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
The Lieutenant having five men wounded in this engagement, he
wanted some one to carry a dispatch to headquarters requesting the
General to forward an ambulance, and George Jones being a light
man who could stand the ride better than any one in the crowd, the
Lieutenant chose him to make the ride. It took us five days to
come from Fort Yuma, and George took three horses and made the
round trip in seven and one-half days. We remained here in this
camp something like three months, but did not have another fight
of any consequence with the Indians during our stay in this place.
The Apaches quit their work in this portion of the country, thus
enabling the emigrants to pass unmolested. In about one week after
George Jones had returned from his trip to headquarters, Lieut.
Jackson, George and myself went out around the foot of the
mountain on a scouting tour. We were riding in sight of each
other, when the Lieutenant signaled us to come to where he was.
On arriving there he told us to keep our eyes on a certain ridge
and we would see a little band of Indians rise over the top of the
hill in a few minutes, saying he had just got sight of them while
crossing the ridge beyond but could not tell just how many there
were.
We secreted ourselves in a little thicket of timber where we would
be concealed from their view, and in a few minutes they hove in
sight. We counted them and found that there were eleven of them.
Lieut. Jackson said to me: "Cap, shall we try them a whirl or
not?" I said: "Lieutenant, I will leave that with you. If you feel
like it we will give them a round." The Lieutenant said: "All
right. I want to try my mare anyway and see if she is any good or
not."
He was riding a mare of fine breeding, as black as a coal and as
fleet an animal as there was in the whole command. By this time
the Indians had crossed over the ridge and were then traveling up
a little ravine, and by keeping ourselves secreted they would
cross the ridge near us. Just as they turned over the ridge
referred to, we were to make the charge. I was riding a roan horse
that I had bought in San Francisco that could run like a deer, for
when in this business I would not ride a horse that was not swift,
but I never had him in an engagement of this kind. Being very
hard-mouthed, I thought he was liable to run away with me, and I
did not know whether he would run in the opposite direction or
after the Indians. The Lieutenant and Geo. Jones said that if he
would only run after the Indians they would follow me up closely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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