The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-20
them, BY Big Road and the cowboys

L
village and peaceably il he could. but
forcibly if he must, escort it back with.
in the reservation lines Bat had rid.
den up just as the sun was disappear
ing TO say that the Indians seemed to
be heading for deep cleft in the foot
hills through which the buffalo in by
gone days had made their way. Now,
if Fenton could only send Farwell or
Amory with half the squadron to gal
lop in wide detour TO the west under
cover of the darkness and seize the bluffs
overhanging the canyon, meantime
making every pretense of keeping up the
pursuit with the remainder of his force.
he might trap the village while most Of
its defenders were still far away. Dark
ness settled down over the desolate win
thy landscape, and the two troops dis
patched on this stirring and perilous
mission Were those of Farwell and NAL
colin Leale the latter led by its boy
lieutenant, VIII Farrar.
One hour later, rs the advance was
still cropping along the trail and the
weary troopers, alternately leading
afoot ana riding sleepily i'll narrow col
umn, pushed steadily in,, their tracks,
two horsemen on jadod mounts came
squirting from the rear, and Wayne,
with sorrowful face, handed his dis
patches to the colonel. BY the light Of
little pocket lantern Fenton read.
while in brooding silence knot of half
a dozen officers gathered about them.
The closing paragraph is all we need to
quote: "You will therefore turn over
the command to Major Wayne and re-
port i'll person at these headquarters
without unnecessary delay Acknowl-
edge receipt" AT any other time the
colonel might have been expected to
swear vigorously, but the trouble in
Wayne's face and the unspoken SYM
pathy and sorrow were too much for
him. "All right, old boy" said he as
he refolded the papers. "Pitch in now
and finish up the business, with my
blessing. Bat" he continued, turning
to the swarthy guide, chow far is it
over to the Allison ranch? think I'll
sleep there" And no further words
were needed to tell the little group that
their colonel had been removed from
command just on the eve of consumma-
tion Of his plans, and he was the only
man of the lot who didn't look as
though all heart had been taken out of
him as the immediate result.
oh that fellow Thorpe! It's his
doing" swore the adjutant between his
set teeth. "He has never forgiven us
for spelling his scheme to clean out the
whole band.''
Don't waste time swearing" said
Fenton grimly. "I'll take the job off
your hands, They're heading for Elk
Springs, Wayne, and I've sent Farwell |
with two troops around to the left to
find their way to the bluffs and get there |
first. Everything depends on that. :"
But even Fenton hardly realized how |
very much depended. 1t was now about |
2 O'Clock, and ever since the early dawn |
the cavalry had been pressing steadily |
at the heels of the Indian rear guard, |
never firing, never responding to the |
challenge of shot or shout from the
scampering warriors before them. Again
and again had Bat and his half breed !
cousin, La Bonte, striven to get Big
Road to halt and parley; but, though |
the signals were fully understand, old
Road was mad with the mingled rage
of fight and whisky and believed him
self the leader of an outbreak that !
should rival that Of 1876 and place him.
as battle chief, head Of an army Of
warriors that should overrun the north
west Anxious only TO get the women
and children safely in among the fast
nesses of the hills, he contented himself
therefore through the livelong day with
holding the troops at long arm s length.
opening lively fire when they sought to
push ahead. 1t was glorious fun for him
and his. Well they knew that so far at
least the soldiers were forbidden TO at
tack. With the coming of another day
Big Road planned to have his village
far III among the clefts and canyons of
the range, where few resolute war
riors could defend the pass against an
advance, while he and his braves, re-
by eager recruits from the
young men of other bands at the reser-
walton, could fall upon the TANKS and
rear of Fenton's force and fritter it
away, as Red Cloud had massacred Fet-
men long years before at old
Fort Kearny.
rything depended on who should
get there first, and, as the Sioux said OF
Custer's column the bloody day Oh the
Little Horn, "the soldiers were tired"
Extending southwark from the peaks
Of the Big Horn was wild range of ir-
regular heights, covered in places with
4 thick growth of hardy young spruce
md cedars and scrub oak, slashed and
severed here and there by deep and tor
nous canyons with PERCEPTIONS sides.
in among those hills was q
big amphitheater known as the Indian
ace course, approachable in winter at
east only through the crooked rift or
bass known for short as Elk gulch. In
ust such another natural fastness and
'nly few miles away to the northeast
had the Cheyennes made their famous ,
tand against five times their weight in
lighting men the bitter winter of 1876. ,
battle the cavalry long had causa to