, 1900-02-17

MIN, Tor MS bravery ndu Deen lesteu III
the Sioux war of 1869. He was a
nan born to the plains, and there new
er was an Indian that could equal him
Althoug he is in the show business,
there is no buncombe about Cody.
Such was his knowledge of the plains
that never once were we forced to
camp without water. He always kept
his head, and his reports could be alb
solutely relied upon. To him buck
fever was something unknown. From
his infancy he had been reared upon
the border war in Kansas, and there
was no love in Cody's heart for an In
dian. He was courageous and a sure
shot. 1t was in our fight of the 18th of
July with the Cheyenne Indians, on the
War Bonnet, that he killed Yellow
Hand in as plucky a hand-to-hand com
bat as it has ever been my good luck
to witness. | shall never forget it."
Here Maj. Forbush paused for a mo-
ment, as if he were recalling the scene.
and then he continued: I'VE had en-
Camped for the night on Hat creek in
a depression that concealed our ten
troops. From the summit of the ridge
upon u left we could see a plain of
rolling country, dotted here and there
by small hills, with many breaks and
covered with grass. The creek. its bank
lined with trees, was upon our right,
while further down the creek, beyond
the ridge of the depression in which we
plain. We were awaiting our wagon
train of supplies. 1t was to come from
this direction and was under the COM
mand of Lieutenant William P. Hall,
who is now a Northumberland in the
acknowledgements department, and
who is stationed in Porto Rico.
AT 5 o'clock in the morning Lieu
tenant King, now General King, who
had been in the crest of the hill. re-
ported to Colonel Wesley Merritt that
the wagon train was approaching and
that a large body of Cheyenne Indians
was coming up from our left. They
had seen the train, the rear of which
was about five miles from our position,
and a large body of Indians was hurry
ing forward to cut off the advart
guard, which was totally of
their presence. This guard consisted
of two troopers, who were riding about
500 yards in advance of the first wagon.
1t was evident that the Indians had not
seen us, for they rode almost to the
summit of the depression which con-
cealed us and then, turning rapidly to
the left, with a war-cry charged upon
expected this and had given his orders
accordingly. AS oon as the Indians
charged upon the wagon train Cody,
with a few men, cut in after them,
while the reet of the regiment, quickly
d%eploying, advanced over the crest up,
on the main body of the Cheyennes,
and the fight, as usual, became a gen.
eral running engagement, with the In
dians falling back as best they could
toward their reservation.
1T is needless TO say that they were
completely surprised, but thsy put up
a stubborn fight in order to give their
squaws and children time in which to
get a running start upon the home
ward retreat. We had driven them back
about three miles when the hand-to-
hand combat between Cody and Yellow
Hand occurred. The latter was a he
reditary chief and had only recently
come into his chieftaincy. He was a
haa his spurs to win, so to speak, and
thus it was that he sought to make
Cody his vistim. Buffalo Bill" was
upon a small hill at the time, where
he paused to take in the fight and stu
alton generally, when Yellow Hand
rode forward, accompanied by several
of his warriors and hurled the mortal
challenge at him. The young chief
wore a handsome war bonnet and car
ried a large shield covered with raw
hide. Upon this there must nave been
a hundred scalps. This treasure had
been handed down to him by his ia
theirs. and the scalps were tokens of
their prowess.
LAS Cody rode down into the little
valley to accept the mortal combat, az
If by common consent the Indians and
soldiers ceased fighting to witness the
encounter. l can see the scene now.
The Indians drawn up upon one rise
and we on the other, and down in the
narrow valley Buffalo Bill" and yell
low Hand approaching each other. !
felt the intense excitement of the oc-
~casion, for / realized that one of them,
and perhaps both, would leave their
dead bodies there in vindication o.
their bravery.
Cody was superbly mounted. and
the warrior none the less so. When
without about 300 yards of each other
they both halted. Cody ~dismounted,
but Yellow Hand sat on his horse and,
with a cry of defiance, bore down upon
his adversary. Quietly and calmly
Cody awaited the onslaught. AS he
came rushing forward the Indian chief
fired and missed, and then Cody sent a
bullet into the horses heart that tore
through the leg of the rider. The two
tumbled in a confused heap upon the
prairie. In an instant Yellow Hand