The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-22

Inc man Was tNlOculiS uOuCots nc
was yet too stiff to walk, and / asked
an Indian TO dismount / then helped
the herder, who gave his name as Hal
lett, up on the Cheyenne's pony. We
rode 10 the camp. where he had left his
fellows. The place was deserted, and
the case became as plain as the nose
on ones face.
THE new herder, who had hired as
Bill SWeetzer from Niobrara range,
was one of a gang of rustlers who had
been keenly watching this bunch of
stock. They had bided their time, and
finding, as they had doubtless expect
ed. that there would be trouble about
their acceptance. had sought to make ii
appear that Indians had run off the
herd They had boldly sent word TO
the Cheyennes to come on and Kill the
cattle, that the Indians report OF loss
might be discredited by their agent
"'They must either have forced Big
Aleck to go with 'em, or else they've
done him up and he's somewhere round
here. said Hallett
We'll | said let's strike the trail,
and there was no dissenting voice. Two
Indians whom / left TO search the
ground for trace of the man called Big
/ Aleck. and one whom l sent on foot
! with a message to my clerk, were much
disappointed at being left out of the
| chase.
LAS it was, our party was made up
of three whites Pratt. Hallett and my
| self. and nine young Cheyennes, all well
mounted. The trail of the stock led
1 toward the Powder Horn mountains,
which doomed up some eighteen or
/ twenty miles TO the westward.
I'VE took it leisurely, not wishing to
catch up with the thieves until they
should enter the foothills. where we
/ hoped to take them by surprise. There
were at least six of the rustlers. by
Hallett's account, and / was by no
means sure dependence could be plOced
/ on my Cheyennes, who We're all young
men, untried as fighters.
AT every height which overlooked
the prairie in front of us l took look
with a pair Of signal service glasses. II
was well on toward night that my
glass found the game we were after.
/ The herd was going over small ele-
walton some four or five miles to the
northwest. We had just crossed the
/ valley of "a small creek, and turned
about and camped to wait for night.
| We knew the Tustlers must stop sOon'
and that they we're aiming for the
north fork of the Powder Horn, which
was but a mile or two away.
'As soon as il was dark we were of
again. When we reached the breaks
of the north fork we halted. and Hal
lette went on a scout afOOt. He was
back in half an hour with the infor-
nation that the herd was right al
hand, in the valley of the Powder
Horn.
we had come prepared for a despe-
rate undertaking. At our camp the
lCheyennes had made long fire ropes
of the dry grass of the creek bottom
These weapons of the stamptder the5
had held patiently over the blaze of fire
in a final process of drying out.
Our attack was now planned undcl
direction of HaIlett, who, with Pratt
and eight Indians. was to make a de-
tour and rush upon the cattle STAN
peding them down the river | and
; one Indian were TO take our station:
i'm the valley just above the mouth o
the creek which we had descended. i
was our business to turn the cattle vi
| the creek and so toward the agency.
ION guard in the darkness. 1 passed
| a couple of uncOmfOrta bic hours. Al
] end 10 suspense came at last. A shTli
ki-yi-ying, which at first l mistook 70
: the racket of coyotes. broke out up tn
river Then of a sudden the fiat nj
8 there was ablaze with shooting star
; and Writhing snakes of fire, and tn
= fireworks were answered by flashes q
guns. Ine NellnS anu SHoOtiHS ioS
/ To a fierce clamoT, but even this wa
! quickly drowned in a grumbliug NUT
. ter. which grew into the roar of
, stampede As this noise rumbled dow
o upon us. | fancied that it was like tn
| groWl of a earthquake, and that IN
I ! ground shook under my pOny's feet
r THE dust raised by the running cat
!, tie quickly obseured the fireworks. an
: now my Indian appeared close at han
). shouting something 1t me and WaVin
an arm When sure he had attracte
d, nv attention he mOtiOned for me
, follow, turned and galloped toward IN
= hills.
ITO my mind the young Cheyenr
was afraid, and it did not occur TO m
: at the moment that there could be an
= danger in front of a herd of little MOI
than a thousand head. It was not VI
{ til my pony began to pitch and try
j break away, and ! saw almost upon L
= the solid front of the stampede. eN
Il tending indefinitely in the darkness
q the right and left, that l realized III
! need of getting quickly out of the wa.
: Il tried To ride across the front
II the herd, but the wall of cattle Wa
upon me instantly, and my pony bega
5 10 run straight away. / was not trigh
= ened. although / knew of the peril
" badger and prairie dog holes. Yet II
+ cayuse did not share my conhdenc
l. He ran like a scared coyote.
Ie II was looking over my shoulder