assistance to the
besieged and starving scouts came like a vessel to ship-wrecked men
drifting and starving on a raft in mid-ocean.

It was with the survivors of this terrible fight that I spent the few
days at Hays City, prior to the arrival of the Fifth Cavalry.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SCOUTING.

On the third day of October the Fifth Cavalry arrived at Fort Hays, and I
at once began making the acquaintance of the different officers of the
regiment. I was introduced by General Sheridan to Colonel William Royal,
who was in command of the regiment. He was a gallant officer, and an
agreeable and pleasant gentleman. He is now stationed at Omaha as
Inspector General in the department of the Platte. I also became
acquainted with Major W.H. Brown, Major Walker. Captain Sweetman,
Quartermaster E.M. Hays, and in fact all the officers of the regiment.

General Sheridan, being anxious to punish the Indians who had lately
fought General Forsyth, did not give the regiment much of a rest, and
accordingly on the 5th of October it began its march for the Beaver Creek
country. The first night we camped on the South fork of Big Creek, four
miles west of Hays City. By this time I had become pretty well acquainted
with Major Brown and Captain Sweetman, who invited me to mess with them
on this expedition; and a jolly mess we had. There were other scouts in
the command besides myself, and I particularly remember Tom Renahan, Hank
Fields and a character called "Nosey" on account of his long nose.

On the morning of the 6th we pulled out to the north, and during the day
I was very favorably struck with the appearance of the regiment. It was a
beautiful command, and when strung out on the prairie with a train of
seventy-five six-mule wagons, ambulances and pack mules, I felt very
proud of my position as guide and chief of scouts of such a warlike
expedition.

Just as we were about to go into camp on the Saline river that night, we
ran on to a band of about fifteen Indians, who, seeing us, dashed across
the creek, followed by some bullets which we sent after them; but as the
small band proved to be a scouting party, we pursued them only a mile or
two, when our attention was directed to a herd of buffaloes--they being
very plenty--and we succeeded in killing ten or fifteen for the command.

The next day we marched thirty miles, and late in the afternoon we went
into camp on the South fork of the Solomon. At this encampment Colonel
Roya