A LIVELY BATTLE WITH PAH-UTES.--PINNED TO SADDLE WITH AN ARROW.--
SOME VERY GOOD INDIANS.--A STUTTERING CAPTAIN.--BECKWITH OPENS HIS
PASS.
The next morning I ordered three days' rations for two men, and
Charlie Meyers desired to know if I was going to Salt Lake City or
New York. I told him I was going out hunting, and if I struck
fresh signs of game I proposed tracking it to wherever it went.
That day we took the divide between Carson and Humboldt, south of
the emigrant trail, making a ride of forty miles that day, and
then a dry camp--a camp without water. The following morning we
rode about five miles, and came on to a big Indian trail that had
been made the evening before. We pushed on as fast as we could,
all the time keeping a sharp lookout, for we were now in the heart
of the Pah-Ute country, and could not be too careful. About half
past three o'clock we came to where the Indians had camped the
night before, on a tributary of the Humboldt. At this camp three
antelope had been devoured, so we knew that there had been a large
band of the redskins at that feast. It was also evident that they
were not very far ahead of us, as their fires had not entirely
died out.
Continuing the pursuit we were now getting close to the emigrant
trail, and it was plain that the Indians had headed west, which
convinced me that they were looking for emigrants, and if so they
would not go far before they would either go into camp or leave
the trail. It proved that after following the emigrant train a
short distance they had taken to the hills. The country was a sea
of sagebrush, and frequently we would start a jack-rabbit or
antelope that we would have been pleased to roast for supper, but
dared not shoot.
When near the top of a hill I would dismount, and leaving my horse
with Meyers, would crawl to the summit of the hill and peep over
in order to discover whether or not the Indians were in sight, and
then return, mount my horse and ride at a rapid gait until near
the top of another hill, when the same maneuver would be repeated.
At last we came to a sharp ridge and I dismounted. I remarked that
if we did not find those Indians soon we would have to make
another dry camp that night. It was now nearly sunset, and on
crawling to the top of the ridge and looking down on a nice little
valley not more than a half-mile distant, I saw that they had just
gone into camp and had not yet got all their ponies unpacked.
I had a good chance to make a rough estimate of their number,
which I thought to be about two hundred warriors.
I rushed back to Meyers and told him that I had located them, and
that one of us would have to ride back to headquarters that night
and report, and asked him whether he would rather go or stay and
watch the Indians.
"Why not both go," he asked.
I told him that by the time the cavalry could get there the
Indians might be gone, and one of us must stay and see where they
went to.
We were now, as near as we could tell, about thirty-five miles
from camp, as that afternoon we had been traveling west, in the
direction of headquarters.
After thinking the matter over, Meyers concluded that he would
rather make the ride than stay. I told him to be off at once, but
before starting, he said to me: "Suppose the Indians should
discover you while I am away?"
I replied that I would like very much to have them discover me,
when I knew the soldiers were in sight or within ten miles, for I
would like to run them into such a trap, and that I was not afraid
of any horse in their band catching Mexico in any distance.
I instructed Meyers not to spare horseflesh on the way, and to
tell Col. Elliott to start two companies of cavalry as soon as
possible.
We shook hands and he started, and that was once that he made good
time. It being after seven o'clock when he started, he reached
camp at fifteen minutes after eleven that night.
When he had gone I started in to lay my plans for the night.
It was yet so light that I could get a good view of the
surrounding country, and about three miles from the Indians' camp
I could see the highest hill anywhere around. I decided at once
that if I were on that high hill I could see every move of the
Indians, besides I could look up the Humboldt and see the
soldiers, or at least the dust raised by them, while they were yet
a long way off.
This peak lay north of the trail, and the trail ran east and west.
As soon as it was dark I mounted my horse and rode to the peak and
tied him to a sagebrush in a sinkhole, that looked as though it
might have been put there on purpose, for my horse was hidden from
every direction.
I now went to the top of the hill, and there being a dense growth
of sagebrush, I was perfectly safe from discovery when daylight
should come.
I did not have to wait long after daylight, for just as the sun
was creeping up over the hill and shedding its rays on the little
valley where the two hundred braves had had such a pleasant
night's rest, dreaming, perhaps, of emigrants, horses, provisions
and other stuff that they would probably capture the following
day, I looked up the Humboldt and saw the two companies of cavalry
coming.
The Indians seemed in no hurry to leave, and were perhaps waiting
for the five scouts to return and report, never thinking that they
had been killed and scalped, and that the same paleface who did
the deed was then watching their every movement and laying plans
for their destruction.
I got my horse in about a minute, mounted and rode across the
country to meet the cavalry, taking a route so that I would not be
seen by the Indians.
