CHAPTER XIV.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT A HONEY-MOON--LEARNING AND LOVING--TWO UNEXPECTED RECRUITS--PLENTY OF WORK TO DO--A FEW OF THE SAINTS--WHAT A PITY HE IS NOT AN INDIAN--SIGHTING THE ENEMY-- FREEZING WEATHER--SOME CLEVER GENERALSHIP--THE FIGHT IN THE RIVER-- A NARROW ESCAPE--DESTROYING SUPPLIES--A LITTLE MINING--HOME AGAIN.
On returning to Susanville, I had the satisfaction of resuming myinterrupted honey-moon, and learning from my wife in our lovingly longtalks together, much about my friends, which no letter is evervoluminous enough to tell. To say the truth, letters are nothing but theheadings of the chapters of life, condensed according to the peculiartemperament of the writer. Sometimes, they give scarcely any idea of thereal contents. Not infrequently, they afford an unqualifiedly falseindex to that which they are in a measure supposed to represent.
Moreover, she was far more of a woman than she had been. Self-dependencehad in a measure changed her, as my life on the frontier had altered me.
I had to re-study her nature, as she very certainly had to re-learnmine.
There were many moments when, in spite of her love I caught her studyingmy face as if she was scarcely able to realize how completely the crudecivilization of frontier-life had warped mine, for the better or theworse. While I, as frequently, detected myself wondering at the change afew years of absence had made in the girl I had loved well enough totie myself to for life.
Yet, I believe, the change was not an unpleasant one to either of us. Atleast, I may safely affirm that it was not so to me.
The summer and great portion of the autumn passed but too quickly. Somefew weeks of them had been spent with the boys at our mining claims onthe Humboldt. Nor were we, on the whole, unsuccessful, having made atolerably fair pile, in reward for our labor. When the autumn was nearlyover, my companions went up the river as far as Gravelly Ford, with theintention of pitching their camp there for the winter. This was with thepurpose of hunting and trapping. I had to keep the agreement alreadymade with Colonel Connor. After leaving my pet bear, Charley, in thecare of Butch', with whom he was almost as friendly as he was with me,I, therefore, again rejoined my wife for a brief time, while I commencedmy preparations.
These were prolonged until the last moment, when I was astonished by avisit from Harry Arnold and Brighton Bill, whom I had left scarcely morethan a week since at Gravelly Ford. In my surprise I asked:
"What, in the name of Heaven! brings you back here?"
"Can't you guess, Mose?" Harry asked.
"Has anything happened?"
"Nothing particular."
This was the reply of the previous speaker, as Bill added, with hispeculiarly British pronunciation:
"We've made h'up hour minds to pull h'up stakes and join you."
"What do you really mean?"
The question was far from an unnatural one. My engagement with theColonel had been repeatedly talked over with the boys when they werepresent. Neither of them, up to this time, had displayed the slightestindication of a desire to accompany me.
"To henlist with hour Cap!" exclaimed Bill.
"That's exactly what we mean."
I was but too glad to have them with me, and felt sure Connor would beeven more pleased. A few hours were sufficient for them to get ready,and on the following morning the three of us quitted Susanville.
For some hours after leaving it, I felt as I had never before done, whenstarting on any expedition. The tear-blurred eyes of my wife keptpainting themselves before me. It must be remembered how long we hadbeen separated from each other, and how recently, for the second time,we had again commenced married life. Even the gay jests of Arnold, andthe coarser, but equally well-meant consolation of Brighton Bill, failedto restore my usually blithe spirits until the noon was long past.
Movement and action, however, possess a large degree of comfort in them.
By this time I had recovered my equanimity, and on the following day Iwas as gay as either of them. Nothing of note beyond the common everydayoccurrences of travel of this class occurred while we were on our road,until we reached Egan Canyon. Here we met some of Connor's men, who hadbeen stationed there to protect the Overland stages. Thence we passedthrough Camp Floyd to Stockton, where we found the Colonel's commandencamped near a small lake. Both he and Major Gallagher welcomed me inthe most cordial manner. On presenting my two companions, whose nameswere well known to both of them, this cordiality was greatly increased.
"I knew we had secured one good man when we got you to join us," saidConnor. "But I little thought you would bring us two more, as good asyourself."
He then informed us that we might take things as easily as we chose forthe next few days, after which, he quietly said, he trusted to give usplenty of work. Arnold replied:
"The more of it, Colonel, the better."
The hearty readiness with which this answer was made, seemed to pleasehim very much. When, shortly after, he left us, I heard him say toGallagher:
"We are in luck, Major!"
