Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-02-21
CHAPTER XIII.

Indians that seemed, like the warriors
born of the dragons teeth, to spring
up from the earth, and yelling like
fiends bore down upon the little guard.
Happily for the woodchoppers, but IN
luckily for Lo, the commander was a
cool-headed veteran of the late war
who had listened time and again to
yells as frantic and had withstood
charge after charge ten times as de-
termined. Most unluckily for 10 the
infantry company was armed with
the new Springfield breech-loader,
and when the band came eXultantly
on, having, as they supposed, drawn
the fire when full four hundred yards
away, they were COMPOUNDED by the
lively crackle and sputter of rifles
along the timber in front of them, top
ping many dashing warrior to earth
and strewing the ground with slaugh-
tered ponies. That charge failed, but
they rallied in furious force. There
were only 40 soldiers; they had
500 braves, so on they came again
from three different points, and again
did Powells sheltered blue-coats scat
ter them like autumn leaves before the
storm. Thrice and four times did they
essay to stampede the soldiers and
sweep off their own dead and wounded.
and each time they were soundly
thrashed, thanks to cool courage and
the new breech-loaders. And Red
Cloud, cursing his medicine men, drew
off his baffled braves and the hills that
night resounded to their vengeful war
whoops and echoed back the wailing
of the Indian women mourning over
the slain. "All we'll enough so far,
lads" cried Folsom, when he heard the
news. "Machpealota is unmasked. It's
war to the knife now, so for Gods sake
send all the troops you can muster to
the aid of those already up there in the
Big Horn. Next time he hits he'll have
all the Northern Sioux at his back
you mark my words!"
But, who the devil is John Folsom !?
said the bureau again. Arrest Red
Cloud. Bring his band in prisoners,
were the orders to the agents, and the
agents called for troops to go and do
their bidding. It's one thing, as I've
had occasion to say before, to stand
off with breech-loaders thousand In
dams armed only with old percussion
cap muskets, squirrel rifles, bows,
clubs and lances; it's another thing
for soldiers armed even with the best
the market affords, to march into an
Indian position and arrest an Indian
chief. There were not soldiers
enough north Of the Platte to do it.,
and the war department knew it if
the bureau didn't. Hence the muster
ing in force along the river, and the
mounting in hot haste of perhaps ten
more troops and companies, nowhere
near enough for the work in hand,
but all the nation had within a
months march that could possibly be
spared from other work and work
more important.
And there was wrath at Emory,
where the colonel found himself or
dered to send all his transportation to
Frayne forthwith, and all his remain
ing troops except one of foot. dam
nation! I've only got two companies
of foot" he screamed, in the shrill
trebel of piping senility. "And they
meth to rob me of my cavalry, too!
C. troop is ordered to be held III
readiness for special service"
The transportation, consisting of
three wagons and two ambulances,
with the somber company of infantry,
started next day, however, and Dean,
with eager expectancy, kept his men
in camp, cooked rations ready, am
munition pouches filed, arms and
equipments overhauled and in perfect
order, horses examined and reshod,
ready for the word that might como
any minute and carry him-he knew
not whittier. Folsom and the girls
had to drive back to dinner without
him. Despite the permission sent by
the colonel, he would not leave his
troop and go in town. So back they
came in the soft moonlight and spent
n long, lovely summer evening with
him, while the band played melodious-
ly in the fort inclosure, and the stars
twinkled over the peaks of the
Rockies in the southern skies. Fol-
som spent the hours wiring to Omaha
and comforting with such officers as
he could reach. They thought the les
son given Red Cloud would end the
business. He knew it would only be-
gin it. Burleigh, saying that he must
give personal attention to the selec-
ton of the teams and wagons, spent
the early evening in his corral, but
sent word to Folsom that he hoped to
see him in the morning on business
of great Importance. He had other
hopes, too, one of them being that
now the order to send that big sum
in currency to the new stockade
would be revoked. He had lost no
time in suggesting to the chief quar-
termaster of the department the ex-
IRENE hazard. He quoted Folsom as
saying that before we could send 100
men to Warrior Gap Red Cloud could
call 5000, and the chief quartermas-
ter, being a man of method and a
stranger to the frontier said, as said
the bureau: "Who the devil is John
Folsom? Do as you are told.' But
that answer only came the following
day. Meantime there was respite and
hope.
Long lived that beautiful evening in
the memory of four young hearts. A
sweet south wind had been gently
playing all day and left the night
warm and fragrant of the pines and
cedars in the mountain parks. All
Fort Emory seemed made up of wom-