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
Everything being understood between us we separated, each taking
his appointed route, and I striking direct for the late emigrant
camp. Before I got there, however, I ran onto the trail of
apparently three Indians and concluded to follow them up. I had
not gone a great distance away until I espied them in a little
ravine a short distance away and they were having a scalp dance. I
tied my horse secure from observation and then commenced to crawl
upon them. They were circling two scalps that they had hung upon
sticks stuck in the ground, every now and then drawing their bows
as if going to shoot at them. I crept along cautiously, expecting
that the Indians would be so absorbed in their scalp dance that I
would get in close pistol shot before they discovered me; but in
this I was mistaken, for when yet a long rifle shot away they
espied me, and the moment I saw I was discovered I opened fire
with both pistols, which caused them to flee in hot haste, leaving
the two scalps hanging on the sticks. I went up to where they were
and found that one scalp was that of a woman and the other that of
a man.
I was now certain that there had been some emigrants murdered, and
I soon made up my mind that about the first thing to do was to
locate the bodies and bury them; but on consulting my watch I saw
that I must hurry if I made Sand Point by three o'clock. Just as I
had turned and started back to my horse, who should come up but
Jim Davis. He had been trailing the Indians, which brought him
over in my direction, and when he heard the shots he had come with
all haste thinking that I was in trouble. We both turned and rode
on to Sand Point, arriving there about half past three, but no
Maloney was in sight, so after giving the signal agreed upon and
receiving no answer, we made up our minds that he was in trouble,
and we struck out to find his trail.
While we were on our way to hunt Maloney's trail Davis said:
"Captain, I believe those Indians had two prisoners with them, and
I think they are both women, judging from their tracks and other
indications; see here what I found while I was trailing them." And
he showed me two pieces of calico of different color. He thought
that they had been dropped by the prisoners in the hope that some
white person might find them and follow. He also said that there
were small twigs broken off along the trail, which would indicate
that they expected a search for them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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