ge number of Indians.

General Carr ordered Lieutenant Pepoon's scouts and Company M to the
front. This company was commanded by Lieutenant Schinosky, a Frenchman by
birth and a reckless dare-devil by nature, who was anxious to have a
hair-lifting match. Having advanced his company nearly a mile ahead of
the main command, about four hundred Indians suddenly charged down upon
him and gave him a lively little fight, until he was supported by our
full force.

The Indians kept increasing in numbers all the while until it was
estimated that we were fighting from eight hundred to one thousand of
them. The engagement became quite general, and several were killed and
wounded on each side. The Indians were evidently fighting to give their
families and village, a chance to get away. We had undoubtedly surprised
them with a larger force than they had expected to see in that part of
the country. We fought them until dark, all the time driving them before
us. At night they annoyed us considerably by firing down into our camp
from the higher hills, and several times the command was ordered out to
dislodge them from their position and drive them back.

After having returned from one of these little sallies, Major Brown,
Captain Sweetman, Lieutenant Bache and myself were taking supper
together, when "whang!" came a bullet into Lieutenant Bache's plate,
breaking a hole through it. The bullet came from the gun of one of the
Indians, who had returned to the high bluff over-looking our camp. Major
Brown declared it was a crack shot, because it broke the plate. We
finished our supper without having any more such close calls.

At daylight next morning we struck out on the trail, and soon came to the
spot where the Indians had camped the day before. We could see that
their village was a very large one, consisting of about five hundred
lodges; and we pushed forward rapidly from this point on the trail which
ran back toward Prairie Dog Creek.

About two o'clock we came in sight of the retreating village, and soon
the warriors turned back to give us battle. They set fire to the prairie
grass in front of us, and on all sides, in order to delay us as much as
possible. We kept up a running fight for the remainder of the afternoon,
and the Indians repeatedly attempted to lead us off the track of their
flying village, but their trail was easily followed, as they were
continually dropping tepee poles, camp kettles, robes, furs and all heavy
artic