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Show THE NOBLE RED MAN. Indians encircled them in a much larger ring ; but though the firing continued for hours, only a few Indians were hit, so difficult was it to take aim at the swiftly flying horse or rider. All this time the train moved slowly on over the comparatively level prairie, the teamsters shivering with terror, and scarcely needing the command to " keep closed up one teaih's head right against the next wagon." This fight lasted three hours, and had the Indians maintained it much longer, the soldiers must have run out of ammunition. But the savage scouts, posted all around on the highest points, gave warning that something was wrong ; and soon the whole band ceased firing and galloped off. Five of them had been killed and several wounded. The cause of their sudden retreat proved to be Colonel West's cavalry command, which soon arrived. Ouster's next anxiety was for Lieutenant Kidder and his party of eleven men, who were known to be moving across from the Republi-can to Fort Wallace, through a country now swarming with hostile Indians. Soon after getting the supply train into camp, Comstock, the scout, was appealed to for his opinion as to Kidder's chances. It was far from encouraging. But Comstock's reply to the officers con-tains some hints worth recording. Said he : " Well, gentlemen, there's several things a man must know to give an opinion. No man need tell me any pints about Injuns. If I know any thing, it's Injuns. I know jest how they'll do any thing, and when they'll take to do it ; but that don't settle the question. Ef I knowed this young lootenint, if I knowed what sort of a man he is, I could tell you might} nigh to a sartainty all you want to know; for, you see, Injun huntin' And Injun fightin' is a trade all by itself; and like any other bizness, a man has to know what he's about, or ef he don't, he can't make a livin' at it. I have lots o' confidence in the fightin' sense o' Red Bead, the Sioux chief, who is guidin' the lootenint, and ef that Injun can have his own way, there is a fair show for his guidin' ' em through all right; but there lays the difficulty. Is this lootenint the kind of a man that is willin' to take advice, even if it does come from an Injun? My experience with you army folks has allays been that the youngsters among ye think they know the most ; and this is ' specially true ef they've jist come from West Pint. Ef one o' ' em young fellers knowed half as much as they bleeve they do, you couldn't tell ' em nothin'. As to rale book larnin', why I spose they've got it all, but the fact of the matter is they couldn't tell the difference ' twixt the trail of a war party and one made by a huntin' party to' save their necks. Half uv ' em when they first cum here can't tell a squav |
