i
among the cheyennes
one of the most charming books written about the early plains is lewis h. garrard’s wah-to-yah and the taos trail. it is the narrative of a boy, only seventeen years old, who, in 1846, travelled westward from st. louis with a train led by mr. st. vrain, of the firm of bent, st. vrain & co., and after some time spent on the plains and in cheyenne camps, proceeded westward to new mexico and there saw and heard of many of the events just antecedent to the mexican war.
it is an interesting fact that the book, which, in its interest and its fidelity to nature and to early times, equals the far more celebrated california and oregon trail of parkman, tells of the events of the same year as parkman’s volume, but deals with a country to the south of that traversed by him who was to become one of the greatest historians of america. the charm of each volume lies in its freshness. neither238 could have been written except by one who saw things with the enthusiastic eyes of youth, who entered upon each adventure with youth’s enthusiasm, and who told his story with the frankness and simplicity of one who was very young. after all, the greatest charm of any literature lies in the simplicity with which the story is told, and in both these delightful volumes is found this attractive quality.
garrard reached st. louis on his way to the rocky mountains in july, 1846, and there became acquainted with the firm of pierre chouteau, jr., & co., so well known in the fur trade of the west. here, too, he met kenneth mckenzie, one of the first traders with the blackfeet indians, and mr. st. vrain.
to the modern reader it seems odd to see it stated in the first two lines of the book that a part of the necessary preparations for the trip before him was the “laying in a good store of caps, fine glazed powder, etc.,” but in those days the percussion cap was still a new thing, and of the guns used west of the missouri river the great majority still used the flint to strike fire to the charge.
besides garrard, there were others in st. vrain’s company, who were new to the plains. of these one was drinker, a cincinnati editor; another, a mr. chadwick. besides these there were general lee of st. louis, a friend or two of st. vrain’s, and various employees of the traders.
bent’s train was encamped not far from westport,239 and here garrard got his first taste of wild life, sleeping on the ground in the open. here, too, he saw his first indians, the wyandottes, who, in 1843, had been moved westward from their homes in ohio. here, of course, he met those who for months were to be his travelling companions, and he paints us a fresh picture of them in these pleasing words:
“there were eighteen or twenty canadian frenchmen (principally from st. louis) composing part of our company, as drivers of the teams. as i have ever been a lover of sweet, simple music, their beautiful and piquant songs in the original language fell most harmoniously on the ear, as we lay wrapped in our blankets.
“on the first of september, mr. st. vrain’s arrival infused some life into our proceedings, but nothing more worthy of note occurred, except riding and looking at horses, of which drinker and i were in need; one of which, frank de lisle, ‘le maitre de wagon,’ sold me for fifty dollars, whom, from his fanciful color, brown and white spots, and white eyes, was designated by the descriptive though not euphonious name of, ‘paint.’ he was a noted buffalo chaser, and i anticipated much excitement through his services.
“the way the mules were broken to wagon harness would have astonished the ‘full-blooded’ animals of kentucky and other horse-raising states exceedingly. it was a treatment none but hardy mexican or scrub mules could survive. they first had to be lassoed by240 our expert mexican, bias, their heads drawn up to a wagon wheel, with scarce two inches of spare rope to relax the tight noose on their necks, and starved for twenty-four hours to subdue their fiery tempers; then harnessed to a heavy wagon, lashed unmercifully when they did not pull, whipped still harder when they ran into still faster speed, until, after an hour’s bewilderment, and plunging and kicking, they became tractable and broken down—a labor-saving operation, with the unflinching motto of ‘kill or cure.’”
the pulling out of the train from near westport was an interesting and exciting event. teamsters were shouting to their newly yoked bulls; the herders were driving along the caballada; mounted men were hurrying back and forth; the leader of the company and his wagon-master were constantly passing to and fro from one end of the train to the other, seeing how things went, and looking for weak spots among the teams and the wagons. a few days later came the first rain-storm—a dismal occasion to the young traveller on the plains. there are few old plainsmen but can still recall something of the discomfort of a long day’s travel in the storm; of the camping at night with clothing thoroughly wet and bodies thoroughly chilled, and the sitting or lying, or perhaps even sleeping in the wet clothing. “the wagons being full of goods, and we without tents, a cheerless, chilling, soaking, wet night was the consequence. as the water penetrated, successively, my blanket, coat, and shirt, and made its241 way down my back, a cold shudder came over me; in the gray, foggy morning a more pitiable set of hungry, shaking wretches were never seen. oh! but it was hard on the poor greenhorns!”
at council grove, which they reached the last of september, the train remained for two days, and as this was the last place travelling westward where hardwood could be procured, the men felled hickories and oaks for spare axle-trees, and swung the pieces under their wagons. young garrard was an eager hunter, and set out from camp in search of wild turkeys, whose cries he could hear, but he got none.
here is another picture of that early life which may call up in the minds of some readers pleasant memories of early days when they, too, were a part of such things: “so soon as a faint streak of light appears in the east, the cry ‘turn out’ is given by de lisle; all rise, and, in half an hour, the oxen are yoked, hitched and started. for the purpose of bringing everything within a small compass, the wagons are corralled; that is, arranged in the form of a pen, when camp is made; and as no animals in that country are caught without a lasso, they are much easier noosed if driven in the corral. there, no dependence must be placed in any but one’s self; and the sooner he rises, when the cry is given, the easier can he get his horse.
“like all persons on the first trip, i was green in the use of the lasso, and paint was given to all sorts of malicious dodging; perhaps i have not worked myself242 into a profuse perspiration with vexation a hundred and one times, in vain attempts to trap him.
