men. 



58 . NEW TRACKS IN NOETH AMEEICA. 



loose to roll on the grass and play in the serio-eomical 



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manner peculiar to the race, when two coaches from the East 

 brought "US the first mails we had receiyed since startmg. j^ 

 The ^bags were carried into the little mail-room, and their 

 contents emptied out upon the floor. Most of ns found om' 

 names amongst the pile. How sweet the news from far-ofi 

 Philadelphia and dear old England none can appreciate who .^^ 

 have not felt it for themselves. So all went merrily on ^> 

 thi^ough the day. The officers were most hospitable; we 

 spent the evening at their quarters, and retired 



1 



;lily contented with om^seh^es and at peace with all nj 



Peace did not last long, however, for early davtTi brought i^^^ 



the red-skins back again. They were evidently ignorant of | j^ 



the fresh reinforcement, and came determined this time to ]\^ 



take the fort and repeat in all its horrors the Fort Kearney i 

 massacre. Pond Creek Station was the fii^st point of attack ; 



i 



hut, as usual, this little fortress — for in fact it was quite a w 



stronghold in its way — proved too much for them- They 

 succeeded in stampeding four of the stage-horses ; and almost 

 the first intimation received at the fort of an attack was 

 hrought hy these horses galloping straight towards us, two- 

 and-two, exactly in the same order as they wore accustomed 

 to he di'iven. One was hleeding from a wound in the hind ||| 

 leg, another had been shot in the neck. The Indians followed 





on their horses, whooping and yelling like a host of demons. 

 Without a moment's delay, a dozen cavalry fi-om the fort, 

 united with some thirty-five of our escort, and led by om' ||| 

 officer, Captain Barnitz, were in the saddle. The bugle i| 

 sounded, and out they went across the open plain. 



The Buffido Indians are probably the finest horsemen in 

 the world. Accustomed from their childhood to chase tlic 



i 



L. 



