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Show 540 WESTERN WILDS. in the States, and they stood about as much chance o' ketchin' the Injuns as a six- mule train would of ketchin' a pack o' coyotes. That sort o' work is only fun for the Injuns; they don't want any thing better. Ye ought to seen how they peppered it to us, and we doin' nothing all the time. Some war afraid the mules war a goin' to stam-pede and run off with all our grub, but that war onpossible ; for, besides the big loads of corn and bacon, thar war from eight to a dozen infantry men piled into every wagon. Ye'd ought to heard the quartermaster in charge o' the train tryin' to drive the men outen the wagons and git them into the fight. He was an Irishman, and he sez to ' em: ' Git out of thim waggins. Yez ' ill - hev me tried for disoba-dience ov orders for marchin' tin men in a waggin whin I've orders but for eight.' " But the rude common sense of General Sheridan, soon after his arrival on the plains, put an end to summer campaigning. He and Sherman united in asking for the restoration of Custer; and, on the 12th of November, 1868, that officer, at the head of his command again, started out on his famous Washita campaign. Soon after the departure from Fort Dodge, on the Arkansas, the command was over-taken by a violent snow- storm ; but this the commander thought all the more favorable to his plans. General Sheridan could only point out to Custer the neighborhood of the hostiles' camp, and leave all details to his judgment. With four hundred wagons and a guard of infantry for them, and the Seventh Cavalry in fighting order, he pressed rapidly southward to the edge of the Indian country, where a camp was established for the wagons, as a base of supplies, and the cavalry pressed on. California Joe and other scouts accompanied the expedition, besides a small detachment of Osage Indians, headed by Little Beaver and Hard Rope, who did excellent service. After a terrible winter march, the command, 800 strong, arrived at the bluff of the Washita at midnight, and saw below them, in the moonlight, the hostile camp. It was evident, at a glance, that the Indians trusted implicitly in the old army habit of fighting them only in summer. They had no scouts out, and were buried in repose. The command was divided into four nearly equal detachments ; and, by making wide detours, the Indian camp was completely surrounded before daylight. The night was terribly cold, but no fire could be lighted, and the suffering was intense. As Custer stood upon the brow of the hill, and peered through the darkness into the camp, he distinctly heard the cry of an Indian baby, borne through the cold, still air, and reflected with pain that, under the circumstances, there was so much probability |