I met the soldiers--who were commanded by Capt. Mills and Lieut.
Harding--about four miles from the Indian camp, and they came to a
halt.
I told them about the number I thought there were in the Indian
band and the lay of the country, as nearly as I could. The Captain
and Lieutenant stepped to one side and held a council, and after
talking the matter over they called me and said they had about
decided to attack the enemy from both above and below at the same
time, and, as I had seen the ground, they asked my opinion in the
matter. I told them I thought it an excellent plan, and then Capt.
Mills turned to Lieut. Harding and said: "Which do you prefer, to
make the upper or lower attack? Take your choice."
He then asked me if they could get to the head of the ravine that
the Indians were camped on and not be seen by them. I told him
that I could show them a ravine that led from the emigrant trail
to the head of the valley on which they were camped, and marked
out a plat of the country in the dust, showing the course each
company would have to take, telling them that the company making
the upper attack would have to travel about a mile farther than
the one making the attack from below. He then asked me if the
companies could see each other before the Indians could see them.
I informed him that they could not, but that I could show him a
hill where he could station a man and he would be able to see both
companies, but the Indians could not see him, and when the company
from above should reach the top of the hill that man could signal
to the other company to charge.
At that time Lieut. Harding turned to Capt. Mills and said: "If
the boy scout will go with me I will make the upper attack, as he
has been over the country and knows the lay of the ground."
Of course I consented, and we marched to the mouth of the ravine
just mentioned.
I pointed out the hill referred to, and the Lieutenant placed a
man on top of it, and we proceeded.
Just before we reached the top of the other hill, Lieut. Harding
halted and formed his men in line, placing them about ten feet
apart, saying: "I have only a hundred soldiers, but I want it to
appear that I have a thousand."
When we first came in sight of the Indians, some were lying
stretched out in the sun, some were sitting down, while a few were
out looking after their horses, everything indicating that they
had just had their breakfast and were lounging around, not having
the slightest idea of an enemy in twenty miles of them, and we
took them wholly unawares.
When the Lieutenant formed his men in line before raising the top
of the hill, he asked me to take charge of his left wing and he
would take charge of his right. As soon as we came in sight of the
Indians, he gave the order to charge.
This was the first thing of the kind I had ever witnessed, and
when I cast my eyes down the line of soldiers I thought it the
grandest sight I had ever seen. This was also the first engagement
for either of the companies.
In all the scrimmages I had been in with the redskins, the one
that made the most noise was the best Indian fighter; so when the
Lieutenant gave the order to charge, I raised a yell, as I thought
this to be one of the essential points of a charge, and wondered
why the rest of the boys did not do the same. However, after
hearing a few of my whoops they picked it up, and each began
yelling at the top of his voice, and by this time we were among
the Indians.
The two companies had about the same distance to run after
sounding the charge, but Lieut. Harding was at the scene of
conflict a few moments ahead of Capt. Mills, thereby giving the
Indians time to scatter. This was attributed to the fact that
Capt. Mills had to charge up grade while Lieut. Harding had down
grade, which they had not thought of before making the
arrangement, and the ground being mostly sand made a great
difference in the speed of the horses.
Meyers and I made a rush for the Indians' horses, but the soldiers
all stuck together, and seeing that a number of Indians were at
their horses already and mounted, we abandoned the idea at once.
Had one platoon made a dash for the horses and stampeded them, we
would no doubt have got more Indians.
After emptying both of my single-shot pistols I drew my knife, and
just at that moment an Indian shot Meyers through the arm with an
arrow and he sang out to me that he was wounded. Another Indian
then made a dash at Meyers with his bow and arrow in hand, so I
charged after him and made a slash at him with my knife, but he
saw me in time to slide off on the opposite side of his horse. I
could not stop the blow so I struck his horse in the back and
brought him to the ground, and the Indian ran for dear life.
About this time a soldier came riding along, and I knew from his
actions that his pistol was empty (the soldiers had no firearms in
this engagement except pistols), and I asked him why he did not
draw his sabre and cut them down. He said he had no orders to do
so.
To that I did not reply, but I thought this a queer way of
fighting Indians, when a soldier had to stop in the midst of a
battle, fold his arms and stand there to be shot down while
waiting orders to draw his sabre. A moment later they received
orders to use their sabres, and they went to hewing the Indians
down.
I saw an Indian with two or three feathers in his hair, and I took
him to be the war chief. He was coming direct for me with bow and
arrow in hand, and I made a desperate rush for him and made a
strike at him with my knife, but he threw up his arm and knocked
off my lick, at the same time a measly redskin shot me through the
calf of my leg, pinning me to the mochila of my saddle.
