.
They halted when I came up and said they had had a big talk with
Haight, Higbee, and Klingensmith, and got orders from them to
follow up the emigrants and kill them all, and take their
property as a spoil.

These Indians wanted me to go with them and command their forces.
I told them I could not go with them that evening; that I had
orders from Haight, the Big Captain, to send other Indians on the
warpath to help them kill the emigrants, and must attend to that
first; that I wanted them to go where the emigrants were and camp
until the other Indians joined them; that I would meet them the
next day and lead them. This satisfied them, but they wanted me
to send my little Indian boy, Clem, with them. After some time I
consented to let Clem go with them, while I returned home.

When I got home I told Carl Shirts what the orders were that
Haight had sent to him. Carl being naturally cowardly was not
willing to go, but I told him the orders must be obeyed. He
started that night, or early next morning, to stir up the Indians
of the south, and lead them against the emigrants. The emigrants
were then camped at Mountain Meadows.

The Indians did not obey my instructions. They met, several
hundred strong, at the Meadows, and attacked the emigrants
Tuesday morning, just before daylight, and at the first fire
killed seven and wounded sixteen of the emigrants. The latter
fought bravely, and repulsed the Indians, killing many of them
and breaking the knees of two chiefs, who afterwards died.

The news of the battle was carried over the country by Indian
runners, and the excitement was great in all the small settlements.
I was notified of what had taken place early Tuesday morning, by
an Indian who came to my house and gave me a full account of what
had been done.

The Indian said it was the wish of the Indians that I lead them,
and I must go back with him to the camp. I started at once, and
taking the Indian trail over the mountain I reached the camp by
going twelve miles. To go round by the wagon road would have been
between forty and fifty miles.

When I reached the camp I found the Indians in a frenzy of
excitement. They said they had been told that they could kill the
emigrants without danger to themselves, but they had lost numbers
of their bucks, and others were wounded, and unless they could
kill all the "Mericats," as they called them, they would declare
war against the Mormons and kill everyone in the settlements.