“not being able to catch my horse this morning, i hung my saddle on a wagon and walked, talking to the loquacious canadians, whose songs and stories were most acceptable. they are a queer mixture, anyhow, these canadians; rain or shine, hungry or satisfied, they are the same garrulous, careless fellows; generally caroling in honor of some brunette vide poche, or st. louis creole beauty, or lauding, in the words of their ancestry, the soft skies and grateful wine of la belle france, occasionally uttering a sacré, or enfant de garce, but suffering no cloud of ill humor to overshadow them but for a moment. while walking with a languid step, cheering up their slow oxen, a song would burst out from one end of the train to the other, producing a most charming effect.”
the train was now approaching the buffalo range, and before long several buffalo were seen. now, too, they had reached a country where “bois de vaches”—buffalo chips—were used for fuel, and the collecting of this was a part of the daily work after camp was made. more and more buffalo were seen, and before long we hear of the plain literally covered with them, and now, as buffalo were killed more often, garrard is introduced to a prairie dish which no one will ever eat again. he says: “the men ate the liver raw, with a slight dash of gall by way of zest, which, served à la indian, was not very tempting to cloyed appetites; but to hungry men,243 not at all squeamish, raw, warm liver, with raw marrow, was quite palatable.
“it would not do,” he continues, “for small hunting parties to build fires to cook with; for, in this hostile indian country, a smoke would bring inquiring friends. speaking of hostile indians, reminds me of a question related by one of our men: at a party, in a missouri frontier settlement, a lady asked a mountaineer, fresh from the platte, ‘if hostile indians are as savage as those who serve on foot!’
“returning to camp the prairie was black with the herds; and, a good chance presenting itself, i struck spurs into paint, directing him toward fourteen or fifteen of the nearest, distant eight or nine hundred yards. we (paint and i) soon neared them, giving me a flying view of their unwieldy proportions, and, when within fifteen feet of the nearest i raised my rifle half way to the face and fired. reloading, still in hot pursuit (tough work to load on a full run), i followed, though without catching up. one feels a delightfully wild sensation when in pursuit of a band of buffalo, on a fleet horse, with a good rifle, and without a hat, the winds playing around the flushed brow, when with hair streaming, the rider nears the frightened herd, and, with a shout of exultation, discharges his rifle. i returned to the party highly gratified with my first, though unsuccessful, chase, but mr. st. vrain put a slight damper to my ardor, by simply remarking—
“‘the next time you “run meat” don’t let the horse244 go in a trot and yourself in a gallop’ (i had, in my eagerness, leaned forward in the saddle, and a stumble of the horse would have pitched me over his head); by which well-timed and laconic advice, i afterward profited.”
from this time on there was much chasing of buffalo, but little killing of them, except by the old hands. the young ones, of course, neither knew how to shoot nor where to shoot, and our author na?vely remarks, after one of his chases: “to look at a buffalo, one would think that they could not run with such rapidity; but, let him try to follow with an ordinary horse, and he is soon undeceived.”
during the efforts of the greenhorns to kill buffalo this incident occurred: “mr. chadwick (of st. louis, on his first trip, like several of us, for pleasure), seeing a partially blind bull, concluded to ‘make meat’ of him; crawling up close, the buffalo scented him and pitched about every way, too blind to travel straight or fast. chad fired; the mad animal, directed by the rifle report, charged. how they did ‘lick it’ over the ground! he pursued, yelling, half in excitement, half in fear, till they were close to the wagons, where the pursuer changed tack, only to be shot by one of the teamsters with a nor’-west fusil.”
buffalo herd near lake jessie, upper missouri river
it is natural enough that the boy author, while travelling for the first time through the buffalo range, should think and write chiefly about buffalo, yet he finds time to tell of the prairie-dog towns through245 which they passed, and of the odd ways of the dogs and the curious apparent companionship or at least co-habitation of the snakes and the prairie owls with them. as they passed through this region north of the arkansas in the hot, dry weather of the early fall, they suffered sometimes from thirst. the first grave passed by the train aroused melancholy and sympathetic feelings in the boy’s heart.
one day garrard went out hunting with mr. st. vrain and another, and a band of buffalo were discovered on their way to water. here garrard first found himself near a wounded bull, and the picture that he paints of the monster is a true and a striking one. “mr. st. vrain, dismounting, took his rifle, and soon was on the ‘approach,’ leaving us cached behind a rise of the ground to await the gun report. we laid down with our blankets, which we always carried strapped to the saddle, and, with backs to the wind, talked in a low tone, until hearing mr. st. vrain’s gun, when we remounted. again and again the rifle was heard, in hasty succession, and hastening to him, we found a fat cow stretched, and a wounded male limping slowly off. the animals were tied to the horns of our cow; and, with butcher knives, we divested the body of its fine coat; but, finding myself a ‘green hand,’ at least not an adept, in the mysteries of prairie butchering, i mounted paint for the wounded fellow, who had settled himself, with his fore legs doubled under him, three hundred yards from us. mine was a high246 pommeled, mexican saddle, with wooden stirrups; and, when once seated, it was no easy matter to be dislodged. paint went up within twenty yards of the growling, wounded, gore-covered bull, and there stood trembling, and imparting some of his fear to myself.
“with long, shaggy, dirt-matted, and tangled locks falling over his glaring, diabolical eyes, blood streaming from nose and mouth, he made the most ferocious looking object it is possible to conceive; and, if nurses could portray to obstinate children in true colors the description of a mad buffalo bull, the oft-repeated ‘bugaboo’ would soon be an obsolete idea.
