ckade, and almost on the same date out there started
from Laramie, on the long march up the Platte and over across the
sage-covered deserts, a strong force of foot and dragoons; and up from
the Sweetwater, far to the southwest, came this venturesome little party
of ten, bringing the much-demanded money, and all the while, with his
far-riding, far-seeing scouts in every direction, Machpealota, perched
in the mountains back of the building post, warily watched the
dispositions and daily work, and laid his plans accordingly. Not a
warrior was permitted to show himself near the stockade, but in a
sleepless cordon, five miles out, they surrounded the Gap. Not a
messenger had managed to elude their vigilance by day, not one had
succeeded in slipping into the little camp by night. Yet, with every
succeeding morn the choppers and fatigue parties pushed farther out from
the stockade, in growing sense of security, and the Indians let them
come.

Full a week before the Laramie column could possibly reach the
mountains, however, Red Cloud was warned of their coming, their numbers,
and composition--so many horse soldiers, so many "heap walks."
Unmolested, the squadron from Fort C. F. Smith, the Big Horn River post,
was permitted to retrace its steps. In fancied safety, born of
confidence in that wonderful new breech-loader, the little command at
the Gap was lulled to indifference to their surroundings. Then, sending
large numbers of his young men to round up the buffalo toward the
Platte, but keeping still his stern and vengeful eye upon the prey
almost at his feet, the red chief made his final and fatal plans.

* * * * *

There came a cloudless morning when the cavalry troop escorted a young
officer up the rocky heights to the west, finding everywhere indications
of recent Indian occupancy, but not a redskin barred their way. Without
opposition of any kind, without so much as a glimpse of the foe, were
they permitted to climb to Signal Rock, and from that point, with
powerful glasses, the officers swept the glorious range of foothills,
the deep valley of the Tongue, the banks of the Piney and the Crazy
Woman, the far-spreading upland prairie rolling away like some heaving
ocean suddenly turned to earth, east and southeast to the dim horizon,
and there they saw, or thought they saw, full explanation of their
recent freedom from alarm of any kind. There to the south, full thirty
miles away, the land