The
braves outnumbered us about three to one, and it was easy to be seen
that they had bows and arrows concealed under their blankets. I was
determined to give up no more cattle, and in the powwow that followed
the chief of the band became very defiant. I accused him and his band
of being armed, and when he denied it one of the boys jumped a horse
against the chief, knocking him down. In the melee, the leader's
blanket was thrown from him, exposing a strung bow and quiver of
arrows, and at the same instant every man brought his carbine or
six-shooter to bear on the astonished braves. Not a shot was fired,
nor was there any further resistance offered on the part of the
Indians; but as they turned to leave the humiliated chief pointed to
the sun and made a circle around his head as if to indicate a threat
of scalping.
It was in interpreting this latter sign that the dispute arose between
two of the outfit. One of the boys contended that I was to be scalped
before the sun set, while the other interpreted the threat that we
would all he scalped before the sun rose again. Neither version
troubled me, but the two fellows quarreled over the matter while
returning to the herd, until the lie was passed and their six-shooters
began talking. Fortunately they were both mounted on horses that were
gun-shy, and with the rearing and plunging the shots went wild. Every
man in the outfit interfered, the two fellows were disarmed, and we
started on with the cattle.
Pages:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135