expedition, and in case he was he would like to have me accompany him as
scout and guide. I replied that notwithstanding I was very busy with my
railroad contract I would go with him if he was ordered out. I then left
the officers and returned to our camp.
That very night the Indians unexpectedly made a raid on the horses, and
ran off five or six of our very best work-teams, leaving us in a very
crippled condition. At daylight I jumped on old Brigham and rode to Fort
Hays, when I reported the affair to the commanding officer; Captain
Graham and Lieutenant Emmick were at once ordered out with their company
of one hundred colored troops, to pursue the Indians and recover our
stock if possible. In an hour we were under way. The darkies had never
been in an Indian fight and were anxious to catch the band we were after
and "Sweep de red debels from off de face ob de earth." Captain Graham
was a brave, dashing officer, eager to make a record for himself, and it
was with difficulty that I could trail fast enough to keep out of the way
of the impatient soldiers. Every few moments Captain Graham would ride up
to see if the trail was freshening and how soon we should be likely to
overtake the thieves.
At last we reached the Saline river, where we found the Indians had only
stopped to feed and water the animals, and had then pushed on towards the
Solomon. After crossing the Saline they made no effort to conceal their
trail, thinking they would not be pursued beyond that point--consequently
we were able to make excellent time. We reached the Soloman before
sunset, and came to a halt; we surmised that if the Indians were camped
on this river, that they had no suspicion of our being in the
neighborhood. I advised Captain Graham to remain with the company where
it was, while I went ahead on a scout to find the Indians, if they were
in the vicinity.
After riding some distance down the ravine that led to the river, I left
my horse at the foot of a hill; then, creeping to the top, I looked
cautiously over the summit upon the Solomon, below. I at once discovered
in plain view, not a mile away, a herd of horses grazing, our lost ones
among them; very shortly I made out the Indian camp, noted its lay, and
how we could best approach it. Reporting to Captain Graham, whose eyes
fairly danced with delight at the prospect of surprising and whipping
the redskins, we concluded to wait until the moon rose, then get into
the timber so as to ap
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