The Storekeeper Told Us That Those Indians Were Utes, And Were Greatly
Excited Because They Had Just Heard There Was A Small Party Of
Cheyennes Down The River Two Or Three Miles.
The Utes and Cheyennes
are bitter enemies.
He said that the Utes were very cross - ready for
the blood of Indian or white man - therefore he had permitted them to
do about as they pleased while in the store, particularly as we were
there, and he saw that we were frightened. That young man did not know
that his own swarthy face was a greenish white all the time those
Indians were in the store! Not one penny did they pay for the things
they carried off. Only two years ago the entire Ute nation was on the
warpath, killing every white person they came across, and one must
have much faith in Indians to believe that their "change of heart"
has been so complete that these Utes have learned to love the white
man in so short a time.
No! There was hatred in their eyes as they approached us in that
store, and there was restrained murder in the hand that pushed Mrs.
Phillips and me over. They were all hideous - with streaks of red or
green paint on their faces that made them look like fiends. Their hair
was roped with strips of bright-colored stuff, and hung down on each
side of their shoulders in front, and on the crown of each black head
was a small, tightly plaited lock, ornamented at the top with a
feather, a piece of tin, or something fantastic. These were their
scalp locks. They wore blankets over dirty old shirts, and of course
had on long, trouserlike leggings of skin and moccasins. They were not
tall, but rather short and stocky. The odor of those skins, and of the
Indians themselves, in that stuffy little shop, I expect to smell the
rest of my life!
We heard this morning that those very savages rode out on the plains
in a roundabout way, so as to get in advance of the Cheyennes, and
then had hidden themselves on the top of a bluff overlooking the trail
they knew the Cheyennes to be following, and had fired upon them as
they passed below, killing two and wounding a number of others. You
can see how treacherous these Indians are, and how very far from noble
is their method of warfare! They are so disappointing, too - so wholly
unlike Cooper's red men.
We were glad enough to get in the ambulance and start on our way to
the post, but alas! our troubles were not over. The mules must have
felt the excitement in the air, for as soon as their heads were turned
toward home they proceeded to run away with us. We had the four little
mules that are the special pets of the quartermaster, and are known
throughout the garrison as the "shaved-tails," because the hair on
their tails is kept closely cut down to the very tips, where it is
left in a square brush of three or four inches. They are perfectly
matched - coal-black all over, except their little noses, and are quite
small. They are full of mischief, and full of wisdom, too, even for
government mules, and when one says, "Let's take a sprint," the others
always agree - about that there is never the slightest hesitation.
Therefore, when we first heard the scraping of the brake, and saw that
the driver was pulling and sawing at the tough mouths with all his
strength, no one was surprised, but we said that we wished they had
waited until after we had crossed the Arkansas River. But we got over
the narrow bridge without meeting more than one man, who climbed over
the railing and seemed less anxious to meet us than we were to meet
him. As soon as we got on the road again, those mules, with
preliminary kicks and shakes of their big heads, began to demonstrate
how fast they could go. We had the best driver at the post, and the
road was good and without sharp turns, but the ambulance was high and
swayed, and the pace was too fast for comfort.
The little mules ran and ran, and we held ourselves on our seats the
best we could, expecting to be tipped over any minute. When we reached
the post they made a wonderful turn and took us safely to the
government corral, where they stopped, just when they got ready. One
leader looked around at us and commenced to bray, but the driver was
in no mood for such insolence, and jerked the poor thing almost down.
Three tired, disheveled women walked from the corral to their homes;
and very glad one of them was to get home, too! Hereafter I shall
confine myself to horseback riding - for, even if John is frisky at
times, I prefer to take my chances with the one horse, to four little
long-eared government mules! But I have learned to ride very well, and
have a secure seat now. My teachers, Faye and Lieutenant Baldwin, have
been most exacting, but that I wanted. Of course I ride the army way,
tight in the saddle, which is more difficult to learn. Any attempt to
"rise" when on a trot is ridiculed at once here, and it does look
absurd after seeing the splendid and graceful riding of the officers.
I am learning to jump the cavalry hurdles and ditches, too. I must
confess, however, that taking a ditch the first time was more exciting
than enjoyable. John seemed to like it better than I did.
FORT LYON, COLORADO TERRITORY,
November, 1871.
IN many of my letters I have written about learning to ride and to
shoot, and have told you, also, of having followed the greyhounds
after coyotes and rabbits with Faye and Lieutenant Baldwin. These
hunts exact the very best of riding and a fast horse, for coyotes are
very swift, and so are jack-rabbits, too, and one look at a greyhound
will tell anyone that he can run - and about twice as fast as the
big-eared foxhounds in the East.
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