Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-03-14

Take
as autumn came on, and his troops
were alert to take advantage of the
conditions to run the Indians down
and onto their reservations at Forts
sill and Reno, or into the Cheyenne
agency.
The troops were encamped on the
wichita river, near the Tooth merid-
ian. and In couple of days march of
Llano Estacado. or the great Staked
Plains of Texas. Near midday, while
the command were in their September
cantonment, the whole camp was sud-
denly aroused from the apathy of
waiting, like Micawber, for something
to turn up by something turning up.
Two scouts rode into camp-long- hair
ed. weather-beaten, sun-dried. and
strangers to all the scouts. buffalo
hunters and soldiers of the command.
They were two gentlemen from Tex
as" and declared it with typical unc-
ton; and then went on to say they
We're from Lieut. Col Buelfs COM
mand of the Ninth United States cav
airy, which was in hot pursuit of a
big band of Indians coursing over the
country fifty miles west of the camp
on the Wichita.
The news stirred the camp up like
an earthquake shock, and soon made
one Of the command suddenly as sick
as If he had swallowed seismic cpl
demic as big as Mount Popocatapetl
Gen. Miles yelled to the lieutenant
of his staff and administered the dose
by telling him to prepare for a ride to
Adobe Walls, 100 miles away, up on
on the Canadian river. not far distant
from the New Mexico boundary line of
the Texas Panhandle.
When, generalf' was asked.
Now, at oncer
And the lieutenant walked away to
look at the trimmings of his armOry,
get a plug of tobacco from the COM
missaTy and put can or two of sar-
dimes in his haversack.
Returning to the generals tent, he
complaeently asked: What sized de-
tachment shall take?'
And the general pointed to single
individual, a scout called prairie
Dog Dave Dave CampbelD, laconi-
cally remarked: Hell go with you"
But. general" the lieutenant had
the temerity to interpose, cant /
have ten men, at least!'
mo. You would make too broad a
trail, and two of you can better get
EUTOnSus III you no teDHSOliliSlfJ, IIldu
If ten were sent out"
Ard then he explained the contents
IF n paper he handed the lieutenant,
saying that body Of 800 to 800 In
dams were being hunted by Col. Buell.
between his 1.-THE Wichita camp and
God. Compton's camp at Adobe Walls,
and that the lieutenant's orders were
to ride over to Adobe Walls tonly 100
miles away and give Col. Compton
word Of the chance to distinguish him
self AND command.
,.But, general" Tremendously inter-
posed the lieutenant again, II ought
% haye a good horse; mines played
.'Yos can have the best in the com
nand Ia
"I1I'fake your black horse eagerly
"Pe 1iiaIght."
Notified on 'tthe best horse in the
eolnna5ld'' the lieutenant set out on
the ride at high noon, followed .'cheer-
ingly,,- by the caution, "Be careful not
10 run into the Indians" and it was
modify remembered there were 500
III them, and only the scout and him
SELF If he did happen ito run into
elm
''prairie Dog Dave WAS no mean
Guide for this expedition. He had
hunted buffalo all over this country
Tor their hides and by indiscriminate
slaughter of them had helped the In
dams into the war, which the lieuten-
ant. his companion, wished then and
rilere. might have been ayerted
The trail from the camp led up the
Wichita until the river ran out or
ended ina lot of little rayines, which
by easy ascent led up to divide.
Over: this the two had to cross roll
ing prairie. on which bunch grass
and tumble weeds were magnified
into buffalo herds and then bands OF
Indians by the lieutenant .'Prairie
Dog Dave knew better, though he
stopped twice and borrowed the lieu
tenants field glasses to scan the hori-
goli. The divide curved down all Of a