lonel Gibbon had sent out couriers, with call for reinforcements.
"Hope you will hurry to our relief," he appealed, to General Howard.
Couriers rode to the Montana forts, also. The whole country was being
stirred. Even Arizona was getting troops ready.

This night of August 10 Chief Joseph learned from one of his scouts who
had been posted on the back trail, that General Howard was hurrying to
the rescue. So he withdrew his people again, to make another march.

He had lost heavily. Eighty men, women and children were dead. Out of
one hundred and ninety men in the battle of the Big Hole, Colonel
Gibbon had lost sixty-nine in killed and wounded, including six
officers.

But the white men could easily get more soldiers; Chief Joseph could
get no more warriors. He decided to join with Sitting Bull's Sioux, in
Canada.

Canada was a long way; maybe a thousand miles. General Howard and
Colonel Gibbon pursued. Joseph crossed the mountains again, into the
southward. He veered east for the Yellowstone National Park. On the
road he found two hundred and fifty fresh ponies. General Howard sent
Lieutenant G. B. Bacon with cavalry to cut in front of him and defend a
pass; and camped, himself, for a short rest, on the Camas Meadows, one
day's march behind the enemy.

Chief Joseph turned on him, deceived his sentries with a column of
fours that looked like Lieutenant Bacon's men coming back, and ran off
all of General Howard's pack mules.

"I got tired of General Howard, and wanted to put him afoot," said
Chief Joseph.

And he almost did it; for had not the cavalry horses been picketed
close in, they would have been stampeded, too.

General Howard had to wait for mules from Virginia City. Lieutenant
Bacon wearied of watching the pass; left it--and Chief Joseph marched
through, into the Yellowstone Park.

Now Colonel Miles, at Fort Keogh, far in the east, had been notified.
He sent out Colonel S. D. Sturgis and six companies of the fighting
Seventh Cavalry, with Crow scouts, to head Joseph off.

Colonel Sturgis made fast time to the southwest. But Chief Joseph
fooled him; pretended to go in one direction and took another, leaving
the Seventh Cavalry forty miles at one side.

Colonel Sturgis obtained fresh horses from General Howard, and started
in chase. On September 17 he came up with Chief Joseph's rear guard,
captured several hundred ponies and sent back word to General Howard
that there was to be a decisi