“while looking with considerable trepidation on the vanquished monarch of the pawnee plains, he started to his feet; and, with a jump, materially lessened the distance between us, which so scared paint that he reared backward, nearly sliding myself and gun over his tail; and before the bridle rein could be tightened, ran some rods; but, turning his head, and setting the rowels of my spurs in his flanks, i dashed up within thirty feet of the bull; and at the crack of the gun, the ‘poor buffler’ dropped his head, his skin convulsively shook, his dark eyes, no longer fired with malignancy, rolled back in the sockets, and his spirit departed for the region of perpetual verdure and running waters, beyond the reach of white man’s rifle or the keen lance of the prairie warrior.”
and then the picture with which he closes the chapter covering the march through the buffalo range!247 how boyish, and yet how charming and how true it is!
“good humor reigned triumphant throughout camp. canadian songs of mirth filled the air; and at every mess fire, pieces of meat were cooking en appolas; that is, on a stick sharpened, with alternate fat and lean meat, making a delicious roast. among others, boudins were roasting without any previous culinary operation, but the tying of both ends, to prevent the fat, as it was liquified, from wasting; and when pronounced ‘good’ by the hungry, impatient judges, it was taken off the hot coals, puffed up with the heat and fat, the steam escaping from little punctures, and coiled on the ground, or a not particularly clean saddle blanket, looking for all the world like a dead snake.
“the fortunate owner shouts, ‘hyar’s the doin’s, and hyar’s the ’coon as savys “poor bull” from “fat cow”; freeze into it, boys!’ and all fall to, with ready knives, cutting off savory pieces of this exquisitely appetizing prairie production.
“at our mess fire there was a whole side of ribs roasted. when browned thoroughly we handled the long bones, and as the generous fat dripped on our clothes, we heeded it not, our minds wrapped up with the one absorbing thought of satisfying our relentless appetites; progressing in the work of demolition, our eyes closed with ineffable bliss. talk of an emperor’s table—why, they could imagine nothing half so good! the meal ended, the pipe lent its aid to248 complete our happiness, and, at night we retired to the comfortable blankets, wanting nothing, caring for nothing.”
late in october the train met with the advance guard of a party of cheyenne warriors, then on the warpath for scalps and horses against the pawnee nation. these were the first really wild indians that garrard had seen, and their picturesqueness and unusual appearance greatly interested him. in those days the cheyennes had never been at war with the white people, and they were on terms of especial friendliness with bent and st. vrain, from whose trading posts they obtained their supplies. a little later, on the way to bent’s fort, they passed a cheyenne medicine lodge, with its sweat-house, and later still indian graves on scaffolds which rested on the horizontal limbs of the cottonwood trees. a day or two after this they reached fort william, or bent’s fort, where they met william bent, in his day one of the best-known men of the southern plains. a few days were spent there, and then came the most interesting adventure that the boy had had.
early in november he started for the cheyenne village with john smith, who, with his wife, his little boy jack, and a canadian, were setting out for the village to trade for robes.
john smith is believed to have been the first white man ever to learn the cheyenne language, so as to be able to interpret it into english. when he made his249 appearance on the plains we do not know, but he was there in the ’30’s, and for many years was employed by bent and st. vrain to follow the indians about and trade with them for robes. early in his life on the plains he had married a cheyenne woman and established intimate relations with the tribe, among whom he remained for many years. he was present in the camp of the cheyennes during the chivington massacre at sand creek, in 1864, at which time his son, jack, the child mentioned by garrard in this volume, was killed by the soldiers, being shot in the back by a soldier who saw his shadow on the lodge skins and fired at it. it is said that john smith himself came very near being killed, and had a hard time in talking the colorado soldiers out of killing him. he has a son now living at pine ridge.
the small party journeyed on toward the village, and while pierre, the canadian, drove the wagon, and the woman and her child rode in silence, smith and garrard kept up a lively conversation. smith was anxious to learn all about the “states” and life there, while garrard replied to him with inquiries about indians and their ways. and so, day after day, they journeyed over the plain until the cone-shaped lodges of the village came in sight, to be reached a few hours later. riding into the camp, they halted at the lodge of one of the principal men, and unsaddling and unpacking their animals there, entered it with their goods, and according to custom established themselves in the250 back part, which was at once given up to them by the host. and now began an entirely new life for garrard—a life into which he threw himself with the whole-hearted enthusiasm of a healthy lad, and which he thoroughly enjoyed. the days and evenings in the camp; the moving from place to place over the prairie; the misfortunes which happened to the men unaccustomed to such life, are all described. vivid glimpses of the marching indian column are given in the following paragraphs:
“the young squaws take much care of their dress and horse equipments; they dashed furiously past on wild steeds, astride of the high-pommeled saddles. a fancifully colored cover, worked with beads or porcupine quills, making a flashy, striking appearance, extended from withers to rump of the horse, while the riders evinced an admirable daring, worthy of amazons. their dresses were made of buckskin, high at the neck, short sleeves, or rather none at all, fitting loosely, and reaching obliquely to the knee, giving a relieved, diana look to the costume; the edges scalloped, worked with beads, and fringed. from the knee, downward, the limb was encased in a tightly fitting leggin, terminating in a neat moccasin—both handsomely worked with beads. on the arms were bracelets of brass, which glittered and reflected in the radiant, morning sun, adding much to their attractions. in their pierced ears, shells from the pacific shore, were pendant; and, to complete the picture of savage taste251 and profusion, their fine complexions were eclipsed by a coat of flaming vermillion.
“many of the largest dogs were packed with a small quantity of meat, or something not easily injured. they looked queerly, trotting industriously under their burdens; and, judging from a small stock of canine physiological information, not a little of the wolf was in their composition. these dogs are extremely muscular and are compactly built.
