The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-01-22
Urged their animals forward. They
had heard no sound Of Indians in pur.

If0A1ts stEt.
Before daylight they turned off alnt
rode about four miles to the left, wher,
they hidstheir animals in q little poke,
which had grass and water and betool
themselves toa quaking-asp thicket neal
at hand for rest, and, by turns, 70,
sleep. Here they proposed to renal
all day and to go on again at night. One
Of them kept guard at the edge Of III.
thicket. overlooking the route and thu
surrounding country.
Late in the afternoon a SQUAD of In
dians We're discerned in the distance
looking for their trail. Crowded behint
tufts OF buffalo grass, they watched this
band closely and anxiously.
At shutdown n signal fire about three
miles away announced that their tracks
had been discovered. But it would YET
be an hour or more before the Indian.
would overtake the little party.
As soon rs it grew dark enough tt
cover their retreat, Mack and his com
panions started. They crossed the trail
and rode until midnight on the othe,
side. Then they crossed back again,
rode two miles out to the left and
camped until daylight.
Rising again, they took the trail di.
rect, and rode ut as rapid a pace as thei,
animals could be expected to sustain.
Mack thought they had gained a lead
during the night which would make il
impossible for the Indians to come ur
with them; but at about 10 o'clock they
discovered a signal fire upon a hill moi
more than q mile off at the left and
somewhat in advance of them.
The building of this fire was proof
that the party ahead were scouts, and
that the main body of the Indians was
behind. Mack kept his men to the trail
and they urged their animals forward.
All that day they rode, but the In.
dians who were signaling kept steadily
in advance Of them. During the day
they counted no less than seventeen fires,
all built at a great distance from the
trail; but during all the time not an
Arapaho was seen.
That night, when their horses and
mules were almost exhausted, the white
men made out the dim forms of two
~ lC" ku1lCS III uutluCC,
Mack knew that these marked the pas
sage of the trail out upon the open
plains, within a three or four hours ride
of Fort Collins. Hidden in the mouth
of a canyon they escaped observation.
They rested and fed their horses, took
food and before daylight were again in
the saddle.
SSIf WA hayyo ~ fr.o,111o - will ,o,,o
in the pass between the mountains"
Mack told his comrades. ''1f we don't
run against Il party of EN- there, we're
out OF the woods. If we do, it'll take'a
good bunch Of 'em to clean us out, for
there's no cover-only open ground"
AS they rode into the pass they SOW
five Indians in the distance, seated upon
their horses near the trail. These were
undoubtedly the scouts, who, riding the
swiftest ponies in their band, had kept
ahead and were now stationed in the
pass hoping to hold the white men in
check until others of their party came
up.
"Nothin to do but brush 'em one side.
boys" said Mack.
Tightening their girths and looking to
weapons, the little party charged
forward at a stiff gallop.
The Indians slipped off their horses
and made a show of standing their
ground; but as the white men pressed
straight on and came nearly within rifle
shot they lost their courage and fled.
Five hours later Mack and the Ten
nesseeans were in Fort Collins, where a
strong detachment of regular troops
was stationed.
The Tennessseeeaanss locke! locked queerly at
Mack as they rode up to the fort. They
seemed to be satisfied with his look, and
said nothing. Nor did Mack say my
thing to the officers at the post concern
ing his companions rebellious inten.
tions.-Frank Welles Calkins in Youths
Companion.