Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-11-10
CONTINUED
CHAPTER XII.

lSONIlNUEO.J
CHAPTER XII.
A week rolled by, uneventful enough
at Russell. but full Of mischief in the
field. Hemmed in among the sand hills
and feeling the tolls closing about him
with fatal pressure by the second day,
Yellow Wolf had had recourse to diplo-
macy-and the aborigine is past mas
ter OF the art, a man to whom Meter
mich and Talleyrand might have bowed
IN envious contemplation.
Sending squaw to the nearest pickles
post OF the enemy. which happened 10
be on the north side, the Indian chief
asked for talk, and later that day, in
solemn dignity and all the panoply of
war paint and feathers, he appeared
with retinue Of subchiefs, and, grave
~ dismounting in the circle of officers
and soldiers drawn up to meet him, he
strobe forward, erect and proud and
powerful still splendid specimen Of
the plains bred warrior, then halted in
front Of the commanding officer, as
though bidding him step forward and
come the rest of the way. Atherton was
not there. He, with his two battalions,
Barry and Stannard, was carefully,
closely watching the Indian position
from the south and east. It might all
only be trick, a blind, under cover of
which the willy chief would attempt to
run off his village through the mazes of
the sand hills and, favored by the rap.
idly descending wings of night slip
away around the right flank of the cav
airy and infantry from the White River
agencies and be off and away to join
the northern Cheyennes. If he could
make his o'larrel theirs, with their
united warriors they could laugh at the
combined forces in the field.
But out there on the rolling slopes to
the north, with the broad valley of the
Niobrara stretching miles away toward
the horizon, the scene was picturesque
and even barbaric. Dismounted from
their gayly caparisoned ponies, Yellow
Wolf and his principal warriors, fear
less and bearing themselves even now
as conquerors. lowered in feathered,
painted, brilliant group, the center of q
somber ring Of soldiery. The chief him
self stood few PAGES advanced from his
followers. and his glance. naughty and
almost defiant. was fixed on the gray
haired. mottle faced officer whom long
years OF rather inconspiouous service
had lifted to the command. The colonel
knew little Of Indians or of Indian char
acter. Fate had found him at the agen-
cies when the order was telegraphed to
hustle out" every available officer
and man and head of those southern
Cheyennes. He was surrounded by his
subordinates, most Of whom had spent
long years among the Indians and were
far better calculated to deal with them,
and to one of these, keen featured cap
tain Of infantry, he turned and whis.
pered.
What's the old rip waiting for?"
You must step forward-meet him
half way-shake hands, was the whis-
pered answer. Rather sheepishly, a
marked contrast to the savage chief in
bearing and demeanor, the colonel, with
his thumbs stuck in his waist belt,
lounged forward and. assuming an affa-
BILE grin, stopped when he neared Vel
low Wolf and, slowly withdrawing the
right hand from his belt, shifted his
quid of tobacco to the other cheek,
blushed as though he knew he were
making mess of it and held forth his
hand.
Wolf glanced first at the extended
hand and then at the soldiers perturbed
face. something almost. contemptuous
shooting across his own swarthy fea.
lures Then slowly raising his right
hand he rs coolly brought the fingers of
the left close to the finger tips Of the
other and began in excellent pantomime
the motion of pulling off glove and
casting it aside. The whole action was
significant. Turning redder yet, tn.
colonel hastily jerked bis gauntlet from
his knotty digits and again held forth
his hand. This time the warrior conde-
scended Striding forward, erect and
dignifed as ever, he seized the colonel's
paw and gave it q wrench that made
the veteran vince, whereat some CT the
younger Indians nearly laughed aloud
and there was an audible litter among
the soldiers. This formality concluded
+ Wiz OOAOAoA pAOSCCuCu W 6uoho AduuS
with each of the warriors in the suit of
Yellow Wolf, saying, as he had heard
brother officers greet the Ogalalla braves
at the fort, "How, Colah?' which
wasn't Cheyenne at all, but Sioux. or
colloquial modification thereof. How
ever, it seemed to pass muster among
the visitors, with whom certain others
of the officers shook hands and exchange
ed cordial greetings. They were old ao-
quaiL iances.
And then at q word from Yellow
Wolf his followers seated themselves in
the arc of a circle, all save one, an In
dian as thoroughbred looking as the
chief, who remained close to the latter's
side, who bent attentive ear to the
words spoken in low voice by his leader
and then addressed himself in excellent
English to the colonel
Yellow Wolf has come to talk with
the commander Of the white soldiers
But we have no meat. We are poor and
hungry, Our children cry for food
Order dinner for the dozen, colo
mel, /" whispered the captain, coming to