234 NEW TRACKS IN NORTH AMERICA. 
which gives a fair idea of one of these countless herds f 
American bison. 
Early in the morning of the 10th of March, 1868, § 
came for a second time in sight of Fort Wallace. I wf 
sitting next the driver, and the sight of the red buildin; 
and Sibley tents reminded me painfully of the scenes = ch 
had been enacted there during my last visit. I pointed ow it 
to the driver the ground upon which the Indians had email 
our men, and I told him that there we had lost nine met 
lulled and four wounded in one engagement. He turned 
slightly round, and gave me a curious look of suspicion as he 
said, ‘‘ Now there I guess you lie, for I happened to be in 
every brush we had with the Indians along this here road 
last summer, and although we lost ones, and twos, and threes, 
some fours, and a five, we never lost nine at one time, ll 
swar.” He thought I had referred to a stage-coach skirmish. 
But two of the old officers remained at the fort, the others 
had gone elsewhere, and one poor fellow had been killed by 
the red-skins. We stopped for an hour, and had a talk over 
the incidents of the summer. There were three companies ] 
now established here. All the houses which were being built 
when I knew the post were finished, and a fine hospital had — 
been added, composed entirely of the building stone found in ~ 
the vicinity. Next morning we reached the rail, and thus” 
returned to St. Louis, 
