th his command reinforced with Captain Rawn's company,
and Company G of the Seventh from Fort Ellis, General Gibbon left Fort
Missoula in pursuit of the Nez Perces. His command now numbered
seventeen officers and 146 men. A wagon-train was taken from Missoula,
wherein the men were allowed to ride wherever the roads were good.

[Illustration:

1. CAPT. CONSTANT WILLIAMS.

2. CAPT. C. C. RAWN.

3. CAPT. WILLIAM LOGAN.

4. CAPT. J. M. J. SANNO.

5. CAPT. G. L. BROWNING.

6. CAPT. RICHARD COMBA.]

The Indians had passed out of Lo Lo Canyon and started up the Bitter
Root on July 28, and were therefore several days ahead of the troops.
They knew that General Howard was yet many days' march behind them;
that Rawn would not dare attack them with his little force of "walking
soldiers," and not yet having learned the mysterious power of the
telegraph wire to carry words, faster than the swiftest bird can fly,
had not the remotest idea that another and larger force was on their
trail.

They therefore moved slowly up this valley, resting and grazing their
horses, trading off those that were worn and foot-sore for fresh ones,
and buying from the ranchmen and merchants such other supplies as they
needed, including _guns and ammunition_. Some of these avaricious
whites not only sold the Indians all the supplies they could while
passing, but actually loaded wagons with meat, vegetables, and such
other marketable goods as they had, and followed up the dusky horde,
selling them every penny's worth they could, as long as they remained
in the valley.

The Nez Perces had for years been traveling through this valley on
their annual trips to and from the buffalo country, on the Yellowstone
and Missouri Rivers, and Chief Joseph and some of his followers had
many personal acquaintances among the settlers.

Some of these whites openly boasted of their acquaintance and
"influence" with the red handed murderers, and gloated over the fact
that it enabled them to sell them more goods than they could have done
had they been strangers to the Indians. It is a well-known fact that
there are a number of ranchmen and merchants in the Bitter Root country
so greedy, so avaricious, so passionately fond of the mighty dollar,
that they would not scruple to sell a weapon to an Indian, though they
knew he would use it to kill a neighbor with, if only they could
realize a large profit on it. In this case, they bartered openly with
these cut-throat