Year: 1874

in its very silence, and who follows the me
anderings OF that stream with no companion
but his OVID thoughts, will realize perfectly
the intense meaning of that dread word
alone t..a .a a.. ..,s4
IlIimitabe as the ocean the weary waste
| stretches away, and loses itself in the purple
of the sky. while the mirage pictures dis
| tances that only deceive and annoy.
The shrek of the bittern rarely breaks up
on the air to disturb the quiet of those
waters, nor the sharp whistle of a startled
| pheasant to CRATE harshly on the ear, the
hare rushes trembling from mans presence,
| the antelope and the buffalo move quickly
away at his command, but they too, utter no
| sound to change the quiet that reigns so SUI
| preme.


There are miles of prairie in that region,
| however, that seem to have risen like islands
| out of the sea, s'hedged round with forests,
| and as


| ''These are the gardens of the desert, these
The unshorn fields, bOundless and beautiful,
And fresh as the young earth ere man had sinned-
So they stretch
| Ia airy unduatons, far away .
As if the ocean in his gentest swell
Stood still with all his rounded pillows fixed,
And motionless forever" a
More desolate still are those wastes in mid
| winter, when covered with snow, and the
|
| of drearinesS.


There was little to change the eternal


sameness during these long months as the


train moved day after day through that bleak


wilderness, and its long lines of wagons in


four columns, extending nearly mile, and


its rattle of wheels only intensifying the


world of monotony surrounding


Occasionally, however, herd OF butfaioes


were discovered in the dim distance, their


shaggy sides contrasting curiously with the


broad field of snow all round them, and as a


detachment of the cavalry rode after them,


the ennui of the command was dispelled for a


time in the excitement of the chase.


The buffalo would quietly watch their COM


ing until they were within a few hundred


yards, then give two or three shifts and COM


mence their short quick lope towards the


bluffs. In few seconds, puffs Of blue


smoke cut the clear cold air, and one after


another of their huge carcasses tOppled over


in the snow until dozen or more were ly-
ing dead. Then the men stopped to skin and


cut them up, while wagon was sent out


after their rich ribs and juicy humps, which


were divided among the whole command.


The third day alter leaving Camp Supply


as the train was approaching the Cimmaron


river, large party of Indians were observed


on the sand hills about mile and a half


away on the opposite side, watching the COM


mand. i


The cavalry were Immediately sent in pur-


suit, which as quick as the Indians saw, they


started over the divide and were out of sight


at once. The cavalry continued on, however,


to the spot where the Indians were first seen,


but it was not considered prudent to chase


them any further and leave the train without


all of its escort, as this move on the part of


the Indians who could no longer be seen,


might only be a ruse to draw a portion of
| the troops away, while another war party


cto acof fI,n vn1Ilac o,,d mt


off some of the wagons, the sand hills on the


river being peculiarly favorable to such STRAIT


egy. at


So after reaching the high sand knoll from
| which the Indians had been watching the


train, the squadron halted, and these discov-


cred the first link in the chain of mystery


that surrounded the fate of M'Donald and
| Davis. -


In little ravine under clump of box


elders, three roughly made graves were


found, which the men tore open, and resnr-


rected the bodies of threej Arrapahoe warriors


wrapped in heavily porcupined buffalo robes
| and red blankets.


The war paint was still fresh on their faces,
and their raw-hide shields were lying on their
breasts, their bows, arrows, and redstone
| pipes were found at their sides, and around
| the neck of one was string of polished wolf
| teeth ornamented with the rattles of the rat
! tlesnakes.


Bullet holes through the bodies of two of
the Indians, and one through the neck of the
other plainly told how they had found their
death, but by whose hand and where and
| why were they left there among the barren
sand hills?


| Tue trail of large war party was discov-
cred a few rods off, leading from the north,
| and their moccasin tracks showed they had
| rested there, and that fact with other well
| understood signs connected the death of the
Indians buried there, with the death of
| MDonald, and Davis, and that their bones
were bleaching somewhere between the
| Cimmaron and the Arkansas. 4.h4 sai


The dead Indians were stripped of their
trinkets, hurriedly rolled back in their holes,
and the cavalry rode back to the river where
| they found the men cutting the ice, and the
| train ready to cross.


A new interest was now awakened among
the command, and every man was untirng
in his efforts to find out something mole def
mite in relation to the death of the missing
''Scouts," the whole country within protect
irg distance OF the train was carefully hunted
over as they moved along, but another day
passed away without any further clue.


On the afternoon of the second day after
leaving the Cimmaron, as the train was near
ing Mulberry creek twelve miles from Fort
Dodge, further evidence was discovered


The commanding officer was riding alone
in advance of the column, intently watching
a large pack of gray wolves on the left of the
trail, that had been frightened out of the bush
by an erratic trooper, and were scamperlng
over the prairie with all the dogs OF the train
in full pursuit, when suddenly his medita-
tions were interrupted by young lieutenant
who came galloping up to him, holding in his
hand part of a new pair OF pantaloons that
had been saturated with blood but which was
now dry, and said:
'Majo-, one of my men found this piece of
pantaloons near the creek and think from
its appearance, it has story if We can read
it, that will tell us something more about the
fate of Mcdonald and Davis. Had we not |
better camp at this place, there is plenty of
water and wood, and look around hereW


The major scanned the bloody cloth mo-
ment and replied: evidently those panta- |
looms shave been torn from their owner; they |
were never taken off in the usual manner,
you can see that, for they are still buttoned,
and l imagine the Indians and Coyotes have |
had something to do with it, | was just won |
dering what so many wolves" pointing to
the pack in the dstance-"were doing here,
but NOW they only confirm your suspicious,
and believe myself, we shall find out some |
thing here either in regard to the two |
Scouts or someone else who has been MUIR
dered by the Indians. You may stop the |
train and we will go into camp on this creek;
it is early yet, and perhaps we can find out |
all about the matter before dark. As soon as
the men get their dinner l will order every
one who can leave safely 10 search thoroughly /
up and down the creek"


oThe lieutenant rode back. stopped the |
train, and the command went into camp and
cooked their dinners as quickly as possible,
in order to get all the daylight they could to
learn something more about the death of Nc |
Donald and Davis. go .nat s3s


As soon as dinner was over, the guards |
posted and the mules and horses picketed |
near the wagons, several details were made to
hunt through the brush in the creek bottom,
and part of the cavalry were sent on the
open prairie to find out if possible the secret |
Of the bloody trousers.


In about half an hour after all the details |
had left the camp, one of the cavalry soldiers |
returned, rode up to group of officers who |
were smoking their pipes round blazing fire |
of old logs near the bank of the creek, and |
told them that some of the infantry had found |
two dead horses and an empty mail bag down
in the bottom; ''the letters have been torn
open'' said he, ''and are scattered all over the |
ground, here is one pickedlup' it
to the adjutant who stood there-''sgned by |
Colonel Crosby; three or four of the men ap
pear to know the horses, and say they are the
+lxo@ I'm