544 The Book of Woodcraft 



miserable comfort he could for the few minutes or hours 

 remaining to him! 



A curious incident here followed. 



An ambulance had come with Lawson's troop to the field, 

 in which the body of Everett and his wounded mate were 

 placed, while the body of the dead Cheyenne was thrown 

 into the boot at the back of the conveyance. Upon ar- 

 rival in the garrison, Lieutenant Baxter discovered that the 

 body of the Indian had been lost out of the boot on the short 

 four-mile journey into Robinson, and sent back a sergeant 

 and detail of men to recover it. But the most careful 

 search along the trail failed to reveal any trace of the body, 

 and whatever became of it to this day remains a mystery. 



On the night of the tenth, fifty-two Indians had been 

 captured, approximately half of them more or less badly 

 wounded, and thirty-seven were known to have been killed, 

 leaving a total of sixty unaccounted for. 



Still without food, on the morning of the eleventh, the 

 seventh day of their fast, and unable to march farther, Cap- 

 tain Wessells's colimin found the fugitives occupying a strong 

 position in the thick timber along Soldier Creek at the foot 

 of the hill upon which they had been entrenched the day 

 before, better sheltered from the severity of the weather. 



Again long-range firing was the order of the day, for a 

 charge would have incurred needless hazard. 



During this day the Indians succeeded in killing a troop 

 horse on an exposed hillside within three or four hundred 

 yards of their position. The rider narrowly escaped with 

 his life. 



The ground where the horse fell was so openly exposed, 

 the carcass had to be left where it had fallen, and that 

 night, after Captain Wessells had again marched his com- 

 mand back to the garrison, the carcass furnished the first 

 food these poor wretches had eaten for seven days! 