“we crossed the river on our way to the new camp. the alarm manifested by the ki-kun (children) in the lodge-pole drays, as they dipped in the water, was amusing; the little fellows, holding their breaths, not daring to cry, looked imploringly at their inexorable mothers, and were encouraged by words of approbation from their stern fathers. regaining the grassy bottom, we once more went in a fast walk.
“the different colored horses, the young indian beaux, the bold, bewildering belles, and the newness of the scene were gratifying in the extreme to my unaccustomed senses. after a ride of two hours we stopped, and the chiefs, fastening their horses, collected in circles, to smoke the pipe and talk, letting their squaws unpack the animals, pitch the lodges, build fires, arrange the robes, and, when all was ready, these ‘lords of creation’ dispersed to their several homes to wait until their patient and enduring spouses prepared some food. i was provoked, nay, angry, to see the lazy, overgrown men, do nothing to help their252 wives; and, when the young women pulled off their bracelets and finery, to chop wood, the cup of my wrath was full to overflowing, and, in a fit of honest indignation, i pronounced them ungallant and savage in the true sense of the word. a wife, here, is, indeed, a helpmeet.”
bravery, endurance, and hardihood were in those days a part of the education of each indian boy, and here is a glimpse of the training received by a baby, which should fit him for the hardships that each warrior must endure. this was the grandson of the vip-po-nah, a boy six or seven months old:
“every morning, his mother washed him in cold water, and sent him out to the air to make him hardy; he would come in, perfectly nude, from his airing, about half frozen. how he would laugh and brighten up, as he felt the warmth of the fire! being a boy, the parents have great hopes of him as a brave and chief (the acme of indian greatness); his father dotes upon him, holding him in his arms, singing in a low tone, and in various ways, showing his extreme affection.”
one of the subjects discussed by garrard and john smith before they reached the cheyenne village was prairie foods. smith spoke of the excellence of dog meat, while garrard declared that it must be horrible, saying that buffalo meat was unquestionably the most delicate food in this or any other country. smith agreed that buffalo was the best, but that dog meat was the next, and offered to bet that he would make253 garrard eat dog meat in the village and make him declare that it was good. how john smith carried out his threat is told in the following paragraphs:
“one evening we were in our places—i was lying on a pile of outspread robes, watching the blaze, as it illumined the lodge, which gave the yellow hue of the skins of which it was made, a still brighter tinge; and, following with my eye, the thin blue smoke, coursing, in fantastic shapes, through the opening at the top of the cone; my thoughts carrying me momentarily everywhere; now home; now enjoying some choice edible, or, seated by a pleasant friend, conversing; in short, my mind, like the harp in alexander’s feast, the chords of which, touched by the magic hand of memory, or flight of fancy, alternately depressed, or elevated me in feeling. greenwood and smith, sitting up, held in ‘durance vile’ the ever present pipe. their unusual laughter attracted my attention, but, not divining the cause i joined in the conversation. it was now quite late, and feeling hungry, i asked what was on the fire.
“‘terrapins!’ promptly replied smith.
“‘terrapins?’ echoed i, in surprise, at the name. ‘terrapins! how do you cook them?’
“‘you know them hard-shell land terrapin?’
“‘yes.’
“‘well! the squaws go out to the sand buttes and bring the critters in and cook ’em in the shell alive—those stewin’ thar ar cleaned first. howsomever, they’re darned good!’
254 “‘yes, hos, an’ that’s a fact, wagh!’ chimed in greenwood.
“i listened, of course, with much interest to their account of the savage dish, and waited, with impatience for a taste of that, the recital of whose merits sharpened my already keen appetite. when the squaw transferred the contents of the kettle to a wooden bowl, and passed it on to us, our butcher knives were in immediate requisition. taking a piece, with hungry avidity, which smith handed me, without thought, as to what part of the terrapin it was, i ate it with much gusto, calling ‘for more.’ it was extremely good, and i spoke of the delicacy of the meat, and answered all their questions as to its excellency in the affirmative, even to the extent of a panegyric on the whole turtle species. after fully committing myself, smith looked at me a while in silence, the corners of his mouth gradually making preparations for a laugh, and asked:
“‘well, hos! how do you like dogmeat?’ and then such hearty guffaws were never heard. the stupefaction into which i was thrown by the revolting announcement, only increased their merriment, which soon was resolved into yells of delight at my discomfiture.
“a revulsion of opinion, and dogmeat too, ensued, for i could feel the ‘pup’ crawling up my throat; but saying to myself—‘that it was good under the name of terrapin,’ ‘that a rose under any other name would smell as sweet,’ and that it would be prejudice to stop, i broke the shackles of deep-rooted antipathy to the255 canine breed, and, putting a choice morceau on top of that already swallowed, ever after remained a stanch defender and admirer of dogmeat. the conversation held with smith, the second day of our acquaintance, was brought to mind, and i acknowledged that ‘dog’ was next in order to buffalo.”
life in the cheyenne camp went on interestingly. garrard began to make a vocabulary of the cheyenne language, and soon to speak it in a broken fashion which caused his auditors to shriek with laughter. he watched them at the sign language, amused them with games and the few books which he possessed, went to feasts, noted the odd implements and ways of his camp mates, and set down all that happened, together with his boyish reflections on the incidents.
the discipline practised by john smith on his son jack will bear repeating. it seems that the child had taken to crying one night, much to the annoyance of four or five chiefs who had come to the lodge to talk and smoke. “in vain did the mother shake and scold him with the severest cheyenne words, until smith, provoked beyond endurance, took the squalling youngster in hands; he ‘shu-ed’ and shouted, and swore, but jack had gone too far to be easily pacified. he then sent for a bucket of water from the river, and poured cupfull after cupfull on jack, who stamped and screamed, and bit, in his puny rage. notwithstanding, the icy stream slowly descended until the bucket was emptied, another was sent for, and again and again the256 cup was replenished and emptied on the blubbering youth. at last, exhausted with exertion, and completely cooled down, he received the remaining water in silence, and, with a few words of admonition, was delivered over to his mother, in whose arms he stifled his sobs, until his heart-breaking grief and cares were drowned in sleep. what a devilish mixture indian and american blood is!”
