Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-09
RIDING FOR CUSTER.
BY R B. LEWIS.

The reports from the field" made .
few months previous to the death Of the
lamented Custer, contain a brief IN
nouncement of my capture by and escape
from the Sioux Indians, but the story Of
that escape is now to be written for the
first time.
We had been in the field for three weeks,
following u moving village Of Sioux by
day and by night as they made for the
Businesses Of the hills, when it became
necessary for General Custer to communi-
cate with Fort Wallace, 1870 miles distant.
At that time he had six civilian scouts
with him, but two We're wounded, two
had been sent off to Camp Supply, and 1t
was necessary to keep California Joe and
his partner with the command. It was
decided to send a trooper with tho dis
patch, and I was selected for two reasons,
neither Of which gave me any particular
credit. In the first place, l had been long
in the Indian country, and next, I had by
all odds the best horse in the whole COM
mand outside Of the officers. He was an
ungainly animal in looks and so vicious
that no one else could handle him, but he
had speed and bottom to IA wonderful de-
gree. An hour beforc~dark on a gloomy,
rainy day l was ordered to report at Gus
ter's headquarters. AS I stood before him
he quietly said:
"You will set out as soon as night
and make your way to Fort Wallace
with dispatches"
"Yes, sir"
Son your return you will find us about
80 miles above this, on this side of the
creek. Here is q pocket compass. Fort
Wallace Is due northeast and about 1870
miles distant. You had better see Califor-
MIA Joe before you start"
That was all. / took the envelope from
his hand, saluted and retired. The chief
of scouts was in his tent not far away,
and when I reported to him he looked me
over and said:
Gin a case Of this kind thar's nuthin to
worry about. You either git through or
the Injuns git yer scalp. Take so rounds
of ammunition fur yer carbine and double
doses fur two reyolvers, but depend most
ly. IN yer boss. You may pull through,
but durn my hide If I won't bet my life
ag' in a dollar that yer ha'r will be lifted
afore moo n tomorrerr"
1uuU WtEu v encouraging ooU WIN
about my preparations and was all ready
to start when evening shut down. Being
a light man and having a strong horse, I
could take a few oats for him, rations for
myself and the extra ammunition without
loading him down. Joe amt down to see
me off, and as he walked beside me for a
few rods he said:
"Depend OH your boss till he's down.
Then lay down beside him and kill as
many as you kin afore they kills you. on
you goes, and goodby to you"
While we had been trailing the village a
small war party had been trailing us. We
had caught sight of mounted warriors in
rear of us a dozen times that day, and 1t
was certain that when night came they
would close in OH the camp. I must take
the chances, however, and with the night
growing black and a steady rain falling l
put my horse at a gallop and headed away
over the plains. If / did not run upon
some of the Indians in the first ten miles,
then I should have nothing to fear until
daylight came. For the first half hour I
was nervous and a~pprehensive, but the
feeling gradually went away as the horse
settled down to his work, and by and by
! felt sure that 7 had passed all the imme-
diate danger. Detached bands were roam
ing all over the country through which I
must make my way. But once clear Of
those trailing the command there was lit
tie chance Of encountering others that
night. At the end of two hours I struck
q light to look at my watch and compass.
I had been riding just two hours and had
held fairly true to the course. 1t had all
been left to the horse, and he had seemed
to reason that In riding to the northeast
We could be bound to no other place than
Fort Wallace. About once in two hours,
from the first until daylight began to
break, I halted to note the time and the
direction, and in the II hours I traversed
a distance Of about go miles. The pace
had been moderate, but steady, and when
day broke and I rode into a dry gully be-
tween two ridges for a brief rest my horse
was almost a fresh as when he started.
The plains Of the west are by no means
q level expanse, az you may have conceiv-
ed. The earth Is broken into ridges, like
waves Of the sea, and the monotony Ia
varied only that the distance between the
ridges is greater or less. The soil may be
alkali, or the ground may be hidden be-
meath the outcrop of rock. As you mount
the slope of a ridge YOU hope to sweep the
country with your eye at the crest, but on
reaching 1t you find q similar ridge half q
mile beyond. Between all these ridges are
gullies, which carry of the rainfall. Into
one Of these gullies, six or eight feet deep
In spots, ! led my horse and was fortunate
enough to find a pool Of water sufficient
for hoth Whf1a hn ,rn,nunhoa htu cate T 40