Nor can I be charged with undue vanity, in supposing his congratulatorysentence referred to myself and my two companions.
We necessarily resigned ourselves to the comfort or discomfort, as manchooses to consider it, of doing nothing for the following week, orsomewhat less. One morning, however, we were startled by a visit fromthe notorious Port Rockwell, Bill Hickman, Lot Smith, and others of theso-called Mormon Danites. Why they came was, of course, none of ourbusiness. Yet, we had heard too much of them to fail in examining themclosely, and I am free to own I was not too deeply impressed by thesanctity of their appearance. The greater portion of them were, however,pretty muscular examples of saintship, and exhibited, what I alwayssupposed they would, considerable oiliness as a veneer to their evenless pure and peaceable proclivities. While we were inspecting them, Icould not refrain from asking Arnold what he thought of them. Hedelayed a minute or two in making his reply, and Brighton Bill improvedthe occasion by propounding to me in a solemn, and exceedingly audiblevoice, the following query:
"H'i say, Mose! 'ave they h'all ha dozen wives h'apiece?"
"I suppose so, Bill," I replied with a quiet smile.
"'Eaven take care of 'em!" he ejaculated with a mournful air of pity.
"What? of these fellows?"
"No! Mose! H'of the poor lambs that hare tied hup to such ha blamed lotof Turks. H'if Hi had my will with the blackguards, Hi'd lock 'em hup,hin the Hold Bailey, or," he added reflectively, as if he feared I mightnot understand the character of the place he had alluded to, "fourprison-walls for the 'ole of their life."
My companion had announced his views, with regard to the Danites, intones which were something too loud. They were very evidently heard byBill Hickman, who turned to look at him. As he did so, Harry for thefirst time spoke in a voice whose pitch was decidedly intended to reachthe saintly ears.
"A truly delightful face, Mose!"
"Do you think so?"
"How I wish he was a red-skin!"
"Blamed hif you h'arn't right, Hank!" cried Bill, "'ow neat you couldtrack and wipe 'im hout."
The part of this conversation which had been audible to Hickman, couldscarcely have been highly agreeable.
Very certainly, I never saw a more diabolical scowl spread over anyface, than did over his. It was, however, no very great length of timebefore they left us.
"I would scarcely advise you, Harry! to come in St. Hickman's way," Iremarked when they were quitting the camp, "without having your revolverquite ready."
"I don't intend to, Mose!" he replied, with a sharp laugh.
Some two days after this, Colonel Connor detailed me to accompany adetachment under the command of Lieutenant Ether, up through the BearRiver country. Arnold was assigned to another, which was to take theroad through Ogden Canyon, while a third was provided with Brighton Billas a guide, and were to go in the direction of Goose Creek and the Cityof Rocks. The two parties were to meet near Soda Springs.
Our detachment had only bee
n out for a few days,[2] when I, who was along way in advance, sighted a large body of Indians. Necessarily I fellback, and reported this to the officer in command. He immediately sentinformation of this to Colonel Connor. Afterwards, I heard that the twoother parties had made a similar discovery, and sent him intelligence tothe same effect. He immediately ordered his whole command to marchtowards Bear River, having sent instructions to the remainingdetachments. The interval which elapsed before he joined us, was passedby me in keeping a keen look-out for the Indians. From the very first, Ihad seen that the colonel was a widely different class of officer fromany of the servants of Uncle Sam I had yet met. If he meant business, itwould be a pity to balk good intentions, and it should not be my faultif he failed to have plenty of it. Consequently, I did not feeldisposed to let the red-skins slip, from my neglect to keep my eyes wideopen.
No sooner had he joined us and received my daily reports from LieutenantEther, as well as the last one from myself, than he, in person, made a_reconnoissance_.
The result was, that he came to the conclusion already formed by me,that the Indians were concentrating their forces on Bear River.
It was in the dead of winter, and the temperature was intensely cold.The soldiers were suffering dreadfully, and but for the kindness andprecaution of their colonel for them, many must have been lost or haveperished by their exposure. He was a very strict disciplinarian. Therewas, however, not one of his men who did not love him the better for aninflexibility which was equally resolute in as far as possible providingfor their comfort. This case was clearly one of necessity. If theIndians moved in this bitterly freezing weather, his men were obliged tomove also. Nor did he shrink from sharing their sufferings and labors.
Consequently, on the following morning we started early on our way upthe river, continuing until we were within ten miles of the SodaSprings.