garrard was a healthy, natural boy, and with all a boy’s love of fun. he mingled readily and naturally in the sports and amusements of the young people of the cheyenne camp and heartily enjoyed it. in those days the white trader in the indian camp was regarded as a great man, and was treated with respect, to retain which he carried himself with much dignity. but garrard cared nothing for this respect, and made no effort to preserve this dignity. he danced and sang with the boys and girls, and the women were astonished to find a white person so careless of appearances, though they liked him all the better for it.
on one occasion in the winter there was much excitement in the cheyenne camp. a war-party was returning, and all the men, women, and children blackened their faces and went out to meet them. the returning warriors advanced in triumph, for they had three scalps, borne on slender willow wands, and hanging from each scalp was a single tuft of hair which told that they were pawnees. now there was great rejoicing in the camp, and many dances to celebrate257 the victory and to rejoice over the triumph that the tribe had made over its enemies. “the drum, at night, sent forth its monotony of hollow sound, and our mexican, pedro, and i, directed by the booming, entered a lodge, vacated for the purpose, full of young men and squaws, following one another in a continuous circle, keeping the left knee stiff, and bending the right with a half-forward, half-negative step, as if they wanted to go on and could not, accompanying it, every time the right foot was raised, with an energetic, broken song, which, dying away, was again and again sounded—hay-a-hay, hay-a-hay, they went—laying the emphasis on the first syllable. a drum, similar to, though larger than, a tamborine, covered with parfleche, was beat upon with a stick, producing with the voices a sound not altogether disagreeable....
“during the day, the young men, except the dancers, piled up dry logs in a level, open space near, for a grand demonstration. at night, when it was fired, i folded my blanket over my shoulders, comme les sauvages, and went out. the faces of many girls were brilliant with vermillion; others were blacked, their robes, leggins and skin dresses, glittering with beads and porcupine quill work. rings and bracelets of shining brass encircled their taper arms and fingers, and shells dangled from their ears. indeed, all the finery collectable was piled on in barbarous profusion, though a few, in good taste or through poverty, wore a single band, and but few rings; and with jetty hair, parted in the middle,258 from the forehead to the neck, terminating in two handsome braids....
“the girls, numbering two hundred, fell into line together, and the men, of whom there were two hundred and fifty, joining, a circle was formed, which ‘traveled’ around with the same shuffling step already described. the drummers, and other musicians (twenty or twenty-five of them) marched in a contrary direction, to, and from, and around the fire, inside the large ring; for, at the distance kept by the outsiders, the area was one hundred and fifty feet in diameter. there appolonian emulators chanted the great deeds performed by the cheyenne warriors; as they ended, the dying strain was caught up by the hundreds of the outside circle, who, in fast-swelling, loud tones, poured out the burden of their song. at this juncture, the march was quickened, the scalps of the slain were borne aloft and shaken in wild delight, and shrill warnotes, rising above the furious din, accelerated the pulsation, and strung high the nerves. timeworn shields, careering in mad holders’ hands, clashed, and keen lances, once reeking in pawnee blood, clanged. braves seized one another with an iron grip, in the heat of excitement, or chimed more tenderly in the chant, enveloped in the same robe with some gentle maiden as they approvingly stepped through one of their own original polkas.
“thirty of the chiefs, and principal men were ranged by the pile of blazing logs. by their invitation, i sat259 down near ‘old bark,’ and smoked death and its concomitant train of evils to those audacious tribes, who doubt the courage or supremacy of the brave, the great, and powerful cheyenne nation.
“the pipe was lavishly decorated with beaver strips, beads, and porcupine; the mixture of tobacco and bark, was prepared with unusual care for this, their grand gala night.”
a cheyenne indian camp
it would be interesting to follow garrard through his life in the cheyenne camp, but space forbids this. he was called away from this interesting life by the news which came from the west of the death at the hands of the pueblos of governor charles bent, in new mexico. fugitives who had escaped the attack had come to fort william and told what had happened, and soon after, william bent, with twenty-three men, started for the mexican settlements. they passed far to the southward of pike’s peak, met a few united states soldiers and volunteers, and toward the middle of february were joined by sublette, with two companions, who reported forty thousand men enlisted for mexico. toiling through the mountains in true winter weather, the party marched on until they came to one of bent’s ranches and at last reached taos. from this on, the author’s route was much among the mexicans of the various towns until, at last, turning his face eastward, he came back across the mountains, and once more found himself in the cheyenne village, whence soon afterward he set out for the east.
260
ii
an attack by comanches
although garrard had seen plenty of indians, and had been present at more than one skirmish, he had not yet taken part in a real indian fight, though he had long wished to do so. on the way back this desire was gratified, and the boy, with his eighteenth birthday only just behind him, paints in one of the last chapters of his book a spirited picture of the alarms, surprises, narrow escapes, and swift changes of an indian raid on the moving wagon-trains near the pawnee fork of the arkansas. his trip on the plains ended in an exciting fighting climax, and we can fancy that it gave the boy material for talk and for delightful recollections during the rest of his life.
“we were started early. the wagons traveled in double file, so that in case of an attack from the leagued camanches and arapahoes, whose propinquity was as well-known as dreaded, they would not be strung along too great a space. the caballada was driven and kept between these two lines of the train.
