Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-01-03
Notwithstanding rifles and old dragon

leaders would serve MS purpose.
Promise them and he'd see what could
be done to restrain his young men.
But they were pretty mad" he said,
and couldn't be relied upon to keep
the peace unless sure Of getting better
arms and ammunition to help them
break it next time. 1t was only tenn
PORTING. It was only encouraging the
veteran war chief in his visions Of pow
er and control. The commissioners
came back beaming. Everything salts
factorily arranged. Red Cloud and his
people are only out for big hunt"
But officers whose wives and children
prayed fearfully ut night within the
puny wooden stockades, and listened
trembling to the howls and tom-toms
of the dancing Indians around the
council fires in the neighboring valleys,
wished to heaven they had left those
dear cnes in safety at their eastern
homes-wished to heaven they could
send them thither now, but well knew
that it was too late. Only as single
spies, riding by night, hiding by day,
were couriers able to get through
from the Big Horn to the Platte. OF
scouts and soldiers sent at different
times since the middle of May, seven
were missing, and never, except
through vague boastings of the In
dams, were heard of again.
"It is treacherous truce, tell you,"
said Folsom, with grave, anxious face,
to the colonel commanding Fort En-.
DRY. 81 have known Red Cloud 90
years. He's only waiting o few weeks
to see if the government will be fool
enough to send them breech-loaders.
If it does, he'll be all the better able
to fight little later on. If it doesn't
he will make it his casus belli."
1t was nearly 500 miles by the wind.
ing mountain road from Gate City to
Warrior Gap. Over hill and dale and
mountain pass the road ran to Frayne,
thence, fording the North Platte, the
wagon trains. heavily guarded, had to
drag over miles of dreary desert, over
shadeless slopes and divides to the dry
deep in alkali dust and sage brush to
Cantonment Reno, where far to the
west the grand range doomed up
against the sky-another long days
march away to the nearest foothills,
to the nearest drinkable water, and
then, 40 miles further still, in the heart
Of the grond pine-covered heights, was
the rocll-bound gateway to lovely
park region within, called by the
Sioux some Wild combination of al.
most unpronounceable sylls bles, which.
freely translated, gave lis Warrior
Gap, and there at last accounts,
strengthened by detachments from
Frayne and Reno, the little command
Of fort builders worked away, ak in
hand, rifle at hand, subjected every
hour to alarm from tho vedettcs and
pickets posted thiclsly all about them,
pickets who were sometimes found
stone dead at their posts, transnxed
with arrows, scalped and mutilated,
and yet not once had Indians in any
force been seen by officers or man
about the spot since the day Eed
Clouds whole array gasscd Brooks
troop on the Reno tail, pcaccably
hunting buffalo. AN ~sivil sowl in
the outfit" said old serat. Shaughnes.
sy, ''that hadn't his toague in his
cheek"
For three months that fAvdwo-ked
troop had been a1ield. ans the time
had passed and gone when sts young
first lieutenant had hoped fcs A:ave
to go home to see the mother sd Jess.
His captain was still ailing ard Unfit
for duty in saddle. He could ns: and
would not ask for leave at suvh q
time, and yet at the very moment wien
he was most earnestly and faithfully
doing his whole duty at the front
SANDER was busy with his name long
miles at the rear.
Something was amiss with DuTlcigh.
said his cronics at Gate City. lie aad
come hurrying back from the BILLS,
had spent day in his office and not a
cent ut the club, had taken the night
express unbcltnown to anybody but
his chief clerk, and gone hurrying
eastward. It was time when his
services were needed at the depot. too.
Supplies, stores, all manner OF ma
terial were being freighted from Gate
City over the range to the Platte and
beyond, yet he had wired for authority
to hasten to Chicago on urgent per-
sonal affairs, got it and disappeared.
Ayoung regimental quartermaster was
ordered in from Emory to take charge
of shipments and sign invoices during
Rurleigh's temporary absence, and the
only other officer whom Burleigh had
seen and talked with before his start
was the venerable post commander.
One after another the few cavalry
troops (companies) on duty at Emory
had been sent afield until now Only
one was left, and three days after Bur-
leigh started there came dispatch
from department headquarters direct
ing the sending of that one to Frayne
at once. Capt. Brooks troop, owing
to the continued illness Of its com-
mander, would be temporarily with
drawn and sent back to Emory to re-
place it.
Marshall Dean did not know whether.
to be glad or sorry. Soldier from top
to toe, he was keenly enjoying the
command of his troop. He gloried in
mountain scouting, and was in his ele-
ment when astride spirited horse.
Then, too, the air was throbbing with
rumors of Indian dcpredations along
the nortlward trails, and everything
pointed to serious outbreak any mo.
ment, and when it came he longed to
be on hand to take his share and win
his name, for with such troop his