A WINTER WITH THE CHEYENNES. 



Capt. H. H. Bellas, U. S. A. 



(Continued from page 15.) 



I found the Cheyennes had followed 

 up Beaver creek, which, rising in the 

 mountains of New Mexico, unites 

 with Wolf creek many hundreds of 

 miles to the eastward, at Camp Supply, 

 and forms the North Fork of the 

 Canadian. There is a large portion of 

 our unsettled western country that is 

 not included in any of the existing 

 states or territories. This tract, — com- 

 prising about ten thousand square 

 miles, — is bounded by Colorado, Kan- 

 sas, the Indian Territory, Texas and 

 New Mexico, and, through the enact- 

 ments of our National legislators, has 

 somehow been entirely left out of any 

 of these states or territories, being 

 simply know on the maps as " Public 

 Lands." 



It was toward this desolate section 

 that I was now moving, and making 

 each day about the same marches as 

 the Cheyennes had made, over the 

 same ground before me ; their trail 

 being plainly visible and their former 

 camps indicated by broken lodge-poles, 



buffalo bones, and refuse generally, and 

 occasionally also by an abandoned pony. 



On our arrival at their camp, after 

 nearly a week's march, I met and held 

 an interview with Whirlwind, the head 

 chief of the tribe, and informed him of 

 my intention to remain with him and 

 his people for the winter. His appear- 

 ance and manner were decidedly differ- 

 ent from that of the villainous old 

 Powder Face, and he hastened to as- 

 sure me of his peaceable intentions. 

 His tribe, however — 'about two thou- 

 sand strong — I found were, as com- 

 pared with the Arapahoes, but poorly 

 armed, many having only bows and 

 arrows. Their ponies were in poor 

 condition and they themselves greatly 

 in want of robes, as well as of clothing 

 and provisions, depending now almost 

 entirely on the herds of buffalo for 

 their subsistence and covering. 



I accordingly settled my troop in 

 camp, about a quarter of a mile from 

 the Indian camp, pitching the tents 

 under a high bluff along the bank of 

 the creek, and by banking them with 

 earth and hanging robes and blankets 

 around the inside, made them as warm 

 as possible for the winter. Apprehend- 

 ing very little trouble from our neigh- 

 bors, I knew our duties would soon 

 become monotonous, unless the weather 

 moderated sufficiently to allow men and 

 horses to exercise, and to join in a 

 hunt. As it still continued bitter cold, 

 and being the only officer with my 

 troop, the time soon began to hang 

 heavily on my hands. I was completely 

 cut off from communication with the 

 outside world, and, save the neces- 

 sary orders given my men from time to 

 time, never had an opportunity to 

 speak my own language. The ques- 

 tion occurred to me, " Why not learn 

 the Cheyenne tongue?" I felt it 

 would be a great advantage to me in 

 future in my dealings with these 

 Indians. I had already found the gen- 

 eral sign-language useful in my dealings 



