Part 16 (2/2)

Nextat an early hour the command started out on another Indian hunt General Carr, who had a pretty good idea where he would be likely to find theuide him by the nearest route to Elephant Fork, on Beaver Creek

When we arrived at the South Fork of the Beaver, after two days' march, we discovered a fresh Indian trail We had followed it hurriedly for eight e number of Indians

General Carr ordered Lieutenant Pepoon's scouts and Company M to the front Company M was commanded by Lieutenant Schinosky, a reckless dare-devil born in France, as eager for a brush with the Indians

In his anxiety to get into the fight he pushed his company nearly a mile in advance of the main command, when he was jumped by some four hundred Indians Until our main force could coht as any one could have asked for

As the battle proceeded, the Indians continued to increase in nu eight hundred or a thousand of theeneral There were killed and wounded on both sides The Indians were obviously fighting to give their faet away We had surprised theer force than they kneas in that part of the country The battle continued steadily until dark We drove theht they annoyed us by firing down into our ca hills Several tie thee

After one of these sallies, Captain Sweetether when ”Whang!” came a bullet into Mr

Bache's plate We finished our supper without having anywe took the trail again, soon reaching the spot where the Indians had cae, consisting of five hundred lodges Continuing our pursuit, we cae at two in the afternoon At once the warriors turned back and gave us battle

To delay us as rass in front and on all sides of us For the reht Repeatedly the Indians attee But their trail was easily followed by the tepee poles, camp-kettles, robes, and all the paraphernalia which proved too heavy to carry for long, and which were dropped in the flight It was useless to try to follow thehtfall, and at dark ent into caain on the trail, which led north and back toward Beaver Creek The trail crossed this stream a few miles from where we had first discovered the Indians They hadus

Late in the afternoon we again saw the the ht us, but we continued to drive theht

Soon the Indians, finding they could not hold out against us, scattered in every direction We followed the main trail to the Republican River, where we made a cut-off and proceeded north toward the Platte

Here we found that the Indians, traveling day and night, had got a long start General Carr decided we had pushed the that they would leave the Republican country and go north across the railroad It seemed, therefore, unnecessary to pursue theallah as he predicted, and thence continued northward

That night we returned to the Republican River and carove of cottonwoods, which I named Carr's Grove in honor of our commander

General Carr informed me that the next day's march would be toward the headwaters of the Beaver I said that the distance was about twenty-fivean early start in the uide, was the advance guard About two o'clock General Carr overtook me and asked ht it was about eight n of a strea in the wrong direction,” said the general ”They say, the way you are bearing, it will be fifteen miles before we strike any branches of the Beaver, and that when you do you will find no water, for they are dry at this season of the year in this locality”

”I think the scouts are mistaken, General,” I said ”The Beaver has more water near its head than it has below At the place where ill strike the streah to cross your whole coo ahead,” he said ”I leave it to you But, reer of that,” I returned and rode on As I predicted, we found water seven or eight miles further on Hidden in the hills was a beautiful little tributary of the Beaver We had no trouble in selecting a fine carass

Learning that the streaeneral took out hisit, christened it Cody's Creek, which na we pulled out for the Beaver As ere approaching the streauard in order to find a crossing Just as I turned a bend of the creek ”Bang!” went a shot, and doent led uns loose at two Indians whom I discovered in the direction from which the shot had come In the suddenness of it all I missed my aim The Indians fired two or threeone of their horses

On the other side of the creek I saw a few lodgesrapidly away, and alsoaith their guns The Indians who had killeda beaver da a few shots after them and also fired at the warriors across the stream I was undecided as to whether it would be best to run back to the command on foot or to retain my position The troops, I kneould co would hasten their arrival

The Indians soon saw that I was alone They turned and charged down the hill, and were about to cross the creek and corral uard of the coe and dashed forward to my rescue Then the redskins whirled and made off

When General Carr arrived he ordered Company I to pursue the band I accompanied Lieutenant Brady, who coht with the Indians, capturing several of their horses and ht we returned to the command, which by this time had crossed the da the river We had two or three lively skireneral ordered us to return to Fort Wallace, which we reached three days afterward