The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-09

encounters,
 While I was Joking with them We were startled by hearing heavy firing beyond, and, looking toward the end of the line of the chase, we saw a large party of yelling horsemen sweeping down on the scattered groups of wo- men and men, They were firing their guns rapidly, and already had killed several of our people, By this time very few of our men remained on the grounds, most of them having returned to camp; but what few were left in stantly mounted their horses and rode swiftly toward the enemy, and I went with them. When the enemy had first been discovered, as they rode up over the edge of the plateau, the women had instinctively rushed to the men for pro lection, but some had already been cut off and were killed and scalped, The survivors now formed five different groups, each one protected by from three to seven or eight men, who were firing rapidly at the circling enemy. And as for the enemy, they seemed to be everywhere at once, wheeling, cir cling on their fleet horses, never bunch ing, and presenting a difficult mark. They were Sioux, and decked out in the full war costume peculiar to them There were a dozen of us hastening to the defense of those beyond, and as we drew near the Sioux circled out and made for the women we had left be- hind, who were shrieking and chatter ing with fear. We turned then and headed them off, killing two of their number and they shot man who was riding by my side. The poor fellow threw up his hands and tumbled off his horse stone dead. All this time we were being reinforced by men from the differ ent groups, and soon there were twen- ty-three of us, charging and checking every move of the Sioux, who numbered forty-one. including the two we had killed They were good fighters, but our people were better, for they were fighting with desperation for their wo- men and children. As they drew away from our pursuit we determined to let them go, and turned back toward the women, thinking the fight was over. In the meantime the Sioux had stopped and evidently held a council for sud- denly they started toward us again, spreading out like fan, so as to attack the whole length of our line. We scat tered, too, and with three others I has, tened toward the women at the point from which I had at first started And now all along began general fusillade. Our men had all dismounted here and there among the women, and their shots began to tell, for every minute or two a Sioux, and sometimes both horse and rider, would fall among the sage bush. Their shooting even from the backs of their flying horses was not without ef- feet, for they killed two more women and wounded man. But now rein forcements began to come in sight for some of our hunters, who were riding leisurely home, had heard the shooting and returned to see what was up. As soon as the enemy saw them coming they ceased firing at us and started off to the south as fast as they could go. pursued by some of the men who had been protecting the women, and all of the newcomers, fiftyfour all told.
 We now had time to count up our losses, which we found to be two men, seven women and one boy killed, and three men, eight women and four boys and girls wounded. Of the enemy we had killed seven and seriously wounded one, who was quickly dispatched
 Three of our party who were killed lost their scalps and we of course took eight. It did not take me long to has ten back to camp and tell what had be- fallen us and then what excitement there was! Men excitedly rushed for their arms and horses and hastened a oy,1 al or,5 surrounded me, begging to know who had been killed. I could not of course give the names of the women, but when I told who the men were their relatives in the crowd hastened away. sobbing out their names, to prepare for their burial. In an hour or two the dead and wounded were brought in, and the sound of mourning was heard on every hand, and mingled with it one could hear the relatives of those who had ,silled an enemy calling out their names and praising their courage and success. About sundown the pursuing party re- turned, having had running fight with the Sioux for miles. They had killed two more of them, but had finally giv- en up the chase, as the enemy had bet ter horses.
 Archie and I put in a sleepless night, for the mourning was kept up without intermission. Even in our lodge there was sorrow and gloom, for one of the chiefs wives had lost brother. We both were depressed by the calamity which had befallen the people. Early in the morning the dead, carefully wrapped and bound in blankets and robes, were carried on travois to grove of cottonwoods up the stream and then placed on platforms lashed to the branches for their eternal sleep. Be- meath the aerial graves of the men horses were killed that they might not go afoot to the sandhills, and by their sides or wrapped up with them were their weapons and war clothes. Mis- sionaries and others have made such an outcry against this practice that the government long ago forbade aerial se- pulture. Yet 1t does not seem to be nearly as repulsive as putting loved one in a deep hole in the ground and covering him with a ton of earth.
 The next afternoon the scalp dance took place. Those who had lost rela- tives painted their faces black, the wo- men cutting off their hair and scarify- ing their arms and ankles. They car ried the scalps of the enemy suspended from sticks, and went about through