The mochila is a large covering for a saddle made of very heavy
leather and comes low on the horse's side, thereby affording great
protection to horses in cases like this. This shield is of Spanish
origin, but they were used by all mountaineers as well as
Mexicans.
I was leaning over when the arrow struck me and pinned me to the
saddle, so that I could not straighten up, for I was almost on the
side of the horse when I received the arrow.
Capt. Mills, seeing the predicament I was in, came to my rescue
and cut the war chief down with his sabre, just in time to save me
from getting another arrow.
The Captain pulled the arrow out of my leg, which had a very large
spear made of hoop iron, and it tore a bad hole in my leg when he
pulled it out. By this time the redskins were scattering in all
directions, some on foot and some on horseback.
As soon as I was free I saw a band of about fifty horses not far
away, and asked the Captain to detail some of his men to assist me
in running them off. The Captain dashed off to his orderly who he
told to take a platoon of men and go with the boy scout to take
charge of those horses.
In this charge we got fifty-two horses and killed four Indians. We
drove the horses out on the hill where they would be out of the
way and where the Indians would not get them, and the Sergeant
left his men to guard them until further orders.
As I rode back to the scene of battle I looked up the road and saw
four wagons coming. I asked the Sergeant where those wagons were
going, and he said they were ambulances, coming to haul the
wounded to headquarters, saying they had started at the same time
the cavalry did but could not keep up, consequently they did not
arrive until after the battle was over.
About the time I returned to the battlefield the bugle sounded
calling the soldiers in from the chase, and on looking over the
ground, four dead soldiers and twenty-seven wounded were
discovered. There were sixty-three dead Indians in sight, and
more, no doubt, were scattered around in the sagebrush.
The battle being over we had our breakfast. I also had my horse
put out to grass, as he was very hungry, not having had anything
to eat since noon the day before, and not much then.
After breakfast was over the soldiers buried their four dead
comrades and loaded the wounded into the ambulances and started
for headquarters, arriving there about nine o'clock that night.
Charlie Meyers had a wound in his arm that laid him up all summer,
and I was not able to ride for two weeks; although I had the best
of care.
From that time on I was known as the boy scout, and the next day
after our return, Col. Elliott appointed me chief of scouts with
rank and pay of captain, which was one hundred and twenty-five
dollars per month. He also provided me with private quarters, my
tent being pitched near his own, and notwithstanding that I was
only a mere boy the other scouts all came to me for orders and
counsel, and I often wondered why men who knew nothing of scouting
nor the nature of Indians would stick themselves up as scouts.
Two weeks from the time I got wounded the Colonel asked me if I
thought I was able to ride, saying that the news had just come to
him that the Indians had attacked a train of emigrants, killed
some of them and driven off their stock. This depredation he said
had been committed in the Goose Creek mountain country about one
hundred and twenty miles east of us. Col. Elliott said that he was
going to send out a company of soldiers there, and if I felt able
I might accompany them, which I did.
All being in readiness, I selected two scouts to assist me, and we
pulled out, taking with us a pack-train with one month's
provisions.
We had a rough and tedious trip, as not one of the entire crowd
had been over the country and did not know a single watering
place, so we had to go it blind, hit or miss. I had not gone far
when I found that I had made a sad mistake, as notwithstanding my
leg appeared quite well when I started out, yet, after one or two
days' riding, it got quite sore and pained me severely, and the
longer I rode the worse it got.
Five days' ride and we were at the place where the emigrants were
camped. Another small train had pulled in with them as they were
afraid to cross the desert alone.
That night Capt. Mills called the men of the train together to
ascertain whether or not they wished to look after their stock,
but they did not seem to know themselves what to do. They were
quite sure that the Indians had driven the stock south, as they
had tracked them some distance in that direction. Capt. Mills
asked me what I thought of finding the stock, and I told him that
if it was driven south, of which the emigrants seemed quite sure,
it was more than likely that the Indians and stock were several
hundred miles away, and that it would be next to impossible to get
any trace of them, and in my opinion it would be like trying to
find a needle in a haystack.
After considering the matter the emigrants concluded that I was
right.
Those of them who had lost all their stock were a pitiful sight
indeed, women and children were weeping, and particularly those
who had lost their husbands and fathers in the fight with the
Indians.
There were no women and children killed, as the Indians did not
attack the train, being apparently only bent on capturing the
horses and cattle. They had killed the guards and also the men
that ran out to protect the stock.
One who has never witnessed a like affair can scarcely comprehend
the situation of a widow left out there with three or four
children in this desolate region, utterly destitute. It was a
gloomy situation, indeed, and a sight that would cause the
hardest-hearted man to shed tears.
Those who had lost their stock made some kind of arrangements to
ride with those that had come later.
