LEAVE EOET HAYES. 37 



{ have had so many deliglitful rides, and exciting chases 

 *fter the buffalo, that I shall long remember him as one of 



^he best of my Western friends. 



.; On the previous Wednesday, General Hancock, Mr. Perry, 

 ind one or two more — the remnant of the gay excursion 

 ;)arty — had started with an escort to visit Tort Wallace, en 

 route for Denver, The general had come out West to see if 

 :he Indian depredations were a myth or not (for at Washing- 

 ton, and in the East generally, no one belieycd the reports), 

 jnd, if necessary, to devise some effective course of action. 

 During his whole journey, as might have been expected, he 

 neither saw an Indian nor heard a war-whoop, but enough 

 fresh-turned sods and dying soldiers greeted him on his 

 homeward march to convince the greatest sceptic that the 

 Indian war was no idle tale. 



Soon after sunrise, our train of wagons moved slowly 

 June 16. past Fort Hayes. We had gained greatly in 

 strength since our last day's march ; the twenty wagons had 

 increased to forty-seven, and the cavaliy, which flanked us on 

 the right in the form of a little sq^uare, with flag flying 

 gaily in the centre, added immensely to the dignity of our 

 march. The day before I had picked up a very good nag, a 

 chestnut sorrel mare, nearly thorouo-h-bred, whose master 



had 



etting 



I 



trying her paces, and wishing for a gallop over the short, 

 ic sod, when suddenly I spied four fine buffalo throwing 



themselves alonj;, and bearing straight down 



o? 



as their awkward legs could carry them. Borrowing an addi- 

 tional revolver, I darted off, and found that a rival in the 

 field, who was pressing them hard in the flank, was the 

 original cause of their flight. Siii<2;lnij2: out the one to the 



o-^^* '^■^o'-^^o 



extreme left, a toudi old bull, I made straight for him, Colt 



