overtaken. General Carr was to proceed to
Fort Lyon, and follow on the trail of General Penrose, who had started
from there three weeks before, when, as Carr ranked Penrose, he would
then take command of both expeditions. It was the 21st of November when
Carr's expedition left Fort Lyon. The second day out they encountered a
terrible snow-storm and blizzard in a place they christened "Freeze
Out Canon," by which name it is still known. As Penrose had only a
pack-train and no heavy wagons, and the ground was covered with snow, it
was a very difficult matter to follow his trail. But taking his general
course, they finally came up with him on the south fork of the Canadian
River, where they found him and his soldiers in a sorry plight,
subsisting wholly on buffalo-meat. Their animals had all frozen to
death.

General Carr made what is known as a supply camp, leaving Penrose's
command and some of his own disabled stock therein. Taking with him
the Fifth Cavalry and the best horses and pack-mules, he started south
toward the main fork of the Canadian River, looking for the Indians. He
was gone from the supply camp thirty days, but could not locate the
main band of Indians, as they were farther to the east, where General
Sheridan had located them, and had sent General Custer in to fight them,
which he did, in what is known as the great battle of Wichita.

They had a very severe winter, and returned in March to Fort Lyon,
Colorado.

In the spring of 1869, the Fifth Cavalry, ordered to the Department of
the Platte, took up the line of march for Fort McPherson, Nebraska.

It was a large command, including seventy-six wagons for stores,
ambulance wagons, and pack-mules. Those chief in authority were Colonel
Royal (afterward superseded by General Carr), Major Brown, and Captain
Sweetman.

The average distance covered daily was only ten miles, and when the
troops reached the Solomon River there was no fresh meat in camp.
Colonel Royal asked Will to look up some game.

"All right, sir," said Will. "Will you send a couple of wagons along to
fetch in the meat?"

"We'll send for the game, Cody, when there's some game to send for,"
curtly replied the colonel.

That settled the matter, surely, and Will rode away, a trifle ruffled in
temper.

He was not long in rounding up a herd of seven buffaloes, and he headed
them straight for camp. As he drew near the lines, he rode alongside
his game, and brought down one after another,