LIL JOE. 



443 



with beautifully dressed mountain sheep 

 skins, a talma with fringe of the same ma- 

 terial; a little farther we passed the carcass 

 of a hapless mule which had been killed and 

 the fore quarters cut off as the fugitives 

 hurried along. Another peak and more 

 canyons to climb, and cross, and we over- 

 took the scouts in their bivouac with the 

 captured ponies. 



By this time many of the animals were 

 worn out, " heap tired," and were shot to 

 prevent their falling into the hands of the 

 Indians. The Sheep Eaters' ponies were 

 much smaller than the ordinary cayuse, 

 probably due to their environment, but 

 they were well formed. As they were 

 footsore and unable to go on, they were 

 shot. 



Early the next morning the command 

 moved on and the advance was well up the 

 mountain when the sound of rifles recalled 

 us to repel an attack on the rear guard. 



The contest was short and sharp, the In- 

 dians escaping among the rocks. One man 

 was killed and i wounded, besides a small 

 loss in horses and mules. The next 

 morning the march was resumed over the 

 divide, and the scouts were overtaken, with 

 the ponies captured from the hostiles on the 

 previous day. 



Moving on the now faint and scattered 

 trails of the fugitives, the Middle fork of 

 Salmon river was reached at the upper end 

 of "Impassable canyon " — a canyon with 

 vertical walls reaching thousands of feet in 

 height and extending for many miles. Here 

 an old winter camp with grass-covered and 

 bark wickyups was found. The grand cliffs 

 of the dark canyon, lofty mountains on 

 every side, and the swift, rushing river, 

 made a scene to be long remembered. 



Our enemy had vanished, leaving nothing 

 to indicate their course; but later were 

 compelled to surrender. 



LIL' JOE. 



GEO. W. STEVENS. 



«5*3 ®* i " 



-; .*$«£.& If J 



ETE'S growing ole. Sometime I feel 

 I ain't much good but fish for eel. 

 I 'member when dis marsh was lake 

 An' moonbeams dance in pon' boat's wak*, 



