He seemed in very good spirits, asked
for "tobac," and rode along with us some distance - long enough to make
a careful estimate of our value and our strength. Finally he left us
and disappeared over the hills. Then the little escort of ten men
received orders from Faye to be on the alert, and hold themselves and
their rifles ready for a sudden attack.
We rode on and on, hoping to reach the Cimarron Redoubt before dark,
but that had to be given up and camp was made at Snake Creek, ten
miles the other side. Not one Indian had been seen on the road except
the Apache, and this made us all the more uncomfortable. Snake Creek
was where the two couriers were shot by Indians last summer, and that
did not add to our feelings of security - at least not mine. We were in
a little coulee, too, where it would have been an easy matter for
Indians to have sneaked upon us. No one in the camp slept much that
night, and most of the men were walking post to guard the animals. And
those mules! I never heard mules, and horses also, sneeze and cough
and make so much unnecessary noise as those animals made that night.
And Hal acted like a crazy dog - barking and growling and rushing out
of the tent every two minutes, terrifying me each time with the fear
that he might have heard the stealthy step of a murderous savage.
Everyone lived through the night, however, but we were all glad to
make an early start, so before daylight we were on the road. The old
sergeant agreed with Faye in thinking that we were in a trap at the
camp, and should move on early. We did not stop at the Redoubt, but I
saw as we passed that the red curtains were still at the little
window.
It seems that we are not much more safe in this place than we were in
camp in an Indian country. The town is dreadful and has the reputation
of being one of the very worst in the West since the railroad has been
built. They say that gamblers and all sorts of "toughs" follow a new
road. After breakfast this morning we started for a walk to give Hal a
little run, but when we got to the office the hotel proprietor told us
that the dog must be led, otherwise he would undoubtedly be stolen
right before our eyes. Faye said: "No one would dare do such a thing;
I would have him arrested." But the man said there was no one here who
would make the arrest, as there certainly would be two or more
revolvers to argue with first, and in any case the dog would be lost
to us, for if the thief saw that he could not hold him the dog would
undoubtedly be shot.
