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 morning of the third day after the fight we started out with
the entire scout force in squads of four, there being three
squads, with the understanding that we were to keep in from one to
three miles of each other, and all to camp together at night.
We took along with us four days' rations, but a scout is expected
to live on four days' rations for eight days if it becomes
necessary, for when he starts he never knows just where he is
going or when he will return.
It was in the afternoon of the third day that I ran on to an
Indian trail that appeared from the number of horse-tracks to be
about twenty in the band. We could tell that they had passed there
that day, so we followed the trail; and it was not long until the
other two pulled in towards me, and we were soon near enough that
I could signal to them, or they to me, and shortly we all met on
the trail.
We had not followed long before we came in sight of the Indians
riding leisurely along, and we then set it down that they were a
band of Apaches on their way to the Oscuro Mountains for a hunt.
They went into camp early that night on account of water, and
after supper they amused themselves by running foot-races. I was
tempted several times before dark to make a charge on them, but
knowing that we could accomplish our end better by waiting until
after dark, we held back until they had all turned in for the
night. They did not lie down until about nine o'clock, and by this
time the boys were all getting anxious for a fight. We waited
about an hour after they had all lain down and then we started to
crawl down to their camp. We agreed to use our knives and sabres,
George Jones and I each having a big knife, all the rest having
sabres.
Our idea for this was to prevent any of our own party from being
shot accidently; but each man had his pistol in his left had with
instructions not to use it except in case of emergency. We crawled
into the camp undiscovered as the Indians had no dogs along to
give the alarm.
Previous to this I had told the boys that I could crawl all over
an Indian and not wake him up, and I came near demonstrating it
that night. They were apparently asleep and badly scattered, two
in a place.
I had told the boys not to strike until they saw that I was just
in the act of striking; that when they saw me raise up for each
man to spring to his feet and get his Indian the first lick if
possible, and not to let up as long as they could see one kick.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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