Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-02-03

In June In 1850 he was with one Of
the trains carrying goods from lnde-
pendence to Santa Fe. They camped
at a stream called the one Hundred
and Ten, and as no Indians had been
seen for several days, the colonel gave
orders to dispense with the guard that
night
AT early dawn on the following
morning" the colonel says in his story.
Il saddled my horse and rode out TO
corral the cattle leaving word with my
assistant to rouse the men and have
them ready 10 yoke the teams. In
rounding w the herd / noticed that a
number were missing, | then made a
circle, leaving the ones | had herded
together. Soon | struck the trail OF the
missing oxen; II being very plain |
could ride my horse at gallop and
keep track Of Il. / had not travelled
more than a mile when ! discovered
the tracks OF Indian ponies, and then
knew the Indians had driven on my
oxen. In wagon train every man
went heavily armed but that morning,
thinking / was only going a few hun
dred yards away, | LETT my gun IN the
wagon. But as We had not reached
the part Of tile territory where hostile
Indians might be expected l pushed
ahead on the trail, thinking to meet
half-friendly Indians, who had driven
my oxen away, as they often did, sim
ply TO get fee for bringing them back.
The trail looked fresh, and on | went
at a gallop until | must have been
twelve miles from camp. Passing
through q skirt OF timber. at last
saw thirty-four Of my cattle on the
prairie, guarded by six indian braves,
| gave a whoop, clrcled around my
cattle at a lope. punched them up, and
started of with them. Six more sur
prised Indians were never seen,
They imagined. OF course. that had
an armed party at my back, and Of
fered no protest to my taking my
property. felt like a hero and trotted
along, paying little attention to the
two or three Indians who hung about
from time to time HALFWAY back !
met a party Of twenty-five braves
painted and armed, and led by their
chief They descended on me with
hideous yells. coming at full speed. II
my oxen had not been driven 50 far
and become tired out, / should have
had royal stampede. As II was, they
ran a few hundred yards, when | sue
ceeded in checking them By this time
the Indians had surrounded the cattle
and the chief made as II to send an
arrow through me, squirting HIS pony
toward me- | wheeled, and as | had
a splendid mount kept out OF the way
easily. The others did not offer TO
touch me, and / drove the cattle on
again. Three times they chased me
away, but / went back each time and
moved the oxen on little Finally the
chief beckoned me TO come up for par
ley. ! advanced cautiously, for I saw
they all had bows and arrows and
ponies not much inferior 20 my own.
| knew. too. that they did not want to
get into trouble by killing me. At
little distance from the chief, when I
had fairly stopped to see what they in
tended doing one Of the braves on the
side made iunge at my horse In an
attempt TO catch the reins. He failed.
and backed on little, waiting TO see
what their next maneuver would be.
They made for me, the brave drawing
his bow az fun bend, q sharp-polnted
steel In the arrow. | remember that In
the moment felt sharp pain and a
burning spot as big as dollar over
my heart, whore the arrow would have
struck stood still. and they halted
a few PAGES away. The chief held up
ten fingers. That meant, II would give
them ten Of my oxen they would let me
go | felt that l could not spare that
many and be sure Of getting my train
through, 50 I refused, He held up five
fingers and I shook my head again
Then he motioned me 10 say how many
l would give. and I held up one finger