The Winslow mail., 1913-06-07
CHAPTER l.
An Unpleasant Situation.

An Unpleasant Situation.
When, late in May, 1868, Major
Daniel Mcdonald, Sixth Infantry, was
first assigned to command the new
three company post established south
west of Fort Dodge, designed to pro-
tect the newly discovered Cimarron
trail leading to Santa Fe across the
desert, and, purely by courtesy, Of
ficially termed Fort Devere, he nat
urally considered it perfectly safe to
invite his only daughter to join him
there for her summer vacation. In
deed, at that time, there was ap-
parently no valid reason why he
should deny himself this pleasure.
Except for certain vague rumors re-
garding uneasiness among the Sioux
warriors north of the Platte, the vari-
GUS tribes Of the plains we're causing
no unusual trouble to military authori-
ties, although, of course, there was
no time in the history Of that country
utterly devoid of peril from young
raiders, usually aided and abetted by
outcast whites. However, the Santa
Fe route, by this date, had become a
well-traveled trail, protected by scat
tered posts along it's entire route, fire.
Quently patrolled by troops. and mere
ly considered dangerous for small par
ties, south of the Cimarron, where row.
ing Comanches in bad humor might
be encountered.
Fully assured as to this by officers
met at Fort Ripley, Mcdonald. who
had never before served west Of the
Mississippi, wrote his daughter long
letter, describing in careful detail the
route, set an exact date for her de-
parture, and then, satisfied all was
we'll arranged, set forth with his
small command on the long march
overland. He had not seen his daugh-
ter for over two years, as during her
vacation time (she was attending
Sunnycrest school, on the Hudson),
she made her home with an aunt in
Connecticut. This year the aunt was
In Europe, not expecting to return un-
til fall, and the father had hopefully
counted on having the girl with him
once again in Kentucky. Then came
his sudden, unexpected transfer west,
anu che flndl decision to have her join
him there. Why not? If she remain
ed the same high-spirited army girl,
she would thoroughly enjoy the un-
usual experience of a few months of
real frontier life, and the only hard
ship involved would be the long stage
ride from Ripley This, however, was
altogether prairie travel, monotonous
enough surely, but without special
danger, and he could doubtless ar
range to meet her himself at Kansas
City, or send one of his officers for
that purpose.
This was the situation in May, but
by the middle of June conditions had
greatly changed throughout all the
broad plains country. The spirit of
savage war had spread rapidly from
the Platte to the Rio Pecos, and
scarcely a wild tribe remained disaf-
fected. Arapahoe. Cheyenne, Pawnee,
Comanche, and Apache alike espoused
the cause of the Sioux, and their
young warriors, breaking away from
the control of older chiefs, became
ugly and warlike Devere, isolated as
it was from the main route of travel
(the Santa Fe stages still following
the more northern traiD, heard mere
ly rumors of the prevailing condition
through tarrying hunters, and posi-
bly, an occasional army courier, yet
soon realized the gravity of the stu
alton because of the almost total
cessation Of travel by way of the
Cimarron and the growing insolence
of the surrounding Comanches. De-
tails from the small garrison were,
under urgent orders from headquar-
tiers at Fort Wallace, kept constantly
scouting as far south as the fork of
the Red river, and then west to the
mountains. Squads from the single
cavalry company guarded the few
caravans venturing still to cross the
Cimarron desert, or bore dispatches
to Fort Dodge. Thus the few soldiers
remaining on duty at the home sta
tion became slowly aware that this
outburst of savagery was no longer a
mere tribal affair. Outrages were re-
ported from the Solomon, the Repub-
lican, the Arkansas valleys. A settle
ment was raided on Smoky Fork;
stages were attacked near the Caches,
and one burned; a wagon train was
ambushed in the Ration pass, and only
escaped after desperate fighting AL
together the situation appeared ex.
tremely serious and summer promised
war in earnest.
Mcdonald was rather slow to ap-
preciate the real facts. His knowl-
edge of Indian tactics was exceeding