Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-03-14

derful new breechloader, the little
command at the Gap was lulled to in
difference to their surroundings. Then
sending large numbers of his young
men to round up buffalo toward the
Platte, but keeping still his stern and
vengeful eye upon the prey almost at
his feet, the red chief made his final
and fatal plans.
There came a cloudless morning
when the cavalry troop escorted a
young officer up the rocky heights to
the west, finding everywhere indica-
tions of recent Indian occupancy, but
not a redskin barred their way. With
out opposition of any kind, without so
much as glimpse of the foe, were they
permitted to climb to Signal Rock, and
from that point, with powerful glasses,
the officers swept the glorious range of
foothills, the deep valley of the Tongue,
the banks of the Piney and the Crazy
Woman, the far-spreading upland
prairie rolling away like some heav-
ing ocean suddenly turned to earth,
east and southeast to the dim horizon,
and there they saw, or thought they
saw, full explanation of their recent
freedom from alarm of any kind.
There to the south, full thirty miles
away, the land was oyerlaid by a dull,
heavy, dun-colored cloud, and trav-
ersed by black streaks or blotches that
were recognized at once as running
buffalo. Red Cloud and his braves
then were drawn away in search of
other game, and, light of heart and
foot, the troopers trotted back to the
waiting stockade, to meet there late
that evening, as the weird tattoo of the
drums and flies was echoing back from
the rocky heights, the first messenger
through in nearly fifteen days-a half
breed Sioux from distant post along
the Platte, bearing a written message
from the commanding officer at Frayne,
which the veteran commandant read
with infinite comfort:
Seven companies of infantry and
three more troops of cavalry are on
the way and should reach you by Sat-
urday week. The general seems thor
oughly alive to the situation, and we,
too, are hoping for orders to move out
and help you give that Internal old
scoundrel the thrashing he deserves.
All has been quiet hereabouts since
that one party made its dash on Hal
Folsom's ranch. OF course you know
the story of Lizette, and of course Red
Cloud must have known that Burning
Star was head devil in that enterprise,
though Chaska was the victim. 1
take much comfort in the fact that it
was l who sent young Dean and his
troop round by way of the Laramie.
Folsom and his people would have
been murdered to a man if l hadn't,
and yet | hear that absurd old ass at
Emory put Dean in arrest for not
coming directly home. Pecksniff
should have been retired ten years
ago-for imbecility.
'We had a tremendous storm in
the mountains to the south two days
ago and a courier has just galloped
out from Emory, inquiring for news
of Dean. 1t seems he was sent with a
big sum of currency for your quarter
master, and ordered to slip through
by way of Sweetwater, as Red Cloud
was known to be covering the direct
road. Somehow it leaked out before
he started, and a gang of desperadoes
gathered to jump him at Canyon
Springs. The storm jumped them, for
two of their dead and dozen horses
were rolled out on the flats. Dean
must have got through all right, for