314 CALENDAR HISTORY OF THE KIOWA [eth.ann. 17 



medicine pole, while tbe fight is represented in the conventional way 

 by means of bullets at the ends of wavy lines. 



The encounter occurred at Fort Larued, Kansas, called by the Kiowa 

 "The soldier i)lace on Dark (i. e., shady)-timber (ai-lcon) river." The 

 Kiowa had camped outside the post and were holding' a scalp dance 

 when Set-iingya and his cousin approached the entrance but were 

 warned away by the sentry. -Not understanding his words, they con- 

 tinued to advance, whereupon the soldier made a threatening motion 

 with his gun, as if about to shoot. Upon this Set-iingya discharged 

 two arrows at the soldier, shooting him through the body, while another 

 Kiowa fired at him with a pistol. A panic immediately ensued, the 

 Indians mounting their horses and the garrison hastily preparing to 

 resist an attack. It so happened that the soldiers' horses were grazing 

 outside the post and the Indians stampeded and ran them off, aban- 

 doning their camp, the soldiers being unable to follow on foot. The 

 Indians did not risk an attack on the post, but remained 

 satisfied with the capture of the horses. No one was 

 hurt excepting the sentry. Whether his wound proved 

 fatal or not the Kiowa arc unable to say. They state 

 that this was their first hostile encounter with United 

 States troops. 



At the time of this occurrence there was a general 

 Indian war in progress on tbe plains. The encounter is 

 thus referred to by Agent Colley in a letter to the gov- 

 ernor of Colorado, dated July 26, 1861: 



When I last wrote you I was in hopes that our Indian troubles 



Fig. 135— Sunimir ^gj-e at an end. Colonel Chivington has just arrived from Larned 



— agweet _^^^^j (jives a sad account of ali'airs at that post. They have killed 

 sun dance; sol- ^ 



dier aght. some ten men from a train and run oft all the stock from the post. 



As near as they can learn, all the tribes are engaged in it. The 



colonel will give you the particulars. There is no dependence to be put iu any of 



them. I have done everything iu my power to keep peace. 1 now think a little 



powder and lead is the best food for them. 



In another place he states that "while the war chief of the Kiowa 

 tribe was in the commanding oiScer's quarters at Fort Larned, profess- 

 ing the greatest friendship, the young men were running off nearly all 

 the horses, mules, and cattle at the post" {Report, 87). 



"WINTER 1864-65 



Tsenho iSai, "Muddy-traveling winter," so called because the mud 

 caused by the melting of heavy snows made traveling difficult. The 

 Kiowa and Apache, with a part of the Comanche, made their winter 

 camp on the South Canadian at GuHdal-dohd, "Eed bluft," on the 

 north side, between Adobe Walls and Mustang creek, in the Texas 

 pauhandle. While here early in the winter they were attacked by the 

 famous scout Kit Carson, with a detachment of troops, assisted by a 



