Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-01-22
, N the fall Of 1885 General Sherman
and the Indian ommissionerS

the ArapahOes and COmanches In
Kansas came to Fort
Zarrah. on the Arkansas river. From
there they were to go to what was
known as Council Springs, distance
of sixty-five miles from Zarrah. Be-
tween Zarrah and the Springs is fiat,
level country, but no water is to be
had. Consequently there was no water
carried save for drinking purposes,
which was carried in canteens in the
ambuanceS. for the generals orders
were that he would leave Fort Zarrah
at = a. IN. 50 as to get good start
over this dry country.
Our chief Of scouts and guide at that
time was Dick Curtis. The outfit was
composed of three ambulances, with
saddle horses for the general and In
dian commissioners, and when the gen.
eral and commissioners were riding In
the ambuances their saddle horses
were led by orderlies. The general
had three or four staff officers, a COM
pany Of cavalry as an escort and about
thirty scouts and messengers we'll
mounted. These scouts and messen-
gers duty was that whenever the gen.
eral wished to send any quick dis
patches back to Fort Riley, at that
time the nearest telegraph point, these
men were to carry them. I was at the
time a young scout employed for this
purpose.
1t was about o'clock in the after
noon, after leaving the fort, that a
young officer, one Of the generals aids,
was riding along talking to me and
asking me about when I thought we
were going to get to Council Springs,
where the Indians were. I told him
that if we kept on in the direction we
were going we would never get there.
He asked, "Why not?" I replied that
we were not going in the direction Of
the Springs: that we were bearing too
far to the west.
He said: "Why don't you tell the
general this? He is up there in the
ambulance" I told him the ofiicer)
that I was not guiding General Sher-
man; that Mr.. Curtis was the guide
and that I had no right to interfere
with him whatever, nor did 1 intend
to do so. This young officer Il have
forgotten his name) tumbled to the
situation, and, galloping ahead, he rode
alongside the ambulance and told the
general what had said and explained
to him my reasons for not mentioning
the situation. The general appreciated
it at once and called halt, climbed
out of the ambulance, sent for Mr..
Curtis to come back to him. and also
for the scouts to come up, OF whom
was one He laid out large map on
the ground. and when we all got near
him he said to Mr.. Curtis:
"I wish you would show me on this
map just where we are"
Mr.. Curtis told him, which was per-
fectly true that the maps were all so
incorrect that it was impossible to 60
by them.
The general remarked: "Well, then,
Mr.. Curtis, how far are we from the
Springs? From the distance we have
travelled since leaving Zarrah at =
o'clock this morning we should be
very near them"
Mr.. Curtis replied: General, this Is
very level country. as you can see.
There are no landmarks, and there are
so many thousands Of buffaloes all
over the prairie that it Is pretty hard
to tell Just where we are and how far
we are from the Springs. Further
more. l have not been over to the
Springs for several years, and when
I last went there I was not acting as
guide. Consequently l feel that l am
rather lost myself"
The general, looking at the other
scouts, said, "Do any of you know
where the Springs are?' The young
officer had pointed me out to the gen.
eral. and he was looking straight at
me when he asked the question.
I said, Eyes, general; know where
the Springs are"
"How far are we from them?" asked
the general. I told him about eight
cen miles.
He asked in what direction, and I
answered, saying they were due south
from us now and we were headed
dead west. Dick Curtis spoke up and
said, BILLY, when were you ever out
to the Springs?"
1 told him I had been there on two
or three different occasions with Char
lie Rath, the Indian trader, and had
killed many buffaloes all over this coun-
try The general called for his horse,
mounted it and said: Young man, you
come and. show me the Springs. I will
ride with you. Mr.. Curtis, come along.
No disrespect to you, sir. appre-
ciate how hard it is for one to find his
way In a country where there are no
landmarks, level as the sea and COW
cred with buffaloes."
I headed due south, the general rid
ing by my side, and during this ride
the general asked me many questions
bow / came to know this country 20
well, etc. l told him that my father
had been killed In the border rufnan
war of bleeding Kansas and that since
his death had grown up on the plains
with the freighters. trappers. buffalo
,unters, Indian traders and others
I'd 1 was quite familiar with all the
utry lying between the Missouri
"a