very soon found out, the General might have run into a strong war party of the Sioux any day, and then nothing could have saved him and his few attendants. He was frequently warned of the risk he ran, but paid no attention to the advice.
At this camp Private Francis Tierney, alias Doyle, born in Albany, N. Y., and a member of Company B of the 3d Cavalry, who had accidentally shot himself in the bivouac on the dry branch of the South Cheyenne river, on the evening of May 30th, died. He was buried during the afternoon with military honors. Every officer and soldier not on duty attended the funeral, and the burial service was impressively read by Col. Guy V. Henry, over the grave, which was dug in a lonely spot among the low hills
WAR-PATH AND BIVOUAC
surrounding the place. The body was wrapped in an overcoat and blanket, and Captain Meinhold shoveled the first spadeful of clay on the cold remains. A rough granite boulder was rolled upon the grave, and the young soldier was shut out forever from the living world. Three volleys— the warrior's requiem—pealed above his tomb, and we left him to his ever-enduring sleep. Except, perhaps, the burial of a human being in mid ocean, the interment of a soldier in the great American wilderness of that epoch was about the gloomiest of funeral experiences. It was, indeed, a sad destiny that led this young man to <lie, accidentally, it is true, by his own hand—the first of Crook's brigade to lay his bones in the terra incognita of Wyoming.
CHAPTER VII.
THE FIRST FUSILLADE
At about 11 o'clock, on the night of June 8th, I was aroused from sleep by the loud and persistent howling of what seemed to be a band of coyotes—animals that the Indians often imitate when approaching a camp. Soon afterward a deep voice was heard shouting down by the river, to the men encamped there. Captain Sutorius, who was also aroused, said, " That sounds like the voice of an Indian." The sound appeared to come from the tall bluff above Tongue river. General Crook's attention was called to the matter, and he sent Arnold, a half-breed scout, to interview the mysterious visitor. Arnold recognized the Crow dialect, but, thinking it rather imperfect, had his suspicions aroused. The savage was invisible, being concealed among the rocks and brush on the opposite bank.
"Any half-breeds there—any Crows?" he asked, as Arnold challenged him. The scout made some reply which was not understood by the party of the first part, for the Indian asked in louder tones than previously, " Have the Crows come yet?"
The scout, unfortunately, replied in one of the Sioux idioms, whereupon the savage became silent, and was not heard from again that night. General Crook was very angry, because he believed that the nocturnal visitor was a
WAR-PATH AND BIVOUAC
runner from the expected Crow Indians, whose arrival had been so long delayed. And we were not very long in finding out that the General had made a correct guess.
It is rather singular that in 1876 most of the people skilled in mining seemed certain that gold would be found in the Big Horn mountains, and the streams that had their sources among them. A few stray miners had attached themselves to Crook's column, in the hope of "prospecting" for the precious metal. A man named Wyatt was particularly enthusiastic on the subject. He was a strange genius, and had explored most of the out-of-the-way places on the frontier. Wyatt told me, in Tongue River camp, that the two miners suspected of being " squaw men," who followed us to Clear Creek, said to him that they were from Montana, and four of them had left there for the Black Hills early in the spring. Being a small party, they were afraid to keep the lower road, and therefore footed it through the mountains, living on game. When they reached "Crazy Woman's Fork," they saw a bar in the middle of the river and determined to prospect it. Having no pan, they extemporized one out of a blanket and a willow hoop. In two days, they told Wyatt, $70 in gold was "panned out." Then they left for the Black Hills, where one of the party died. Matters not being prosperous there, they organized a party of sixty men and started for "Crazy Woman," which they reached one day after we left. They had followed Crook's command to buy sugar and coffee, of which they obtained a small quantity. They did not show Wyatt any gold specimens. It was their intention, they said, to keep track of the
OR THE CONQUEST OF THE SIOUX
expedition, and to let General Crook know what success they might meet with. Wyatt gave their story for what it was worth, but was not prepared to vouch for the truth of all they said. In view of the fact that no gold has been discovered in that locality since, the story of the two tramps must have been a fabrication.
On the morning of the 9th some cavalry soldiers, who had been out hunting buffalo, reported having found a fresh Indian trail, and during the night Captain De wees' company of the 2d Cavalry had been disturbed by something, and the firing of their pickets had aroused the whole camp, so that expectation and excitement began to run pretty high. Some of the veterans swore that a recruit had been alarmed by the swaying of a bunch of sage brush in the night breeze, and it remained for Indians in the flesh to appear, before many of them would believe that there were any hostiles in the country.
At about 6:30 o'clock, on the evening of the 9th, just as the soldiers were currying their horses on the picket line, a shot was heard on the right of the camp, and it was quickly followed by a volley which appeared to come from the commanding bluff beyond the river. This opinion was soon confirmed by the whistling and singing of bullets around our ears, and some of us did lively jumping around to get our arms. The Indians had come at last, and were ventilating our tents, by riddling the canvas, in a masterly manner. We were taken by surprise, and the men stood by their horses waiting for orders. Meanwhile Sheol appeared to have broken loose down by the river and all around the
WAR-PATH AND BIVOUAC
north line of our camp. If the casualties had borne any proportion to the sound of the firing, the mortality must have been immense. On our extreme left, the pickets of the 2d Cavalry kept up an incessant fire, which was very spiritedly responded to by the Sioux. The higher bluff, which commanded the entire camp, situated almost directly north, seemed alive with redskins, judging by the number of shots, although only two Indians, mounted on fleet ponies, were visible on the crest. They rode up and down in front of us, repeatedly, and appeared to act in the double capacity of chiefs and lookouts. Although a great number of soldiers fired upon them, they appeared to bear charmed lives. But the savages were rapidly getting the range of our camp, and making things uncomfortably warm. Crook's headquarters and the infantry lines were immediately below them, while our tents, on the southern slope, offered a very attractive target. Their guns carried admirably, and made loungers, who thought themselves comparatively safe, hop around in a very lively, if not over-graceful, manner. The firing had lasted ten minutes, when a brilliant flash of inspiration came upon the officer in command. The men had instinctively fallen in line—the worst thing they could have done under the circumstances. All at once a young staff officer, excited and breathless, rode into the camp of the 1st Battalion of the 3d Cavalry.
"Colonel Mills! Colonel Mills!" he shouted.
"Here, sir," replied the commander of the battalion.
"General Crook desires that you mount your men instantly, Colonel, cross the river and clear those bluffs of the Indians."'
OR THE CONQUEST OF THE SIOUX
"All right," said Col. Mills, and he gave the order.
All at once the four companies of our battalion—A, Lieutenant Lawson; E, Captain Sutorius; I, Captain Andrews and Lieutenant Foster, and M, Lieutenants Paul and Schwatka were in the saddle.
"Forward!" shouted the colonel, and forward we went.
A company of the 2d Cavalry
