The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-01-23

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. -.,
1,he troops were encamped on the
Wichita river, near the Tooth merid-
Van, 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, srn-dried, and
strangers to all the scouts, buffalo
hunters and soldiers of the command
They were 'stWo gentlemen from Tex
as and declared it with typical unc-
ton; and then went on to say they
were from Lieut.. Col. BuelFs COM
as1and Of the Ninth United States cav
airy, which was in hot pursuit of
big band Of Indians coursing over the
country fifty miles west of the, camp
on the Wichita. .a.,.
The news stirred the camp up like
. an earthquake shock, and soon made
, one Of the command suddenly as sick
as IL he had swallowed a seismic cpl
rdemic as big as Mount Popocatapetl
Gen. Miles yelled to the lieutenant
g Of his staff and administered the dose
by telling him to prepare for ride to
Adobe Walls, 120 miles away, up on
Oh the Canadian, river, not far distant
from the New Mexico boundary line Of
sthe Texas Panhandle.
when, general?" was asked.
-<sNow! at oncev'
And the lieutenant walked away to
look at the trimmings of his armory,
get plug Of tobacco from the COM
nissary and put a can or two of sar-
dimes in his haversack.
Returning to the generals tent, he
'complacently asked: "What sized de-
:tachment shall take?"
And the general pointed 70 G. single
individual, scout called "Prairie
Dog Dave Dave CampbelD laconi-
cally remarked: Hell go with you.''
<'But, general the lieutenant had
the temerity to interpose, "can't I
have ten men, at least?''
13NO. You would make too broad a
trail, and two Of you can better get
through, if you do (consolingly), than
IL ten were sent out"
GAAu IllC1 cApltllASu IuC SOulCuIS
of a paper he handed the lieutenant,
saying that body Of 300 to 500 In
dians were being hunted by Col. Buell.
between his (the Wichita) camp and
Cod. COmpton's camp at Adobe Walls,
and that the lieutenant's orders were
to ride over to Adobe Walls (only 100
miles away and give Col. Compton
word of the chance to distinguish him
self and eommand
t.But, general" tremoluosly inter
posed the lieutenant again. 81 ought
to have good horse; mines played
OUT
you can have the best in the COM
@I'll take your black horse eagerly
spoken. s
1'All right
Mounted on "the best horse in the
command" the lieutenant set out on
the ride at high noon, followed sscheer-
Ing1y" by the caution, "Be careful not
to run into the Indians" and it was
moodily remembered there were 500
of them, and only the scout and him
self If he did happen ito run into
EN-
4tPrairie Dog Dave was no mean
guide for this expedition He had
hunted buffalo all over this country
d LOT IneI ulueS anu ny ln0lSCflmlnate
slaughter Of them had helped the IN
dams into the war, which the lieuten-
ant. his companion, wished then and
there might have been averted
The trail from the camp led up the
Wichita until the river ran out or
ended in lot of little rayines, which
ny easy ascent led up to divide
Over this the two had to cross a 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 hort
-zon. The divide curved down all OF IA