e lives of all their warriors. Several of them were
killed and many more were wounded. They also lost a few of their
horses, and nearly all their camp equipage. The roughness of the
section of the country where they were overtaken, assisted the savages
in escaping, notwithstanding every effort was made by the Americans
to prevent their leaving so easily. Kit Carson, when describing these
events, says: "To Capt. Sykes, who commanded the infantry, is due the
greatest amount of praise for the part he acted in our adventures.
When his men were almost broken down with sore feet, long and
difficult marches, want of provisions, the coldness of the weather,
and with their clothing nearly worn out, and when they were on the
point of giving up with despair, they were prevented from so doing by
witnessing the noble example set them by their captain. He showed them
what a soldier's duty really was, and this so touched their pride that
they hobbled along as if determined to follow him until death relieved
them from their sufferings. Although this officer had a riding animal
at his disposal, yet never for once did he mount him; but instead,
he lent the horse to some deserving soldier who was on the point of
succumbing to overwork. When the Indian village was discovered, he
cheered his men from a limping walk into a sort of run, and dashing
through a swollen mountain stream, that was nearly up to their
arm-pits and full of floating ice, he was, with his company, the
foremost in the attack."

Two soldiers of Captain Sykes's company[25] were wounded, and one
of them afterwards died. The other man was severely injured, but
eventually recovered. The Indians, on being routed, were pursued
through a deep canon for about four miles. A few who had been
previously wounded were overtaken and slain. Night now came on;
therefore, the men had to give up the chase, and on returning to their
own encampment they found their friends had located it on the same
ground which the Indians had occupied when they were first discovered.
The next morning the surviving wounded man, with an escort, was sent
back to the nearest military post, so that he could receive proper
attention. The pursuit at an early hour was then resumed, by the
soldiers' taking the fresh trail of the Indians. Away went both
parties through valleys, canons, and over snow clad mountains, until,
in the end, the Americans saw that it was impossible to overtake
the red men, who began to bre