Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-10-21
AN INDIAN SCARE.

In the spring Of 1897 our cavalry troop
was sent on a scout from Camp Verde,
Tex. We were to scout for month in
Edwards county, southwest of Verde,
hunt deer and Indians, and look at tho
country
We found plenty of deer; they and the
wild cattle had the country all to them
selves then. | never was able to find but
one settler in the WHOLE county, and he
seemed to be here only because he would
not be allowed to live anywhere else. As
this was in Texas, it will be remembered,
he must have been hard citizen. The
deer covered the country everywhere, and
they were far easier to approach than
were the wild cattle; in fact, we could
not get within shooting distance of wild
cattle at all while we were on horseback,
had we wanted them, but we did not;
venison was good enough for US just
then.
We saw no Indians, but found plenty
of places where they had been less than
hundred years ago, and l have no doubt
that these Indians saw us more than
once, but If they did they sent no one to
tell us Of it. We had marched west all of
one day without finding a drop of water
since leaving camp early that morning,
and L had about made up my mind from
the appearance of the country ahead Of
us that we would either have to make a
dry camp or what was more likely, would
have to cOuntermarch back to where we
had come from and put in all night in
doing it, when we came to q small lake
Or pond; it is called a water hole here.
In the wet season this pond would be
quite quarter of a mile across either
way, but just now all the water in it was
right in the middle OF it, it being q hole
ten yards across that was fed by spring
on the bottom, most likely; the water
was very good anyhow.
The part of the pond that was dry
now had heavy crop Of grass, kind of
reed, rather, | would call it sedge grass
1t grew so thick here that we had TO cut
and break it down to make a path to the
water, then had to carry out water in
camp Kettles for our horses and mules.
We camped on q hill nearly 4 quarter of
mile away from the water on account
OF the grass, the grass in this low bot
tom beng too coarse and rank and not iii
for horses.
The men carried up water for supper
and breakfast before dark, but the cook
had on hand a job Of cooking yenisoD.
and shortly after dark concluded that he
must have more water, and sent a man
who had only been with us a short time
after it.
We had number of these recruits
with us, and tile old hands had stuffed
them with hair-raising stories of Indians.
Nine out or every ten of these men who
were given the rockies as the recruits
We're called, this authentic information
about hostile Indians, had never seen one
themselves; we had only been on the
frontier few months then. and had
not met up" with many Indians yet.
L had met my first ones when a boy
twelve years ago. and had probably for
gotten more about Indians then than
these fellows were ever likely to know.
But | listened to them stuffing the rock
les and said nothing. l would get about
all [ needed of these recruits when sent
to drill them.
Most of these new men had got SO
much Indian information now that they
were able to see an Indian behind every
bush after night; they were, most of
them, from our large cities at the North,
and this country out here after night was
likely to brighten them.
The man had been gone after that wa
ter half an hour, when I heard a sentry
that was on post at the foot OF the hill
call out his "Who comes there?' then
repeat it; and in half a minute after do
ing SO, fire. A few moments after he
had fired, this man, who had been sent
after the water, came up the hill at what
our officers designate when drilling us
mounters, as a "S-l-ow gallop.' They
were in the habit of drawing out the slow
still slower to convince us probably that
they did not mean fast gallop.
This sentry, who had done the firing,
happened also to be a recruit it was
lucky for the water carrier that he was;
but an old hand would probably not have
fired at all; he would have guessed who
came there, the water carrier had passed
out at this post
[ was acting quartermaster-serge
here, our regular MISUNDERSTANDING
being at the post sick. I saw this man
come rushing in minus the camp kettle;
he had dropped it on the way, he had
not been a soldier long. but knew that
when making forced march to the rear
the less baggage you carry the faster
you can get there. Even an Indian
knows that, and when we got after them
they would always leave a string of old
saddles, packs and buffalo robes to help
US keep their trail.
''What is wrong now, Brown Secondw
We had three members OF the Brown
family in the troop, and man here new
er heard his first name except when the
Brown First, Second and Third I had
Brown Second before me now. He was
from Philadelphia, and had never been
ten miles from it before.
Indians! Corporal. Oh, that place is
full of them! They almost got me-
Indians be y, Where did you leave
He had left it down there at the water.
do you suppose that we have SO many
camp kettles that we want to issue them
to Indians? What did your Indians look
like?'
He had not stopped to see; he was Just
going to dip up the water when he heard
the most awful noise all over the coun-
try; would have been scared myself if
had been there, and so he ran and left the
camp kettle there.
''Why did you not stop and shoot a few
Indians? Is not that what the govern
ment pays us for? What do you suppose
they gave you that pistol for?''
He could not see any to shoot.
Picking up my carbine | said:
''I'll go with you and shoot about al
the Indians we meet; we won't meet over