The day before starting the emigrants rolled all their wagons
together that they did not have teams to haul, also the harness,
and in fact everything they could not haul, and burned them, so
that the Indians would not derive any benefit from them.
I merely note a few of these facts to give the reader a faint idea
of the trials, troubles and hardships that the early settlers of
the "wild West" had to pass through, not only in crossing the
plains, but, as will be shown later in this book, in many
instances after settling in different parts of this western
country.
The day before starting, Capt. Mills suggested that as my wound
was giving me so much trouble, I should return to headquarters in
company with the train of emigrants, and asked how many men I
wanted to guard them through. I told him that I would not feel
safe with less than twenty men. The Captain thought that twenty
would not be sufficient, so he made a detail of twenty-five men
and issued rations to last us eight days.
Capt. Mills and the men he had reserved remained in this section
of country to guard emigrants that might be traveling westward, as
the Indians were now working in this part of the country since our
battle with them on the Humboldt.
Having completed all arrangements we pulled out with one hundred
and twenty-five wagons, all told, in the train, but as some of the
oxen were very tender footed we had to travel very slowly. I
divided my men into squads of twelve each, and changed guards at
morning, noon, evening and midnight.
I also started six guards ahead every morning, with instructions
to keep from one to three miles from the train on either side,
according to the lay of the country. The second day one of the
scouts returned from the south and reported having seen six
Indians southwest of the train; this was about ten o'clock in the
forenoon. I turned and rode off with the scout, saying nothing to
anyone in the train. He piloted me to where he had seen the
Indians, and sure enough there were the tracks of their ponies in
the sand. The scout returned to the train and I followed the trail
of the Indian all day, but never got sight of an Indian. When dark
came I turned about and rode to camp, arriving there at twelve
o'clock that night.
The people in the train were very much pleased to see me return,
for they had felt much uneasiness as to my safety, fearing that I
might have fallen into the hands of the Pah-Utes. This ride,
however, laid me up for two weeks, and I had to go the balance of
the way in an emigrant wagon.
The captain of this train had a jaw breaking name that I never
heard before or since. It was Sam Molujean, and I know he was the
most excitable man that I ever saw. When Capt. Molujean got
excited he could not talk at all for stuttering, so one day the
guards concluded to have a little sport at the expense of the
Captain. We were now nearly opposite where about a month previous
a battle with the Pah-Utes had been fought, and the advance guards
were riding back to the train--it now being time to corrall for
dinner. They met Capt. Molujean, who asked if they had seen any
Indians.
One of the guards informed him that there were sixty-odd up the
ravine. This set the Captain wild. He wheeled around and rode back
to where I was in the wagon and started in to tell me what the
guard had said, but he could not utter a word.
After listening to him a minute or so I told him if he would get
some one to tell what he wanted I would answer his question. I
suppose I was somewhat impatient, as I was suffering from my
wound. At this one of the guards rode up with a smile on his face,
and I asked him if he could tell me what Capt. Molujean was trying
to say to me. He related to me what they had told him in regard to
the sixty-odd Indians up the ravine, referring to the Indians that
had been killed in battle between the soldiers and Pah-Utes.
We had a good laugh at the Captain's expense, after which I told
him the Indians the guard had reference to were all good Indians.
"Oh! is that so?" he exclaimed, and these were the first words he
had been able to utter. "But," he continued, "I did not know there
were any good Indians in this country; I thought all of them were
savage." I told the Captain that those Indians were dead, and that
all dead Indians were good ones. This was a stunner for the
Captain, and I do not think that the joke has ever penetrated his
massive skull.
We did not see any more Indians or any sign of them on the trip.
On reaching headquarters we found Jim Beckwith awaiting our
arrival. He had been out with three other men whom he had hired to
help him blaze a road across the mountains through his new pass.
He had finished his work on the road and returned to Col.
Elliott's camp, knowing that if he could get one train to go his
way it would be a great help toward getting the tide of
immigration turned in that direction the following season.
Here Beckwith took charge of the train, Col. Elliott recommending
him very highly, and telling the emigrants that if they would only
obey his orders he would pilot them through in safety.
Before starting, Jim asked me to come over and spend the winter
with him, saying that he was going to build a cabin on the other
side of the mountains, lay in a big supply of provisions, and as
after that he was going to do nothing, he wanted me to help him.
I promised to go and winter with him if it was possible for me to
do so, as at this time I did not know but what I might have to go
to San Francisco to have my leg treated the coming winter.
From here the emigrants were to pay Jim to pilot them across the
mountains to a little mining camp called Hangtown, which was about
one hundred and twenty miles east of Sacramento. They made the
trip without any trouble. I saw one of the emigrants the next
spring and they spoke in very high terms of Jim Beckwith.