T for VI
whisky manufactured for their SO
benefit Gallatin Valley was emptied
its prominent practitioners In the gam
of poker. The stream was black vii
'sMacl1inaw" boats and other Graf
There was rush for the cantonmei
that rivaled the multitudes OF the minir
days, but all too late.