The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-12-01

for us at all. They're fooling with
some buffalo over here"
Crawling to the crest, leaving his
hat behind, Dean peered over into the
swale beyond, and this was what he
saw:
Half mile away to the east the
low, concave sweep of the prairie was
cut by the jagged banks and curves
of watercourse which drained the
melting SHOWS in earlier spring. Along
the further bank dozen buffalo were
placidly grazing, unconscious of the
fact that in the shallow, dry ravine
itself half dozen young Indians
Sioux, apparently - were lurking,
awaiting the nearer coming of the
herd, whose leaders, at least, were
gradually approaching the edge.
Away down to the northeast. toward
the distant Powder river, the shallow
stream bed trendcd, and, following
the pointing finger of the scout who
crawled to his side, Dean gazed and
saw Il confused mass of slowly moving
objects, betrayed for miles by the
light cloud of dust that lowered over
them, covering many an acre of the
prairie. stretching away down the
vale Even before he could unsling.
his field glass and gaze, his plainscraft
told him what was slowly, steadily
approaching, as though to cross his
front-an Indian village, big one,
on the move to the mountains. bound
perhaps for the famous race course of
the Sioux. a grand amphitheater in
the southern hills.
And even as they gazed, two tiny
Jets of flame and smoke shot from the
ravine edge there below them. and be-
fore the dull reports could reach their
ears the foremost bison dropped on his
knees and then rolled over on the sod;
and then came the order, at sound of
which, back among the halted troop
crs. every carbine leaped from it's
sncl>.a
CHAPTER III.
Down along the building railway in
the valley of the Platte there had been
two years of frequent encounter with
small bands of Indians. Down along
the Smoky Hill, in Kansas, the Chey-.
cnnes We're ever giving trouble. Even
around Laramie and Frayne, on the
North Platte, settlers and soldiers had
been murdered, as we'll as one or two
officers. caught alone out hunting, and
the Indians were, of course, the per-
petrators. Nevertheless, it had been
the policy of the leaders of the North
crn Sioux to avoid any meeting in force
and to deny the completely of their peo-
pie in the crimes committed. Supply
trains to Reno, Kearney and c. +.
Smith, the Big Horn posts of the Boze.
man trail, went to and fro with guards
of only moderate size. Officers had,
taken their wives and, children to these
far-away stations. The stockadcs were
filled with soldiers families. Big bands
of Indians roamed the lovely valleys of
the Piney, the Tongue and Rosebud,
near at hand, and rode into full view of
the wary sentries ut the stockadcs, yet
made no hostile demonstration Off
GERS and men went far up the rocky
canyons of the hills in search of fish
or game, and came back unmolested.
Escorts reported that they sometimes
marched all day long side by side with
hunting bands of Sioux, mile away;
and often little parties, squaws and
boys and young men, would ride con-
fidently over and beg for sugar, coffee,
Misunderstanding, and ride off with
their plumber i'll the best of spirits and
with all apparent good feeling. And
yet the great war chief of the Brules-
Sintogaliska-Spotted Tail, the white
mans friend, gave solemn warning not
to trust the Ogallallas. "Red Clouds
heart is bad" he said. "He and his
people are moving from the resrva-
tions to the mountains. They mean
trouble" Old traders like Folsom
heard and needed, and Folsom himself
FASTENED to Fort Frayne the very week
that Burleigh and his escort left for
Warrior Gap. Visiting at the ranch Of
his son in a beautiful nook behind the
Medicine Bow mountains, the veteran
trader heard tidings from an Indian
brave that filled him with apprehen-
sion, and he hurried to the fort.
"Is it true" he asked, "that the gov
eminent means to establish post at
Warrior Gap? Is it true that Maj. Bur-
leigh has gone thither?' And when
told that it was, and that only Capt.
Brooks troop had gone as an escort,
Folsom sa citation was extreme. "Colo-
mel" said he to the post commander,
"solcmnly L have tried to warn the gem
eral of the danger of that move. Ihave
told him that all the northern tribes
are leaguing now, that they have deter
mined to- keep to themselves the Big
Horn country and the valleys to, the
north. 1t will take 5000 men to hold
those three posts against the Sioux,
and you've barely got 500. Iwarn you
that any attempt to start another post
up. there will bring Red Cloud and all
his people to,thespot. Their scouts are
watching like hawks even now. Iron
Spear came to me at my sons ranch
last night and told me not ten warriors
were left at the reservation. They are
all gone, and the war dances are on in
every valley from the Blhck Hills to
the Powder. For heavens sake, send
half your garrison up to Reno after
Brooks. YoWare safe here. They won't
modest you south of the Platte. at least
not now. All they ask is: that you
build no more forts in the Big Horn"
But the colonies could not act with
out authority. Telegraph there was
none them What Folsom said WAC of