e will wait many, many snows and take no other maiden," were his
parting words.

The restraining influence which Chiquita and Yamanatz exerted vanished
very soon with their departure from the reservation. Susan at once
commenced to be vindictive, as jealousy and revenge gnawed at her heart.
Chagrined and disappointed at the turn of affairs in the competition by
the young bucks for their brides, she coquetted with Johnson, well
knowing that in him she would find an acquiescent if not an aggressive
leader. Furthermore, he was the brother-in-law of Ouray and considered
one of the greatest of Douglas' band of great warriors and fighters. She
soon became, in fact, Johnson's squaw, and no one in all the Ute tribe
was more regal in dress nor feared more as an enemy than Susan. Her
silver girdles, beaded buckskins, elk-tooth necklaces and other feminine
accessories were the envy of squaws, whose chiefs were also envious of
Johnson--aye, even of any one of Douglas's band of braves.

While the races and general carnival were in progress at the Agency a
portion of this renegade band had wandered far out in the plains one
hundred miles east of Denver, near Cheyenne Wells, where they quarreled
with and murdered Joe McLane, of Chicago, and fled back to the
reservation through Middle Park--Colorow, Washington, Shavano and Piah.
Washington was wounded and had his arm in a sling when they met the
outgoing party, of which Charley Rogers, Jack, Yamanatz and Chiquita
were members, then camped on the Frazier River. Colorow offered no
explanation of whence they came nor their object, but all four were in a
hurry and hastened along through the Park.

Arriving on the Blue, where old man Elliott peaceably conducted a ranch
and with whom the Indians had been on good terms for years, they
murdered him in cold blood and left immediately for the Agency.

Upon their arrival it did not take long to start the undercurrent of
open revolt. Susan enlisted the sympathies of Jane, a vicious squaw,
whose husband had a great many ponies. Jane had selected a fine piece of
pasture land and under the rights of an Indian "squatted" upon the land
in question. It was the best land near the Agency, and Meeker decided to
use it for cultivation and to "school" the Utes in the use of the plow.
Jane objected, and quarrel after quarrel took place, Douglas even going
so far as to assault Agent Meeker in his (Meeker's) own home.

A compromise was seemingly effected by