440 



EEC RE A TION. 



we ran on the command in camp. It seems 

 that later news had been received from Far- 

 row, and his Indians were really white men 

 driving a herd of horses. At least that was 

 the explanation I received. 



We joined Farrow the next day, and a 

 day or so thereafter we learned that the In- 

 dians had been found by a company of 

 mounted infantry, under Lieutenant Catley, 

 2d Infantry, who had been defeated with the 

 loss of 3 men and some mules. The Indians 

 had been found away back East of the place 

 where we had found the Chinaman. After a 

 hard march of 4 days we reached the China- 

 man's claim on Salmon river, where we 

 were joined by Captain Forse, 1st Cavalry, 

 with a part of his troop, and Lieutenant 

 Catley who had found the Indians. 



From this point we started on the queer- 

 est march I have ever made. The 1st day 

 we marched up the side of a very steep 

 mountain, camping near the summit. It 

 was a long march and we made our zigzag 

 trail the whole distance. The next day we 

 slid down the other side to Big creek, on 

 which we camped for the night. During 

 the next 2 days we marched down the can- 

 yon of Big creek, and so narrow and rough 

 was this canyon that almost if not quite one 

 half of the 2 days' march was made in the 

 bed of the creek, in water knee deep to our 

 horses, with enough holes to furnish plenty 

 of amusement for those who could keep 

 out of them. 



These 2 days of wading brought us to 

 the site of the recent " Battle of Vinegar 

 Hill," as it was named by the soldiers. 

 Farrow's scouts were in front, and had 

 captured the camp of the hostiles, which 

 they had found on a shelf of the mountain, 

 about 500 feet above the bed of the creek, 

 and about a mile below Vinegar hill. It 

 was a splendid stronghold for a small band 

 of Indians, having several acres of beauti- 

 ful grass, plenty of wood, and a fine spring 

 of cool water. Farrow's scouts must have 

 worked nicely to capture this place without 

 loss. I suppose the surprise was made easy 

 through the route we came. Surely no per- 

 son could have expected human enemies by 

 that route. Farrow also recaptured some 

 mules and rations that had been lost at 

 Vinegar hill. We stopped for the night in 

 the captured camp, while Farrow's men 

 went out on the trail of the hostiles. 



On August 20th, the morning after the 

 capture, our scouting party was broken up. 

 We were far from home and our rations 

 were running low, so the commands of 

 Captain Forse and Lieutenant Catley were 

 started back to their proper station, while 

 our troops went up the mountain in the di- 

 rection taken by Farrow. It was my fort- 

 une to be left on rear guard duty that day, 

 to travel with the pack train. The train 

 was not ready to march with the command, 

 and we were delayed about an hour in get- 

 ting started. 



When all was ready, a group of us lin- 

 gered for a moment to hear the last of a 

 yarn that was being spun. Suddenly the 

 air was split by wild yells of Indians, and 

 we received a rattling volley from the top of 

 a bluff about 60 feet in height, and 100 yards 

 from where we stood. One man and 3 

 horses fell, and the remainder, including 

 all of our particular group, sprang to the 

 nearest cover, which chanced to be a 

 crooked pine tree about a foot in diameter. 

 Our men were well drilled, and they dressed 

 beautifully on that tree, following its curves 

 exactly. One moment for reflection, and 

 then we concluded to show fight. 



The chief packer told us he could take 

 care of the mules if we would kindly keep 

 between him and the hostiles; and this 

 chief packer, " Jake " Barnes, was just the 

 man for such a situation. In a moment 

 he had run his train to a sheltered place, 

 and then leaving it in charge of his men, 

 he caught the mule that carried our emer- 

 gency ammunition boxes — boxes that could 

 be opened without unloading the pack — 

 and under a heavy fire brought that blessed 

 mule to our position. Then after issuing 

 ammunition to my men, he joined me, say- 

 ing: " I want some of this myself." 



Before this, however, we had abandoned 

 our tree, and were well sheltered behind 

 solid rocks. Leaving 2 men at the base of 

 the hill, with orders to make as much noise 

 as possible, I took 4 men and started up 

 the mountain, under cover, intending to get 

 above the Indians, cut them off, and then 

 kill or capture them with ease. I had been 

 on that bluff the previous evening, and 

 knew the lay of the land pretty well. If I 

 could only get directly behind them, they 

 were my Indians. I cautioned my men not 

 to show themselves; but unfortunately one 

 of them became too eager, and when about 

 on a level with the enemy's position, he ran 

 up to a rock and took a peep at them. 

 Then, seeing an Indian, he fired. That shot 

 gave our scheme away. We ran across as 

 quickly as possible, but the Indians had 

 promptly retreated. They must then have 

 been very near to and above us, and might 

 have turned the tables on us nicely; but 

 their own narrow escape from a trap had 

 evidently " rattled " them. 



Our little fight had made a tremendous 

 noise. Down in that deep canyon the car- 

 bines had roared like field-pieces, and had 

 of course been heard by the troops, and 

 they were all back with us soon after the 

 firing ceased. One of our men, a private of 

 the 2d Infantry, had been shot through 

 both legs. Our surgeon amputated one 

 leg and then the poor man died. It was a 

 blessing he was permitted to die there, 

 for he would have suffered horribly in be- 

 ing carried out of that canyon, and he could 

 not have lived to reach the nearest post. 



On the morning after the fight the com- 

 mands again separated. It was decided 



