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
Seven of this number of scouts had never seen a wild Indian and
were over anxious to have a little sport with the redskins. The
Indians, being in a little ravine, we were able to get within a
half a mile of them before they could see us. After advancing as
far as we thought prudent, one of the scouts and myself dismounted
and crept through the sagebrush within three hundred yards of
them. Their fire was yet burning and the Indians were lounging
around, everything indicating that they had just cooked and eaten
their dinner. I counted them and made out twenty-one, my assistant
scout made twenty-three, and instead of being Pah-Utes, as we
expected, they were Utes. The boys all being anxious to try their
hand, I decided to make the attack at once. Returning to where I
had left the other scouts, I told them my plan of attack, telling
them to bear in mind that one shot well calculated was worth three
or four at random. I also told them as soon as I gave the war-
whoop for each of them to make all the noise he could.
Now we all mounted, and by riding up a little ravine we were able
to get within fifty rods of them before they could see us.
Before making the charge I told the boys to draw their pistols,
and when the pistols were emptied to draw sabres and cut the
savages down before they could get to their horses. We rode slowly
and cautiously until almost in sight of the Indians, when I gave
the word "Charge!" and all put spurs to their horses, raised the
yell, and one minute later we were in their midst, arrows and
bullets flying in all directions. I received an arrow wound in the
calf of my right leg, the man immediately on my right got shot
through the left or bridle arm, and one of the raw recruits got
his horse shot from under him.
He did not wait for orders, but drew his sabre and went to work
cutting them down as he came to them. When we first made the
charge some of the Indians made a desperate attempt to get their
horses, but the scouts shot and cut them down, not allowing one of
them to mount. The Indians, much to my surprise, fought as long as
there was one of them left standing. The battle lasted about
fifteen minutes, and when it was over we counted the dead Indians
and found the number to be nineteen, but there were twenty-one
horses, so we were confident that two Indians either escaped or
fell in the sagebrush where we could not find them.
We gathered up the horses and ropes that belonged to the Indians.
The man that had his horse killed in the battle, caught the best
horse in the band, threw the saddle on him and started for camp,
considering we had done a good day's work. As we rode down the
ravine in the direction of the emigrant trail some of the boys
looked in that direction and saw the smoke curling up from a camp-
fire.
"The command has arrived!" shouted one of the boys.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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