Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-12

summit, never venturing on the top ua-
| til he has peered over into the valley be-
| Yond. II everything is clear he rides
boldly on top of the ridge; that means
to his comrades, "cOme on, all is we'll -
| II, on the contrary, he suddenly dis
mounts and secretes himself, it indicates
| immediate danger. il instead OF dis
mounting he rides rapidly to and fro on
his pony or around in circles it indicates,
| If in war, ''enemies, - if III
peace aud on the hunt, game "
| The rapidly with which hg
rides to and fro or in the circle deter
| mines the amount of danger or the. ne
| cessity for haste. l never shall forget
the morning, Just at dayJreal, in the
midst of the Sioux campaign Of 1876,
| when we with the Fifth cavalry were
heading off the rush of the Cheyenne In
dams to JOIN Sitting Bull. We reached
/ the crossing of the War Bonnet betor5
| them during the night, and expected
them tine first thing after daybreaE. Suro
enough, just at dawn, we could see tho
Indians riding cautiously up on the
ridges on TO the southeast, peerinZ over
towards us, aud then, OF course, seeing
nothing of US, for we were concealed
down in the valley of the stream coming
boldly into sight. But the next thing |
noticed was that the Indians far in front,
nearest TO US. suddenly began dartng
behind ridges that secreted them from
the west, and there riding rapidly around
in small circles, their ponies kicking up
q dust, their riders displaying every in
dication of great excitement. could
not imagine what it meant. OF course
know that ordinarily it meant 'enemy
in sight, - ''hurry up, hurry up, hasten
to the 'front.' but felt sure they could
not have seen US, and that il they had
seen that We had eight strong troops
there, they would not have been III any
hurry to have come toward US.
In half an hour, however, tue eXplana-
ton appeared. Far OF to the southeast
a long train of wagons appeared, coming
toward the Black Hills. The Indians
had seen them, believed them TO be WITH
out guards and were summoning up their
force TO make sweep and dash upon the
wagons, kill the teamsters and secure
the rich booty that they expected to hnd.
But they did not get the wagons mat
time.
Later in the campaign, when we were
I'D close to the Custer battle ground
they saw for the first time the WORKING
of our signal flag, and the day we sEartea
out on the war path every one OF the
Indians of our Grow and ShOshOne allies
had decorated himself with Il miniature
white flag with red centre. They hau
seen how the white chief, sitting at tue
door of his tent, could send messages u
officers posted with the pickets two miles
away. or to the sergeants in charge oL
the herds, and such was the CURIOSITY
and interest that in @ short time two Ut
three hundred gorgeous looking warriors
had grouped about headquarters, sni
seating themselves on the ground, oecH'-
ionaIly making whispered comment, tney
watched every motion of the signal man
and then the rapid waving of the tlny
dot of a white flag far over against Jus
dark green background of the Cheet'h
Mountains. One or two could SPEAK q
little English, and their questions Wero
cesselsss. They had signals by Whloh
thew could convey preooncerted me-
sages. but this was something very ul,
ferent. ffThe white mans flag couiu
talk - and believing it TO have SONS
supernatural gift, they began at QUIZ
making miniature copies of il, ana ~
peared next day, every man with MS
little flag. .ho
This is a characteristic trait OF w
Indian. When he cannot explain 'nlns
on natural grounds be attributes "a
mystery to the action Of the Deity. L..
the Great Spirits doing. 1 well retheh
Der Sitting Bulls introduction 10 su
telephone. 1t was his first visit 70 ~ !,
states, and 1 was hidden to st. faui
meet the old sohemer in hopes OF getIiI
something out of him about his snare -