The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1901-01-17

worshiped Mrs. Ray and Billy.
Next day we had pow-wow that
was hummer. Two Moons. with 200
braves. all paint. feathers and fire.
arms. rode into the agency and de-
manded speech with Baker. Baker
barred his doors and signaled for help
and Billy galloped over and asked
Two Moons what ..e meant by all this
dress parade business, with the mer-
curry below zero. Two Moons said he
wanted his brothers. whom the agent
had boxed up behind the bars, and .
you could see their savage faces
scowling out at the sunshine at the
moment. Of course ] had galloped
after Billy as soon as | had got the
men in saddle, and Dana out of bed
and at their head Ray asked for
Alouette to interpret, and that old
polyglot villain. Red Wolf. answered
in Cheyenne English: She gone Lar
annie Two Moons presented Ray with
a feather pipe--swore they were
brothers his soldiers and their
braves were brothers-'no fight ever
and wound up by shaking hands.
Then he made loud speech. echoed
by grunts from his band and howls
from the agency prison. Said their
hearts were sore, asked If their great
| fathers agent wouldn't release their
brothers. wouldn't he permit them to
go to Chadron TO salute their other
| brothers-the Ogalallas, and his great
| chief brother, Red Cloud?
This was Hat against orders of the
Indian bureau. and Baker poked his
head out of an upper window and said
so-then ducked in again for fear of
shot
Then our great fathers heart is
flint said, Two Moons. 'and his chill
dren will go to the Great Spirits
throne and dance all night to him
| That so-called throne was over on the
Niobrara opposite the mouth of Old
Woman's ford. and Baker had orders
to let the Indians go there to howl
and dance and pray. as they called it.
But whoever heard of their going in
midwinter before? Yet our scouts
came in at sunset and swore the
whole village-tepees. lodge. poles.
ponies. pappooses. pots. kettles and
dogs--had moved off at noon and were
out of sight toward the Rawhide
Good riddance to bad rubbish said
I, but Ray was thoughtful. That
night just at taps an Indian pony
dropped exhausted in front of our tent
and, Ray picked Alouette up in his
arms and toted her in by the stove.
The sibley was red-hot. but it couldn't
warm her. Her teeth chattered and
her slender little body shook from
head to foot as she told Billy her
story. That move was all a bluff
They had sent her 10 Laramie to get
her out of the way. but she suspected
and stole away from her party. leav-
ing her baby boy with her twin sis
ter. Two Moons had camped the old
men. the women and children in the
sand hills and was even now on the
way back with his braves. He would
attack and burn the agency before
dawn. She wept and urged Billy to
mount his men at once and flee. What
hope had he with 70 men against Two
Moons and the braves of dozen vii
lagos of the fercest warriors of the
plains?
There wasn't second to spare.
We routed out the camp on the in
slant. We ran the horses. the sup
plies and ammunition over to the
agency; stirred up Baker and his ban
ditti--for once we had to fight with
them for allies. We stacked up sacks
of grain and sides of bacon for shell
ter-the ground was too hard for pick
and shovel We ironed the prisoners
We worked with the mercury at ten
below zero till the sweat ran down
our BACKS We left the tents stand
down by the stream and the wagons
with a few God-forsaken old mules
corralled alongside--heaped fresh fuel
on the fire and then lay low and wait
ed for Two Moons.
"Just at dawn they burst in from
every ridge around us with perfect
pandemonium of yells. and we let 'em
charge till they'd thundered down
within hundred yards, then let 'em
have it as fast as we could work our
levers. How they were piled up on
the level-bucls and ponies by the
dozen--before Two Moons could draw
them off! Our tents and wagons were
all they got for their pains, and of
course they saw some one had given
them away, and weren't long finding
who did it. We had Alouette where
she was safe--but the devils dashed
the brains out of her baby boy the
very next day, killed Mazuska, the
twin sister. and ten days later poor
Pierre was found down at Platte
crossing, riddled with arrows and aw-
fully mutilated.
"What became of the Cheyennes !?
Oh, they got new reservation, a new
agent and new, outfit, What became
of Alouette? Listen!"
Again that weird, prolonged moan
/ ing cry uplifted through the faint,
mystic light of the midsummer moon.
Again that heart-breaking wall as of
a soul in desolation and despair.
Then. only the soft, soothing murmur
of the Laramie rushing over its rocky
bed. Then the distant voice of Capt.
Ray calling through the peaceful
night:
"Alouette! Alouette! Where are
your 16