“late in the afternoon, when the sun was fast sinking to its golden-hued, silver-flecked bed, and the drooping ears of the flagging mules betokened weariness, objects were seen directly before us in the trace. keen-eyed barton, in calling our attention to them, uttered his opinion in the single significant word, ‘injuns!’
261 “‘indians, say you, barton?’ inquired the colonel, looking in the direction pointed, ‘indians? upon my word i believe so. come on, we’ll reconnoiter, and say nothing to the train until the fact is ascertained—indeed, i hope not’—and, striking spurs into his large brown california mule, he loped forward, followed by some eight or ten of us. we soon ascertained, beyond a doubt, enough danger to lessen our party to five—the colonel, barton, brown, mccarty, and myself, who kept on until within less than a quarter of a mile of the large party of mounted warriors. that portion of our men who had put back with all possible speed, set the train in a ferment by their prodigious narrations.
“in front, on the opposite rise of ground, was a sight to make the stoutest heart among us quail; for the indian force, displayed within long rifleshot, numbered, according to our unanimous estimate, four hundred strong, glittering with gay pennons, bright lanceheads, and savage ornaments. young braves rode their plunging barbs restlessly to and fro. the shrill and startling notes of preparation reached us but too plainly; and we hurried back to await for the expected charge. the train was in almost inextricable confusion, but the colonel soon restored order. the wagons, mules, and men advanced to the brow of the hill and made a coral: that is, the two front wagons came together, and the inside forewheels of those following, were made to touch the outside hindwheel of the one262 immediately in front. in this manner, a secure but irregular oval pen was formed, into which were driven the oxen, the caballada, and the riding animals, thus leaving the men free to devote their whole attention to the enemy. there was little noise, but much alacrity, and considerable trepidation among the poor teamsters, thirty of whom were without firearms. we had scarcely finished our preparations for defense, when the indians, with poised lances, furiously charged upon us. for some time they circled around our coral with guns unslung, and white shields continually shifted to protect their bodies. at last they drew rein; and, on each side of our party, commenced a lively demonstration, sending their balls singing through the air; some overhead, some perforating the wagons and wagon-sheets, and some knocking the fur from our hide-bound oxen.
“we were drawn up in line outside, fronting the main body, two hundred and fifty yards distant. we gave them several rounds, one-half of us reserving fire until the discharged arms were reloaded. the indians scattered after our rather ineffectual volleys, and their position became more menacing, their war-whoops more dissonant and savage than before. we posted ourselves about the wagons, each man to his liking. lieutenant brown, with five men, took a position on a knoll fifty yards from us, and kept up an incessant firing, which was warmly reciprocated by the foe. it became exciting; the warriors galloping furiously,263 bent down, now on this side, now on that, until nothing of their person could be seen but the heel and part of the leg thrown across the cantle of the saddle. from under the horse’s neck would issue a smoke-cloud, as we heard the sighing of the ball as it cut its way overhead, or knocked the dust from the dry plain. sharply-sighted rifles gave ready answer; cheers rang out from our exhilarated party, and unfortunate oxen, stung by furrowing bullets from lumbering escopetas, plunged and horned each other from side to side of the crowded coral.
“a california indian, belonging to colonel russell, ran, with gun in hand, far out toward the foiled enemy, making the indian sign of insult and derision; and, in spanish, abusing them most scandalously. he came back before long, in no small hurry, with three of the outraged foe at his heels, who were in return repelled at fullest speed by us. a ball overhead, causes even the coolest man to dodge involuntarily, however surely he may know that the whistling bullet has already missed him. this is especially the case in a desultory scattered fire. many a hearty laugh was had at the ludicrous positions into which we found ourselves thrown by these badly-aimed missiles.
“the indians detained us an hour, and then, relinquishing their coup attempts, moved off toward the west, to our extreme gratification. had the charge been made before the coral was formed, they would have scalped the whole party, for our force was small,264 and composed for the most part of green teamsters. yoking up, we reached camp, by the river’s side, hot, thirsty, and irritated at our meager ‘satisfaction.’
“june 19th. the train proceeded with much caution. indian spies watched us in the distance, hanging like wolves on our rear; the gleam of their lances was often seen among the sandbuttes beyond the river. they were evidently intending to make another descent, on the first fair opportunity. our flankguards were on the alert, and the day ended without a conflict. the country was sparsely wooded with cottonwood and boxelder, and bois de vaches supersedes substantial fuel for several days travel through the region of the ‘coon creeks.’
“our animals were saddled, hitched, and the train in motion, after an early cup of coffee. the air brisk and cool, and the sky clear, gave promise of a fair day’s travel; and even uneasy fears of camanche attack were not sufficient to check our joyous feelings. it was the duty of the horsemen to push forward at mealtime, select a camp, and wait for the arrival of the train. near noon, we entered a large ‘bottom,’ horseshoe-shaped, around which the river made a circuit of three miles or more. the wagons kept the trace across the neck, and a party, composed of colonel russell, mr. coolidge, and myself, on mules, and three others, on horses, followed the course of the stream to gather fuel. this i laid across the pommel of the colonel’s saddle, as i collected it, and he was already loaded with sufficient265 to boil our cup of coffee and fry the slice of pork for which we were well prepared by several hours’ fasting, when, all at once, the three horsemen strung out in a straight shoot for the wagons, without a word to us. ‘hallo!’ shouted we, ‘what’s your hurry?’ the fast receding men said nothing, but pointed to the southwest, in which direction there approached, at full speed, a war-party of about forty, endeavoring to cut us off from the wagons which were then coralling in great confusion. dusky figures, and light puffs of smoke, showed faintly in the distance, the attack on the straggling train. no time was to be lost in rejoining our company, and back we spurred, to the tune of camanche take the hindmost. the lines of the indian attack and our return were convergent, and it was a mere question of speed whether we lost our top-knots or gained the coral. the pursuers already had the advantage. the colonel threw down his wood, and i replaced the old cap on my rifle with a fresh one, determined that one should ‘go under’ before my ‘hair was lifted.’ i led the retreat, mounted on a small iron-gray mule—a native of the california savannas—who bounded most gallantly—for a mule—over the prairie. colonel russell followed in my wake, but coolidge was still behind. our pace seemed snail-like, and we jammed our rifle butts into the flanks of the poor beasts most unmercifully.
