FIGHTING. 375 



the whites ; and in any encounter with plains tribes, and 

 more especially with Sioux, the Government can always 

 rely on the services of 100 or 200 efficient allies, un- 

 surpassed as scouts. 



The Cheyennes and Utes hate each other with an 

 equally bitter hatred, and fear each other more. The 

 one is a plains tribe, the other a mountain tribe. One 

 can do nothing except on horseback ; the other, though 

 owning and valuing ponies, is essentially a foot tribe. 

 A single Indian of either tribe on his own ground counts 

 himself equal to at least three of the other. The Cites 

 go into the plains with fear and trembling. The 

 Cheyennes will scarcely venture at all into any country 

 so broken as to prevent their operating to advantage on 

 horseback. Though constantly at war with each other, 

 few are killed, because neither will venture far into the 

 domain of the other. 



In the fall of 1870, Little Washington, with his 

 band of several hundred Utes, went on to the Arkansas, 

 just below the mouth of the Sand Creek, to make the fall 

 buffalo hunt. Buffalo were rather scarce, and but few 

 surrounds had been made, when one day some Utes, who 

 \vere out on foot towards ' Two Butte Creek,' looking for 

 herds, discovered three Cheyennes on horseback. Noting 

 the direction in which they were travelling, the Utes got 

 in their front, and waylaid and shot them all ; but were 

 in such terror lest other Cheyennes might come on them, 

 that they did not even stop to take their scalps or catch 

 the ponies, but rushed back to their camp and. gave the 

 alarm. The whole camp was instantly in commotion, 

 and in an incredibly short time in march ; nor did they 

 stop their flight until safe in the almost inaccessible canons 

 of Eule Creek. One of the Cheyennes, though mor- 

 tally wounded, managed to get back to his camp. A 

 large party was at once sent in pursuit of the Utes ; but 

 the moment the trail entered the canons the plains Indians 

 turned back not one would risk himself in a place 



