Willmar tribune., 1900-11-21
Copyright. 1891. BY +. Tennyson Neely.l

along an extra mule, with camp equip
age, and shook hands gravely with the
officers ere they rode away. "All de-
pends," said Folsom, ION whether Red
Cloud is hereabouts in person. If he
is and can get his ear can probably
stave off trouble long enough to get
those people at the Gap back to Kear-
ney, or over here. They're goners if
they attempt to stay there and build
that post. If you don't have word
from US in two days, send for all the
troops the government can raise. It
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 old
percussioncapr 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 lookouts 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 a mass of foam.
Folson's dread was well founded. Red
l. Cloud. with heaven only knows how
many warriors, had camped on 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 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 20 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,
ieutenant?" muttered the trooper
nearest him. .-s
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 q time Country, too, that was
conquered as this was from their enc
mics, the Crows), without vigilant
scouts afar out on front and flank.
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 him
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