“‘come on, coolidge,’ shouted the colonel to the frightened trader, ‘come on, we’ll soon be safe.’
266 “‘yes, yes! but this fool animal isn’t worth a cuss for running,’ and with that, he gave the poor mule another ‘chug’ with his sharp riflestock. no exertion was spared, no incentive was neglected, to urge our dull beasts along; and though there was but small chance for escaping a lance thrust, we answered loudly their yells. when within three hundred yards of the wagon, i looked back, and saw coolidge far behind, with several indians close upon him, the foremost brandishing his lance. i shouted to the colonel that coolidge was gone, and immediately we jerked our animals around. the colonel aimed hastily, fired, and galloped back to the coral. i spurred on to cover coolidge’s retreat, who came lumbering with the owgh-owgh-he-a of his pursuers close to his ear. when i drew rein, and placed it between my teeth, my mule, contrary to all precedent and custom, stood stock still, while i took steady aim, at the nearest savage, who, flying along with eager look and harsh yell, was striving to make a sure blow. his band followed on his track, at distances various as their horses’ speed. coolidge, with eyes staring with fright, bent close down to his mule’s neck. when i first drew bead on the camanche’s painted hide, he was approaching in a quartering direction to my right; as the gentleman was rather fleshy about the umbilical region, and tender withal, to make a sure shot, i kept the silver bead at my rifle point, at that particular spot, until he had passed to the left. with the report the yellow devil’s267 legs twitched in pain (i was so close to him that i could see even his features with disagreeable distinctness), and throwing up his horse’s head, he galloped off to the river. those who watched, say that he did not come back.
“reloading at full speed, coolidge and i hurried into the coral, which was just being closed. we dismounted, merely giving each other a look of congratulation; for the rattling of the guns, and the warwhoops and yells of the men, drowned our voices, and left us nothing to do but fight. for that work, with a good will, and quite systematically, we prepared ourselves. the colonel’s party were firing with much earnestness. a short distance of the place where we were gathering wood, a large force was descending the sand buttes, glittering with bright gun-barrels, swords, and lances—a well-armed band. they crossed the river in a trot, which was quickened into a charge as they reached the bank, and, at one hundred and fifty yards distance, they opened their fire. for a few minutes, rifles, warwhoops, escopetas, hurrahs, contended in discordant strife—a tumult of wild sounds. but they could not stand our well-directed fire, and fell back. they left no dead on the field. this is never done, and the only token of the effect of our balls was, by the wounded precipitately leaving the immediate scene of action. to give straightout evidence of injury, by show of pain, or otherwise, is a breach of their code of honor—an infringement severely rebuked by the taunts of the tribe—a268 weakness not soon forgotten or forgiven by the old chiefs, whose duty and care it is, to sustain, by precept and example, the national bravery and hardihood. they consider not the death, merely, of an enemy, a victory—a coup must be counted. on a horse-stealing expedition, this is a horse; in battle, a scalp; and the trophies must be shown at home, before the warrior is allowed to decorate his robe with the black hand. when an indian falls too far gone to rescue himself, his friends rush up and bear him off between their fleet steeds.
“they rallied and again circled around us, with their white shields protecting their bodies, tossing their spears, and showing off their beautiful horses, and their own graceful persons, to the best advantage. their intention was to make a charge on the first vulnerable point, but we, being too well guarded, they, after many feints, fell back. i sat flat on the ground, my rifle resting on the spoke of a wagon-wheel—firing as often as an indian came within range—and, when the painted, warwhooping target vamosed for safer quarters, at the crack of the gun, certainly no other than a smile of satisfaction lit up my face. if none fell outright, it was not that any qualms of conscience prevented my taking cool and sure aim, at those who, after chasing a mile, and nearly scaring the life out of us, were then keeping us penned in the hot sun without water.
“one indian, who, from his distinguished, though scanty, dress, was a ‘brave’ of the first order, came269 close into our lines, throwing himself behind the body of his horse, so as to show nothing but a hand and foot; but, as he raised himself, one of the colonel’s men cut, with his rifleball, a neatly-dressed skin, that hung at his neck, which we picked up after the fight, as our only trophy. they now tossed their balls into us from a long distance, by elevating their pieces, being convinced that our coral could not be broken without great loss of life. two teamsters, about this time getting scared at the whistling missiles, crept, for security, into an empty wagon. they had scarcely made themselves comfortable, when a ball, crashing through both sides of their defense, buried itself in the side of a poor steer. the terrified neds tumbled out, greeted by the roars of the men around.
“‘that’s what you get for your cussed cowardice,’ drawled out one of the fellows.
“‘well, i’ll be darned, if that wasn’t a grazer,’ ejaculated charley mccarty. ‘feel if you haven’t got a hole in your dogskin—i’d hate to be as bad scared as you, by thunder!’
“we were detained upward of two hours. our fatigued and heated oxen were nearly dropping with thirst. the savages filed slowly up the sand buttes on the other side of the river, and we proceeded to camp, each man talking of his own shots.
