Year: 1879

lass blood was in him, and he was bad He
said l was bad squaw and an old white
squaw. lie tried to steal the old wildcat skin
that slept on and he stole my handkerchief
while was asleep and jeered me during my
imprisonment


COUNCILS OF WAR.


Douglass returned from fighting the soldiers
on Saturday night. On the next day his wife
went back to the agency for the cabbages
raised by the cultivation the Indians professed
so much to despise. Douglass was morose and
sullen and had little to say. He did not seem
to be satisfied with the military situation, but
thought the Indians would annihilate the sol
diers. Large numbers of head men and cap
tains came to consult Douglass. They were in
and out most Of the night, making speeches
and discussing things in general, as though
the fate Of the universe depended
on their decision Douglass often asked us
where the agent was. l said that did not
know. Douglass rejoined that neither did he
know. Mrs. Douglass treated me spitefully
and her chief was not much better, though he
gave me enough TO eat. When he was gone
very little was cooked.


TERRIBLE SUFFERING.


In a day or two johnson became very cross,
and early one morning we began to move again.
1t was very long and terrible journey that 1
made that day. 1 rode pony with neither
saddle nor bride nor strrups. There
was only tent cloth strapped on the
horses back and an old halter to guide
him with. 1t was the most distressing expe-
rience of my life. Not a single halt was made
and my pain was SO great that the cold drops
stood on my forehead 1 could only cling to
the pony by riding astride. We travelled rap
idly over mountains so steep that one
would find difficulty in walking over them on
foot. The dust was suffocating, and I had
neither water nor dinner. Josephine and Mrs.
Price rode ahead. One of the mountains was
SO steep that after making part of the ascent
Douglass party had to turn back and go around
it. This incident shows what hardships deli
cate women on bareback horses had to endure.


CoMFORTED BY JOSEPHINE.


We reached camping ground half an hour
after dark and pitched our tents in the valley.
The moon was small I was SO faint that

could not get off the horse nor move until a
kind woman assisted me to the ground. l was
too i'll and exhausted to eat and went to bed
without any supper. We stayed at this
place several days. AS the soldiers ap-
preached the Indians moved further
south at intervals of two or three
days, until they reached the pleasant meadows
on Plateau Creek, below Grand River, where
this last place Douglass permitted Josephine te
come to see me every day, and the long hours
were more endurable. The courage o
the brave girl and her words of hop
cheered me very much. My life woul'
not have been safe had it not beel
for her influence with the Indians. She coult
speak some of their language, and she made
them cease terrifying me with their horribl,
threats and indecent stories. She finally forced
Douglass to give me saddle, SO that in the last
days of journeying 1 had something besides
q bareback horse to ride upon. 1t gave
me great joy on one Of the evenings OF
those terrible first days to have her. as We
passed each other in the moonlight, sing out
cheerily,


keep up good courage, mother; am ali
right. We shall not be killed"


HOLLOW MERRIMENTs.


The last evenings of our stay were devoted to
songs and merrymaking by those who were
not away on the mountains watching the
soldiers Mrs. Price joined in some OF
the choruses, because it helped us and made the
Indians more lenient. They told great variety
of stories and cracked jokes on each other and
on the white men. They had dances and medi.
cine festivals. Notwithstanding these hilari-
ties, however, the Indians were troubled and
anxious about the troops. Runners were con-
stantly coming and going. The least rumor
or movement of the soldiers threw
the Indians into n futter. Chief Doug
lass began to realize the peril OF
the situation. Colorow advised them to go nc
further south, though the troops were moving
down from the north. Better fight and defend
their camps, he said, than retreat. Chief
Ouray, the friend of the whites, did not want
the White River Utes on his domain. Douglass
spoke of the agency as gone forever. He said i,
would have to be built up again. The Indians
had lost ALL and with a sigh, he exclaimed


Douglass heap poor man now."


GLIMPsEs OF RESCUE.


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