ger forward, he waved his hat
over his head, and shouted, in a voice that reached the whole length of
the line, these ever memorable words:

"Those among you who are not d--d cowards, follow me! I'll soon show you
where the Indians are!"

As he spoke he rushed his fiery steed into the river, with all the rash
impetuosity of a desperate soldier charging at the cannon's mouth.

The effect of McGary's words and actions were electrical. The troops,
mounted and on foot, officers and privates, suddenly became animated
with a wild enthusiasm. Whooping and yelling like Indians, more than a
hundred of them now sprung forward, and in a tumultuous body rushed into
the stream and struggled for the opposite shore. A few lingered around
Boone, Todd, and Twigg, to await their orders. But the pause of these
commanders was only momentary. They saw their ranks in confusion, and
more than two-thirds of their soldiers in the water, struggling after
the hot-headed McGary, and most of the other officers. The mischief was
already done. To delay was but to doom their enthusiastic comrades to
certain destruction; and shouting to those who yet remained to follow,
Todd put spurs to his horse, and, together with Trigg and Boone dashed
after the main body. It was a wild scene of excitement. Horsemen and
footmen, officers and privates, all mixed up together in confusion, and
pushing forward in one "rolling and irregular mass."

By violent threats and repeated exertions, with their swords drawn and
flashing in the sunlight, Colonels Todd, Trigg and Boone at length
succeeded, after reaching the opposite bank, in restoring something like
order to the half-crazed troops. On gaining the brow of the buffalo
ridge, Todd commanded a halt; then drawing a pistol from the holster of
his saddle, he rode to the front of the lines, and, with eyes flashing
fire, exclaimed:

"Men! we must have order! Without order we are lost. I command a halt;
and the first man that moves from the ranks, officer or private, until
so commanded, I swear to scatter his brains on the land he disgraces!"

His speech produced the desired effect; not a man ventured, by
disobeying, to put his threat to the test; and after gazing on them
sternly a few moments in silence, he turned to McGary, who was sitting
his horse a few paces distant, and said:

"Sir! you have acted unbecoming, both as an officer and a gentleman; and
if we two live through an engagement which I fear is near at ha