IN THE FAR WEST. 241 



off from camp, while the others spread out so as to completely 

 surround us. A ride of a mile or two showed us that we hud 

 drawn nearly all the screaming braves from the rear, and that 

 we might therefore be able to break through the thin line that 

 covered the mountain pass we were anxious to reach. We 

 decided, accordingly, to face about, and put our horses to 

 their best pace and make it a veritable race for life, but 

 before we could act on this idea a line of mounted warriors 

 rose out of the ground about five hundred yards ahead, and 

 gave us a rattling but harmless volley. We returned the 

 fire hotly for a few moments, and saw several men fall. Not 

 caring to do more to them than show that they could not 

 attack us with impunity, we wheeled about suddenly, and 

 moving obliquely to the left, where our foes were least 

 numerous, we gave our horses a free though firm rein, and 

 sped over the ground at a pace that was soon carrying us away 

 from the fire of the main column. It was not until we dis- 

 persed the Indians in front that the others had any idea of 

 what we were about; but on divining our purpose their yells 

 of defiance turned into screams of rage, and they commenced 

 firing aimlessly, and trying to surround us, but this they found 

 a difficult matter, as they were too widely scattered. The race 

 continued at a slashing rate for five or six miles without any 

 injury to us, when we suddenly met another group of warriors, 

 and a fight then commenced that lasted for three miles. We 

 did not waste a moment in halts to take aim ; we merely 

 placed the rifle to the shoulder and banged away. 



To shoot at distant objects with any degree of accuracy 

 when a horse is at a full gallop is an impossibility; hence we 

 did not expect to do much harm. We did, nevertheless, have 

 the satisfaction of seeing a warrior fall occasionally, but he 

 would scarcely touch the ground before two of his comrades 

 would run on each side of him and lift him on his horse, or drag 

 him out of the range of our fire. 



As we approached the pass in the mountains the Indians 

 redoubled their efforts to head us off, but we had the inner line, 

 and intended to keep it. Seeing that they could not check us 

 in that direction, they opened on us from every quarter, and 



