EIvDORADO 263 



was anxious to meet Major Riley, who it was un- 

 derstood, was on the east bank of that river awaiting 

 the arrival of the traders. 



After the departure of the train, which Riley had 

 escorted through the sand hills, he had received or- 

 ders to remain on the Arkansas river until it should 

 have returned and convey it back to the Missouri. 

 For three months the brave fellow had held his post 

 in this barren wilderness, and had had almost daily 

 battles with the Indians. Quite a number of his men 

 had been slain in these desultory combats, and nearly 

 all of his stock had been killed or stampeded. 



His greatest disaster had occurred through .the 

 cowardise of one of his officers, a Captain, whom he 

 had sent with a large force to kill some buffaloes. 

 The Indians attacked the party, and this Captain of 

 the Bob Acres school, fled and suflfered a number of 

 his men to be slaughtered by the savages. He was 

 afterwards court-martialed, and ignominiously dis- 

 missed from the service. 



Riley at last became satisfied that the traders had 

 either been massacred by the Indians, or had deter- 

 mined to stay in Mexico, and crippled as he was for 

 want of stock, he set out on his return to "the States" 

 just two days before Viscarro's arrival on the oppo- 

 site bank. So anxious was the Mexican to meet the 

 American troops, that Bent sent an express on to over- 

 take Riley, and halt him, until they could come up. 

 He was found about thirty miles from the Arkansas, 

 and when the Mexicans arrived two days were very 

 pleasantly spent in the interchange of military cour- 

 tesies. There were drills, inspections, dress parades 



