220 DOWNFALL OF A-SA-HA-BE. 



Our stopping seemed to disconcert them, as they did not 

 care to attack a fortified position ; so they began to taunt us, 

 and made insulting gestures, and fired a number of shots, one 

 of which killed one of the mules, the poor brute being hit 

 through the stomach, so we had to shoot him. We had a very 

 quiet night, and were off by daybreak, keeping as much as 

 possible in open ground, even when we had to make a detour 

 to do so. We calculated that we must have done nearly half 

 the distance, and as yet no one was hurt, our loss being one 

 mule ; and as we put a horse in his place, this did not much 

 matter. 



That day the Indians were bolder than ever, coming within 

 two hundred yards, and losing five horses during the day, 

 besides one man, whom we were sure of, as we shot him as he 

 ran away when his horse was killed. We had offered a reward 

 of fifty dollars to our men if they could shoot A-sa-ha-be ; but 

 he would not come within range, galloping by on a fine black 

 stallion at a distance of five or six hundred yards. That day, 

 however, he suddenly turned his horse, and lying over so that 

 we could see only one elbow and a foot, he passed within two 

 hundred yards, firing as he did so. We all ran forward as he 

 came near, and, kneeling down, gave him a volley, the black 

 horse being killed almost instantly, and turning a summer- 

 sault, giving his rider so rough a tumble that he lay 

 where he fell, and we made a rush for the body. The Indians, 

 however, seeing their chief in such danger, closed in from all 

 sides ; and as we dared not risk a hand-to-hand fight we had 

 to retreat, but we did so firing as we went, and four more 

 horses fell, causing great confusion, some of the men whose 

 horses were shot crawling away, as they did not dare to rise 



