The Colfax chronicle., 1890-12-13

Il
said Rogers, who was an old Indiar
fighter. "The reds no doubt had spies
around the fort who saw us leave, and
they know just where we are going.
They'll have time after daylight"
As the hours went by and we were
unmolested, the Lieutenant called oul
attention to the fact that the Indians
were afraid, and later on he claimed te
be disappointed that they would not
give US show.
"We've had Injuns riding behind us
and to the right and left of us ever
since we started" replied Rogers.
Daylight won't be half an hour old
before we'll have plenty OF business on
hand"
do you believe they'll dare attack
us?'
'Sartin."
"Well, only hope so. Pm aching
for sweep at them"
All night long, with only an occa-
| sional halt of five or ten minutes for
the horses to blow or quench their
thirst at pond hole, we rode over the
rough and sterile ground, and three
different times during the night was
sure that heard our enemies close at
hand. Half an hodr before daylight
as our horses climbed out of deep
gully, Rogers said to the officer:
"Lootenant, hev We got any pertick-
Ter plan as to how yell Aght emp"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, daylight is fast coming. Just
as soon as you kin see any thing you'll
see redskins. and they'll be ten or
fifteen to one. How ar ye going to
fight 'em?"
81 don't believe we shall see living
Indian. II we do we can soon put
them to fight"
The ground was now more broken
with frequent outcroppings of rock,
with a gully at the bottom of every
ridge. The soldiers could only walk
their horses over this ground, and the
only preparation the officer made was TO
wheel them into line and give US q
front of twelve men. Rogers and
were beside the officer. Daylight came
slowly but surely. enabling us to see
further and further. And at length, as
we rose ridge, Rogers called out:
"Just rs j told you. Lootenant. See
there!"
On the plateau, half mile beyond us,
we're about seventy-fve Indians on
horseback. Rogers knew, and so did ],
that the guliies on our right and left
held other Indians, and that to go
ahead was to ride into trap. The off,
Ger was more of fool than coward.
AS soon as he saw the Indians he gave
the command to draw sabers. but Rog-
ers cried out:
Don't do it. Lootenant; It's trap!
If ye charge that crowd yen be done
fur in two minutesw
"You mind your own business, or I'll
put you under arrestr'
"But tell you it's trapl''
''Now. men, we'll drive right through
'em If they'll only stand long enough!
Draw sabers! Forward-trot-gallop-
charged"
Rogers and I rode beside him, each
with revolver in hand, but when we
had covered half the distance there was
a yolley fred from the ravine to the
left quickly Sollowed by one from the
right, and men and horses went down
in a heap twitched on a rein and
bore sharp to the right, and in cross
ing the gully my horse knocked an In
dian down. had gained the level
ground beyond when I heard Rogers
calling from the rear:
Keep more to theright-to the right!
We want to reach that mass o. rockv'
The point designated was about half
q mile away, and saw at once that it
was natural defense. 1t seemed as il
q hundred shots were fred at us as we
raced for the spot, and we had scarcely
1t when the Indians swarned |
about and we had to open fire on them.
The spot to which We had retreated is |
still called Rogers Crave" although
that is misnomer. Aside from the |
natural outcroppings, loose powders |
had been rolled together until there was |
a circular fort covering space fifty feet |
across. never knew who made 1T, but |
have always believed it was used as a |
defense by party of trappers many |
years before. 1t was big jump for our |
horses. but they cleared the parapet, |
and minute later we opened such a
hot FIRE on the Indians as to drive them |
back. There were. as was afterward |
known, exactly two hundred and thirteen
,f them, hut we killed three and |
two as we beat them of. As /
hey sullenly retired out of range we
had time to think Of the soldiers, but
before had asked question Rogers
pointed to spot half mile away, and
Iaid:
There are three of the horses. The
'thers are dead in that gully, and every
nan with them"
A little later on we saw eight or ten
II the redskins riding about with
oldiers' hats on, and we we're forced to
,elieve that the party had been wiped
'ut to the last man, and that without
'aving struck blow. 1t was miracu-
Gus how we had escaped, but neither
nan nor horse had received a scratch.