Part 17 (2/2)
”Run down, slide down, fall down--any way to get down,” I told hion-ons will run over the mules”
”Oh, no,” I said ”The mules will have to keep out of the way”
I instructed Wilson, the chief wagon-on to the brink of the bluff Following ht out extra chains hich we locked both wheels on each side, and then rough-locked theons down the hill The wheel-horses, or rather the wheel- beautifully till the wagon had nearly reached the bottoon crowded thedown into the valley to the spot General Carr had selected for his cahtest accident
Three other wagons followed in the saon was in the caht to see the six-ht down the mountainside and finally break into a run At tionof the kind happened
Ouron Penrose was concerned The route he had taken on the west side of the streaon-train we made as many miles in one day as he had in seven
His coh table-land whose sides were so steep that not even a pack ed to retrace the trail for a great distance, losing three days while doing so
The incident of this particular ca turkey hunt We found the trees along the river bank literally alive with turkeys After unsaddling the horses, two or three hundred soldiers surrounded a grove of tirand turkey round-up Guns, clubs, and even stones were used as weapons Of course, after the hunt we had roast turkey, boiled turkey, fried turkey, and turkey on toast for our fare, and in honor of the birds which had provided this treat we named the place Camp Turkey
When we left camp we had an easy trail for several days Penrose had taken a southerly direction toward the Canadian River No Indians were to be seen, nor did we find any signs of the in advance of the co my name from a little bunch ofbrush on the opposite bank of the strea closely at the spot, I saw a colored soldier
”Sakes alive, Massa Bill, anized as a member of the Tenth Cavalry
”Come out o' heah,” I heard him call to so out to ot any hahdtack?”
”Nary a bit of hardtack, but the wagons will be along presently, and you can get all you want”
”Dat's de best news Ah's heahd fo' sixteen long days, Massa Bill”
”Where's your command? Where's General Penrose?” I deot lost, an' we's been starvin' ever since”
By this ti-place
They had deserted Penrose's co condition They were trying to make their way back to old Fort Lyon General Carr concluded, from what they could tell hi definite was to be gleaned fro darkies, for they knew very little themselves
General Carr was deeply distressed to learn that Penrose and his men were in such bad shape He ordered Major Brown to start out the nextwith two companies of cavalry and fifty pack mules, loaded with provisions, and tosoldiers I ith this detachment On the third day out we found the half-famished soldiers encaht For over teeks the men had only quarter rations and were now nearly starved to death Over two hundred ue and starvation
Penrose, having no hope that he would be found, had sent back a company of the Seventh Cavalry to Fort Lyon for supplies As yet no word had been heard froht by Major Brown arrived none too soon They were thethe caht we had a jolly reunion around the campfires
When General Carr came up with his force, he took comood caons and sent them back to Fort Lyon for supplies He then picked out five hundred of the besthis pack-train with him, started south for the Canadian River The remainder of the troops were left at the supply camp
I was ordered to accompany the expedition bound for the Canadian River
We struck the south fork of this stream at a point a few miles above the old adobe walls that were once a fort Here Kit Carson had had a big Indian fight
We were noithin twelve miles of a new supply depot called Fort Evans, established for the Third Cavalry and Evans's expedition froht this information reported also that they expected the arrival of a bull-train froe quantity of beer for the soldiers