Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-08-28
WARRIOR GAP.
CONTINUED from page 81


from us in two days, send for all the
troops the government can raise. 1t
will take every mothers son they've
got to whip the Sioux when once
they're leagued together"
But our men have the new breech.
leaders now, Mr.. Folsom" said the
officers. "The Indians have only ole
percussion-cap rifles, and not too many
of Them
"But there are 20 warriors to every
soldier was the answer, land all are
fighting men,"
They watched the pair until they
disappeared far to the west. All day
long the loollouts searched the horizon.
All that night the sentries listened for
hoofbeats on the Bozeman road, but
only the weird chorus of the coyotes
woke the echoes of the dark prairie.
Dawn of the second day came, and, un-
able to bear suspense, the major sent
q little party, mounted on their fleet
est horses, to scour the prairie at least
halfway to the foothills of the Big
Horn, and just at nightfall they came
back-three at least-galloping like
mad, their mounts mass of foam.
Folsom's dread was well founded. Red
Cloud, with heaven only knows how
many warriors, had camped OH Crazy
Woman's Fork within the past three
days, and gone on up stream. He
might have met and fought the troops
sent out three days before. He must
have met the troops dispatched to
Warrior Gap.
And this last, at least, he had done.
For a few seconds after the fall of the
buffalo bull, the watchers on the dis
tant ridge lay still, except that Dean,
turning slightly, called to the orderly
trumpeter, who had come trotting out
after the troop commander, and was
now halted and afoot some 90 yards
down the slope. $50 back, Bryan" he
ordered. Halt the ambulances. Noti-
fy Capt. Brooks that there are lots of
Indians ahead, and have the sergeant
deploy the men at once Then he
turned back and with his field glass
studied the party along the ravine.
"They can't have seen us, can they,
lieutenant ?" muttcred the trooper
nearest him.
| But Deans young face was grave
and clouded. Certainly the Indians
acted as though they were totally un-
aware of the presence of troops. but
the more he thought the more he
knew that no big body of Sioux would
be travelling across country at SO crit
ical time Country, too, that was
conquered as this was from their enc
mics, the Crows), without vigilant
The more, he thought the more he
knew that even as early as three
/ o'clock those keen-eyed fellows must
have sighted his little column, con-
| spicuous as it was because of its wag-
ons. Beyond question, he told MIN
self, the chief of the band or village
so steadily approaching from the
northeast had full information of their
presence. and was coming confidently
ahead. What had he to fear? Even
| though the blood of settlers and sol
4 diers might still be red upon the hands
of his braves, even though fresh scalps
/ might be dangling at this moment
from their shields, what mattered it ?
Did he not know that the safeguard of
the Indian bureau spread like the wing
of a protecting angel over him and his
people, forbidding troops to modest or
open fire unless they themselves were
attacked? Did he not laugh in his
ragged shirt sleeve at the policy of the
white fool who would permit the red
enemy to ride boldly up to his soldiers
count their numbers, inspect their ar,
ray, satisfy himself as to their anna
ment and readiness, then calculate the
chances, and, if he thought the force
too strong, ride on his way with only
significant gesture in parting in
suit? If, on the contrary, he found il
weak, then he could turn loose his
braves, surround, massacre and scalp
and swear before the commissioners
sent out to investigate next moon that
he and his people knew nothing about
the matter-nothing, at least, that
they could be induced to tell.
One moment more Dean watched ano
waited. Two of the Indians in the
ravine were busily reloading their
rifles. Two others were aiming over
the bank, for, with the strange stupid.
ity of their kind, the other buffalo
even when startled by the shot, had
never sought safety In fight, but were
now shifting the odor of blood on the
tainted air and slowly, wonieringly
drawing near the stricken leader as
though to ask what allied him. ODE
dent and docile the Indian ponies stood
with dropping heads, hidden under
the shelter of the steep banks. Nearer
and nearer came the big black animals
bulky, stupid, fatuous; the foremost
lowered a huge head to sniff at the
blood oozing from the shoulder of the
dying bull, then two more shots puffe6
out from the ravine, the huge heaG
tossed suddenly in air, and the un
calmly brute started and staggered
whirled about and darted a few yards
away, then plunged on its knees, ant
the next moment, startled at some
sight the soldier watchers could not