Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-26
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL.
How a Band of Cheyennes Was Followed
 to the Death.


 to the Death.
 We had no bloodhounds with us as the command marched out of post to pick up and follow the trail of the Indians who had been heard of on the east bank of Sill yer crock, but We had something better two Sioux trailers. They were young war riors who had given their allegiance to the government and entered into its serv- ice. Neither was over a5 years of age, but their experience in woodcraft dated back to the hour they could step alone. We were after Cheyennes, their traditional enemies, and they entered upon the quest like hungry wolves.
 No white man could have found the camp of the marauders, every trace of which had been obliterated to all eyes save those of other Indians. Our trailers ran up and down tho hank for q mile or so. They scrutinizod the blades of grass, the leaves, the twigs and bushes. Buried deep under the leaves which seemed to have been heapcd up by the wind, they found the ashes of a campfire and few bones. They sifted the ashes back and forth in their hands, mashed the bones on a rock and then reported that tho camp was five days old There had been from I5 to 20 Indians camped there, and all wero on foot It was a war party, and in breaking camp every effort had been made to blind the trail In an hour, after circling about like dogs, our scouts found it. A broken stick, a stone overturned, tho faint i'm press of a moccasin on the soft soil, were the lines they read out of natures book. Having once got tho direction, they made ride of ten miles before looking for further signs. At a spot which they point cd out while yet a mile away they picked up the trail again. From this point on there was no attempt to hide it
 The hostilcs were out after >traGElcrs and moved slowly. In Oue days ride We made the samn distance they had in three By noon of inc second day we ", 5r Ull a warm trail. The trail had led for 10 TiIcs over barren plain, through valleys and across thiCkets and hills as the warriors dodged and skulkcd and twisted ahnut. | but only once was it lost for an hour. .At | sunset tho traces were so fresh that the | trailers said the war party was not over | ten miles ahead. We halted and went into camp, and even in tho darkness the scouts | felt their way for another mile. We were l astir with tho first beams of the coming l day. Tho trail led directly into a cedar i thicket which tho horses could hardly | break through. No white mans eye could ! detect tho faintest trace that a human be l ing had pursued his way, but tho trailCrs seemed to catch up the very scent from the ! rock and soil.
 After going distance of three miles the command halted. We had reached a broad, clear space which was so heavy with outcropping rock that the trail seemed to be lost. California Joe and his partner got down and searched for half an hour and gave 1t up. Then the blood hounds of Sioux took hold, and in five minutes they picked up two or three leaves l which had been crushed by lnOCcasined feet-a bit of rock broken of tho Cdge of flat stonu, a stunted hush against which | somebody had brushed and tangled the | limbs. They did not follow the trail be | yond the rocky ground Ono of them | climbed a trcc to note the surroundings and when Inc descended he puintepl to a | spot five miles away and said we would | find the ChCyenncs there. Intuition told him so. Itwas the spot which he, himself an Indian, would have selected.
 We turned square to the east and rode | for thrCc miles and then bent to tho north. 1 We had cover tO within quarter Of n mile l of the camp. As We made our last halt the trailcrs crept forward and reported the Cheyennes just arOusing themselves and repleniShing the campfire. When all was ready, the bugIer sounded the charge, ev- | cry trooper uttered his warwhoop, and wC were almost into camp before the amazed Indians had made n move. We wcrC among and over thcm liko an avalanche
 and only out of the 10 made an! show
 of resistance.
 It was over in five minutes, not [
 trooper or a horse even slightly wounded
 while nine of the painted flends lay dead ! on the earth, and the others were flying
 in terror up the hillside thick with under
 growth and cumbered with huge bowlder:
 and masses of rock. Nineteen rifles anC
 the camp outfit fell into our hands. Int
 rifles were to be turned over to tho gov
 ernment and the outfit burned. The trail
 CTS did not go unrewarded, however. A
 we rode away they fingered behind, ant
 when they joined us the scalps of the slaiI Cheyennes werc dangling at their belts and therc was a gleam of satisfaction il
 their eyes which no amount of plunde
 could have brought about M. QUAD.