“june 22. we expected to reach the pawnee fork during the morning’s march, and as there were bluffs near the camp, and several streams intervening, thick-set270 with timber, favorable for ambuscade, the advance guard preceded the train a quarter of a mile. we were on the alert, our eyes searching every object, our guns ready to fire, as with bridle-rein firmly grasped, we galloped along in the bright summer morning. our exposed position, and the continual expectation of the camanche yell, kept us excited wildly enough, although no foe delayed our march. by noontide, the saddles were off—the wagons coralled, and the tent pitched once more. among the remains of the old camps, i found the skull and skeleton of an indian. the sinews, well gnawed by the wolves, were not yet dry, and the skin and hair still graced the head, which, passed from hand to hand by the curious, was, at last, tossed into the turbulent waters of the flooded pawnee fork. the camanche, whose head this was, had been killed a few days previous, in an encounter with traders. one or two others ‘went under’ at the same time, but their bodies had been rescued.
“on the opposite side of the creek, a train from the states was stopped like ourselves by the risen waters. i accompanied some of our men over to it. we swam across, holding our shirts and buckskins in one hand. at the camp we found a government train, some traders’ wagons, any quantity of gaping men, and a whitewoman—a real whitewoman! and we gazed upon her with great satisfaction and curiosity. after gleaning the ‘news,’ we returned in a full run to the creek, and, crossing as before, retailed our scanty information.
271 “the next day was beautiful, and we waited impatiently for the slow-receding stream to become fordable. the men scattered on both banks, the grazing cattle and caballadas, with the white wagon-tops of the three camps, made a serene and lovely scene. about ten o’clock, an immense drove of buffalo was seen running in the prairie to the southwest. some of our party set off in pursuit on their horses, while twenty or thirty of us ran down to intercept them as they crossed the creek. a faint cry of indians! indians! indians! from the camp reached those nearest the muleguard, and by them it was repeated and wafted on to us, who, hardly knowing whether to cache in the undergrowth, or to run for camp, stood for a moment undecided, and then ‘streaked it’ for the wagons. turning our eyes to the furthest train on the hill, we perceived it in great commotion. fifty indians were charging among them with their lances, recoiling from the light volumes of smoke at times, and again swallowing up the little force with their numbers and shutting them in from our sight. others were stampeding the oxen. after a conflict of several minutes, they retreated, bearing with them a dead warrior, behind the bluff hill which jutted boldly from the opposite shore.
“our teamsters, during the fight, looked on with mouth and eyes open, in wonderment, regardless of their own cattle, still feeding in a deeply-fringed savanna. tall cottonwood timber, overgrown with the luxuriant vine and thick-set underbrush, impervious to272 the eye, confined our stock to this secluded spot. the creek, half encircling it with a grand sweep, added its protection. a lightguard of three men watched the grazing herd. we were still congratulating ourselves on our escape, when from the guard, we heard the cry that the indians were swimming the creek and driving off the oxen. more than half the camp started in full run to protect them. as we rounded the angle of the stream, yells were heard, then the dusky forms of a few indians were seen; and, by the time we were within long gunshot, some sixty were among the luckless herd, goading them into a lumbering gallop. the colonel’s party led the van, and would have saved the cattle, had the teamsters supported them. but, they hanging back, we told them that their oxen might go to ——. hurrying back to camp, colonel russell mounted his force and went in pursuit; but, in vain, we tried to repair the loss that negligence and cowardice had effected. our ride rescued only thirty oxen, and gave us a view of the retreating savages, thrusting their lances into the remainder. in that unfortunate half hour, the train lost one hundred and sixty steers; which, at the purchase price—one half less than they were worth on the prairie—was a damage of four thousand dollars, together with a total loss of from five to seven thousand more, in the necessary abandonment of the wagons—the natural result of sending on the plains a set of green men, commanded by as raw a director, poorly and scantily armed with government blunderbusses, and273 meagerly furnished with from eight to fifteen rounds of cartridges each, which were often wasted on game or targets long before reaching the indian country. and this was not the only instance of miserable economy, as the official reports show.
“our train was in a sad condition; half a yoke to each wagon. mr. coolidge was really to be pitied—nearly four hundred miles from the states, with but two oxen to haul four large wagons, heavily loaded with robes and peltries. the colonel carried a few packs (as many as he was able); he bargained with one of the outward-bound trains to take some back to mann’s fort, and the rest he cached. the government people crowded their ‘kits’ and provision in three wagons; and, toward evening of the next day, we crossed the creek which had now subsided, leaving twenty-six wagons and any amount of extras, to the indians and the wolves. toward sundown, as we were hitching up to travel in the night, a party of dragoons, filing down the hill, made camp near. lieutenant j. love, commanding, was informed of the outrage, and promised satisfaction. we stopped a moment at the train, with which the first fight had occurred. one poor fellow, named smith, from van buren county, missouri, had been lanced seven times through the neck and breast. he killed the indian that fell, while on his back and already wounded.”
garrard’s trip on the plains ended in true storybook fashion, and, we can fancy, gave the boy material274 for reminiscence and story-telling for many a long year.
this book, and many another of the period, mention constantly, and in most familiar fashion, names that to old-timers in the west are familiar as household words—men whom, in their old age, we ourselves perhaps knew; men with whose sons and daughters we have lived as contemporaries. but the generation that knew these old-timers, carson, bridger, jack robinson, jim and john baker, bent, st. vrain, sublette, hugh monroe, ike edwards, bill gary, symonds, beaubien, la jeunesse, rowland, and a hundred others whose names could be given, has for the most part passed away.
these names belong to the history of the early west. soon they will be historic only, for those who have known them will also have crossed the great divide, and there will be none who can recall their personality.