Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far WestDrannan, William F.
History
Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains: An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West
Drannan, William F.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America -- Wars
We watched the band until dark and then rode as near as we thought
safe. I then left my horse with my two assistants and crawled up
near the Indian camp and tried to get a count on them. When I got
near them I found that they were Bannocks and were not warriors,
but apparently a hunting and fishing party, and were an old men
and women. I went away without molesting or even allowing them to
know that I had been there.
Four days' travel from here brought us into a section of country
where I had done my first scouting, on the waters of the Humboldt.
The first day after striking the Humboldt, three of my men and I
late in the afternoon, ran on to a small band of Utes, eleven in
number. I thought we had discovered them and got away without
being noticed, so I told the boys that by making a circuit of
about one and a half miles we would have the advantage of the
ground and would be on to them before they knew it.
On arriving at the place where I expected to make the charge I was
disappointed to find that they were mounted and on the move, they
having no doubt gotten sight of us when we first saw them. We gave
chase but they had too far the start of us, and after running
about two miles we ended the pursuit.
There was no more trouble until we got to where Wadsworth now
stands. Here, one morning about sunrise, as the herders were
bringing in the stock, five Indians rushed in and tried to
stampede the animals, but the herders happened to see them in time
to give the alarm. Jim and I having our horses tied near the camp,
were out after them quicker than I can tell it. We got two of
them, and I think the other three must have thought themselves
extremely lucky that they got away with their scalps.
The only damage done by them was that they scared the herders out
of a year's growth, and just where those Indians came from I never
have been able to tell, for I made it a rule to circle the camp
every evening and look for Indians and Indian signs.
This was the only time on the trip that I had an Indian steal a
march on me, and this was the last trouble we had with Indians on
this trip. Ten days travel brought us to the foot of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains at the head of Eagle Valley.
Jim knowing that they wanted to lay over the next day, it being
Sunday, he selected a lovely camping ground in a pleasant pine
grove and went into camp about the middle of the afternoon.
As soon as we had got into camp, Jim and I went to the committee
and told them they did not need our services any longer as there
would be no danger whatever from here on of Indians, they being
now out of the hostile country entirely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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