ief
Joseph dodged him, crossed the river farther north, and circling
southward cut his trail and his communications with Fort Lapwai; fell
upon Captain S. G. Whipple's First Cavalry, which was in his
path--surrounded it, wiped out Lieutenant Sevier Rains and ten
cavalrymen, scattered the reinforcements, and passed on, for the
Road-to-the-buffalo.

General Howard heard that he had been side-stepped, and that the Nez
Perces were beyond his lines. With almost six hundred men, two
field-pieces and a Gatling gun he followed at best speed. The "treaty"
or friendly Pierced Noses aided him; so did the Bannock Indians.

Chief Joseph had been joined by his friend Chief Looking Glass. Now he
had two hundred and fifty warriors--also four hundred and fifty women
and children, two thousand horses, as many cattle, and much lodge
baggage. In all the history of wars, no general carried a greater
burden.

On July 11 he turned at the banks of the south Clearwater, in northern
Idaho, to give battle again. He had thrown up dirt entrenchments, and
was waiting for General Howard's infantry, cavalry, artillery and
scouts.

General Howard formed line. He had graduated with honors at West Point
in 1854, and had won high rank in the Civil War. But Joseph wellnigh
defeated him--nearly captured his supply train, did capture a spring
and keep him from the drinking water; and had it not been for
reinforcements coming in and creating two attacks at once on the
Pierced Noses' position, he would have made General Howard retire.

The battle lasted two days. It was really a victory for Chief Joseph.

"I do not think that I had to exercise more thorough generalship during
the Civil War," General Howard confessed.

Chief Joseph withdrew his people in good order. General Howard in
desperation sent the cavalry, under Chief-of-Staff E. C. Mason, to find
the Pierced Noses and hold them. Colonel Mason did not find them--they
found _him_, and he was very glad to return in haste to General Howard.

The Joseph people were now safely in the Lo-lo Trail, or the
Road-to-the-buffalo, that wound up the Bitter Root Range, and down on
the other side. On this trail the two captains Lewis and Clark had
almost perished. What with the great forest trees fallen crisscross,
the dense brush and the sharp tumbled rocks, no trail could be rougher.

Over and under and through the trees and rocks Chief Joseph forced his
women and children, his ponies and cattl