Here, we saw the red-skins encamped in a strong position on the otherside of the stream. It was almost a natural fortification, beingprotected by a deep canyon and huge rocks. While we were advancing, theyfired on us. Their shots, however, failed. We were out of the range oftheir guns. Colonel Connor's dispositions for the attack were simple inthe extreme, but very masterly. He ordered one party up the river tooccupy a bluff which projected into it. Another was sent down the streamto take their position on the bank which commanded it, at no very greatdistance. The fire from either spot commanded the passage of the river.
When these two points were held, he ordered the main body to ford thestream, still keeping a portion of his force in reserve.
Bitterly cold as the water was, and as I found it, the soldiers did notevince the faintest shadow of hesitation when he gave the word.
Up to this moment, I believe the red-skins did not believe that Connorwould attack them. Scarcely unreasonably, they counted too much upontheir past experiences with Uncle Sam's blue-coats. In the present case,the blue-coats were tarred with a widely different brush. They hadbarely seen us in the river, than a rolling series of yells and whoopsbroke from them, which it would be utterly useless for words to attemptgiving any idea of. The wall of icily chill water they had counted on tosecure the front of their camp was useless. They had to fight, anddashed into the stream to drive back the enemy. Not more than one minutehad they plunged into the freezing water, than from the bank and bluffrang out the rifles of the men Connor had posted there.
It was a terrible discharge, and drove them back. As they foundthemselves on dry earth, our gallant fellows followed them.
Dripping with the water, which would have frozen on them, but for thesavagely fierce passion of that terribly mad struggle--shooting,clubbing, knifing, with the shouts and yells of actual devils--never doI believe a more bitter strife, considering its numbers, has been seenon any battle-field. It took two hours of hard fighting for us tocompletely rout them. This is the first time I have ever applied such aterm to the defeat of a body of red-skins, simply because it is thefirst time in which I ever saw them really stand up and fight.
Often enough they slay when their numbers are fifteen to one, or areslain if the proportion chances to be an inferior one. It is,nevertheless, very rarely that they resist an open attack. This, moreespecially when it is made by any force which, in number, approachestheir own.
When the last living Indian had fled, orders had been given us todestroy their supplies. There were several tons of dried meats,Government bacon, sugar, with no inconsiderable amount of whiskey andUnited States blankets, besides tobacco and other articles of nativeluxury. The red rascals had evidently a good commissariat, and hadprovided themselves for what they imagined would be a lengthy campaign.We also found a large quantity of powder. This we rolled into the river,and burned the rest.
In the meantime, our men who had not been employed in this necessarytask, had been reckoning those who had been killed.
About one hundred and nineteen dead bodies were, I believe, counted inall.
The effects of the battle of Bear River were for the time decisive inpacifying this section of the country, and compelling the Indians in thewhole neighborhood to remain quiet. And, may I not here, in all properhumility, ask our Government why it does not constantly employ such menas Colonel Connor to enforce peace upon the red-skins. Let it give us anIndian Bureau in the Cabinet. Place it in the control of such a man asGeneral Sheridan, General Cook, or other almost equally able militarymen, whose names will readily suggest themselves to the reader. Givethis Bureau unchecked authority to deal with the red man. It will sweepaway the whole race of thieving Indian agents, and save the country manya dollar, as well as many a more valuable life which at present wouldseem to represent no positive value to the Government of the UnitedStates.
Perhaps, I should mention the narrow escape the officer, whosedetachment I had been detailed to accompany on its advance in thisdirection, had, during the battle.
It was well nigh over. He was on the summit of a small ridge of rockwhich jutted from the eastern side of the camping-ground, when ared-skin fired on him, scarcely from a distance of some twenty yards.The ball missed Ether, but grazed the cheek of Hughey Greer, a privatewho was close to him. Wheeling round, Greer saw the Indian and took himbetween the eyes with a shot from his revolver, killing him instantly.Greer subsequently received promotion.
Naturally enough, the results of this victory enabled the Colonel todispense with my services, although he would willingly have retained melonger with him. Shortly after, Arnold, Brighton Bill, and myself,therefore started for Idaho City, with the intention of again trying ourluck in mining. We located a placer or claim on Bannock Bar, just abovethe Marion Moore claim. This turned out very favorably. After working itfor nearly two months, we sold it to Henry Allen for a fairly roundprice, and determined upon making our return to Honey Lake.
FOOTNOTE:
[2] During our absence, Colonel Connor established Camp Douglas, a fewmiles from Salt Lake City. It was on a rising ground, and verythoroughly commanded the Mormon capital.
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