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Show 534 WESTERN WILDS. der and plunder with impunity. The region between the Smoky Hill and the Republican was particularly noted for bloody encounters. It was raided in turn by Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes, and often by all three in concert. Every ravine and knoll on the route has its own local legend the details, a blending of the ludicrous and horrible. Tradition relates that two bold set-tlers started for the mines in a time of profound peace, just after the In-dians had con-cluded a most sol-emn treaty and shaken hands over their promise to live in eternal peace with the whites ; the set-tlers, in Western mirth fulness, painting; on their " BUSTED." * white wagon-cover the words, " Pike's Peak or Bust." A scouting party sent out from some post came upon them on the Upper Republican just in time to see the savages vanishing in the distance. The oxen lay dead in the yoke. Beside the wagon were the corpses of the two settlers, transfixed with arrows. They had " busted." In 1864 the savages broke out worse than ever, carrying off several women captive from the settlements in Kansas. In 1865 there was a precarious peace; but in 1866 and ' 67 the Indians raided every part of the stage road. Meanwhile the noted " Chivington massacre" had occurred, and General P. E. Connor had, by extraordinary exertions, killed some Montana Indians; both events were seized upon by East-ern " humanitarians," and for awhile they succeeded in completely paralyzing all portions of our army. And here it may be observed that our peculiar, tortuous, uneconomical and most unsatisfactory Indian policy, is the result of a certain conflict of forces highly liable to occur in a free republic. There is, first, a small but eminently respectable and powerful party which is opposed to fighting the Indian at all, and think he might be fed and soothed into keeping the |