cover the body of
their chief, and his horse though wounded, wheeling round, was seized by
one of the band and carried off, in spite of the bullets aimed at him.
We continued pouring in volley after volley, until the Indians were
beyond our range, but our men fired too high and but few saddles were
emptied after the retreat began.

The battle had been terribly severe, and we had to mourn the loss of
nearly a dozen men killed and as many wounded. Those who had fallen
were dreadfully mutilated by the savages. Horses and riders had been
stripped of their trappings and clothes, most of the men scalped, with
terrible gashes on their bodies, while all around, the trampled
blood-stained ground showed the fierce struggle which had taken place
before our brave fellows had succumbed. Severe as had been our loss, a
still greater number of the Indians must have been killed, although the
majority had been carried out. None of our party who had gone out on
foot had suffered, shewing how much wiser it would have been had the
garrison remained in the fort, without attempting to pursue the enemy.
The object of the commandant, however, had been to drive the savages to
a distance, and to show them that the white men were as ready to meet
them in the open, as within the protection of the stockades.

We watched the enemy as they rode slowly back over the hill, carrying
their dead and wounded. Though defeated, we could not be at all certain
that they would not renew the attack during the night. The belief,
however, was, that dispirited by the loss of their chief, they would,
with blackened faces, be mourning for his death and that of the rest of
the warriors who had fallen, instead of thinking of more fighting.

"It is sad work," observed my father, as we returned from burying our
poor fellows; "the Indians act, of course, according to their instinct,
and consider themselves justified in attacking the forts and trains of
the white men, whom they see advancing to take possession of their
hunting-grounds. I wish that means could be found to induce them to
remain at peace with us, but though over and over again they have signed
treaties they have broken through them whenever they have fancied that
they could gain an advantage by so doing. I do not mean to say for one
moment that the white men are not to blame; they have too often deceived
the Indians and have driven them without compunction from the region
they once called their own.