56 NEW TRICKS m NORTH AMERICA. 



F 



them off, after wliicli tliey upset the wagon- Owing to the 

 fire kept np by the men in the quarries, they did not scalp 

 the teamster. Seeinc: a movement on the nart of the men in 



the 



handful of mounted 



head off a body of 



for the labourers. In this we were successful ; but the quar- 

 ries had scarcely been evacuated ten minutes before the Sioux 

 and Cheyennes had taken possession of them, and set the 

 works and huts on fire. Our loss that day was eight men 

 four killed and four wounded — the latter^ I regret to say, 

 severely. 



^' There was but little sleeping in Fort Wallace on Saturday 

 night. Everv man was needed, and there was an aii* of • 



the 



hich led me to believe that if 



hnt -mVhf. fhmV success WOuld 



+ 



be purchased at a terrible price. Every man was armed. 

 Lieutenant Lea, stationed here temporarily, was very active, 

 and did mucli towards giving the men confidence. 



'' A calm Sunday followed the storm. We buried the poor 

 fellows that had been killed the day before in the little grave- 

 yard, by the side of their comrades, not one of whom had died 

 a natural death. 



" There was no rest, howcA'er, for the little garrison, nearly 

 broken down with arduous guard and picket- duty. Every 

 houi* the horizon was closely scanned ; not a tall tuft of grass 

 moved in the distance, not an antelope bounded over the 

 plain, that was not noticed by the sentinel. j 



" The next night passed quietly by, and no fresh attack 

 was made. At 10 o'clock in the morning, however, a column 

 of dust was seen rising seven miles off to the eastward. That 

 was the direction the Indians had taken. They might be 

 returning to renew the fight. So, quicker than it takes to 



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