Late in the evening our party strolled back to the fort, having enjoyed an entertainment, certainly in keeping with the surrounding circumstances of time and place.

The warlike preparations, which had been vigorously pushed forward, under the immediate supervision of the Commanding General, were now nearly completed. For two months five hundred.government wagons had been in constant employment transporting supplies from the line of the railroad to Fort Dodge, on the Arkansas, accumulating supplies with a view to provide the depots, which were to be established in the heart of the Indian country. Already everything had been accomplished, necessary to a campaign of six months. The troops, assigned to duty in the field, were remounted, as far as necessary, to replace horses condemned as unfit for the service before them. The men were examined with a view to their own capacity for sustaining the trial of a hazardous and trying campaign in the midst of winter. Their arms and ammunition were thoroughly inspected so as to secure the most effective results.

The reports from the different scouting parties were eminently satisfactory. Large bands of savages from the north had crossed the railroad and the Denver stage route going south. A body, supposed to be Sioux, were also reported crossing the Platte, going north. The harrassment to which they had been subjected in the vicinity of their old haunts, along the Republican and its tributaries, had so completely dissipated their feelings of security, that the northern bands had almost entirely abandoned that section and were in search of new seats for their villages and their families. The season was far advanced and aside from their repeated disasters, their desire to be let alone was now gaining strong hold on the savage mind. Sheridan, however, as the cold weather approached, became more active in his preparations, and the time to strike came nearer.

By November 5th, ten companies of the 19th Kansas cavalry, the volunteer organization, one thousand strong, ordered out for the campaign, moved from their rendezvous at Topeka en route

for Camp Beecher, at the mouth of the Little Arkansas. The next day two companies of the same regiment, two hundred strong, arrived at Fort Hays, and several days after were ordered, by way of Fort Dodge, to overtake Sully's column, about to move south, into the Canadian river country. The same day ten Kansas, or Kaw Indian scouts arrived.

On November 13, the 5th cavalry, under Carr, left Fort Wallace for Fort Lyon, Colorado Territory, which was £xed as the point of departure, of an independent column, to advance into the Cimmaron country. From Fort Bascom the news was favorable to a start, at the proper moment, into the Washita country. Instructions were also issued to the commanding officers of posts along the railroad. This completed the preparations for the campaign.

The Commanding General now announced to his military family that the time had arrived to leave for the front, and all should be ready to set out at a moment's warning. Although preparations, with a view to personal comfort, had been going on for several weeks, the prospect of an immediate departure occasioned considerable excitement and hurry to accomplish in the shortest space, many things that had been delayed.

The novelty and severity of a campaign in a wild and unsettled country, and in the midst of winter, required no little judg ment in getting up a suitable "outfit." A couple of good horses and equipments, warm clothing, buffalo robes, and blankets for sleeping, a good rifle, a brace of pistols, plenty of ammunition, and the luxury of a pipe and tobacco, were provided specially for the campaign. Supplies for the mess, which was composed of the Commanding General, the officers of his staff, and the writer, were also looked after by the cook.

The fourteenth of November witnessed a stirring scene at Fort Hays. The day following having been fixed to join the column, already in motion south of the Arkansas, Lebo's company of the 10th cavalry as escort, Pepoon's (Forsyth's) scouts, the orderlies, Indians, baggage, headquarters train, and extra

horses, were ordered to be in readiness to move in advance, First Lieutenant Thomas C. Lebo, commanding. Lebo, with his assorted charge, set out at ten o'clock in the morning. The remainder of the day was well disposed of, by our party at the fort, in making final preparations.

CHAPTER XV.

DEPARTURE FOR THE SEAT OF WAR IN THE SOUTH-MULE DRIVING AS AN ARTARRIVAL AT FORT DODGE-CAMP SOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS

BLUFF CREEK-LETTERS FOR HOME.

Y daylight, on the morning of November 15, the officers of the garrison, at Fort Hays, were astir to witness the departure of the Commanding General and party for the field. At seven o'clock two ambulances, and a light baggage-wagon, each drawn by four mules, pulled up in front of the General's quarters. The personal baggage, blankets, and buffalo robes, were stowed away in the wagon and started in advance.

An hour later the General, the members of the staff, and the writer took seats in the two ambulances, and after an interchange of farewells with the officers of the post, set out on the journey. It would have been difficult to have designed a more disagreeable day. It had rained heavily all night. In the morning the air was filled with a heavy penetrating mist. A strong wind was blowing from the north, adding to the driving moisture an almost freezing temperature.

By ten o'clock we reached the Smoky Hill river, twelve miles distant, and by noon the Big Timbers eight miles further. At the latter point Lieutenant Tayler, with the staff horses, and an escort of twenty men, awaited the arrival of the General. Several of the staff finding the ambulances so utterly comfortless, mounted and galloped ahead.

We had still twenty miles further to make before reaching camp. The storm grew more violent. The mist had turned into a heavy rain and aided by the wind, pelted against the am

bulances in a nowise encouraging manner. The trails, considerably cut up by the numerous trains which had passed over them, were heavy and soon exhausted the animals. Our “team showed very evident signs of being "played out." The art of effective mule driving consists, at all times, of a liberal allowance of raw hide, applied with tornadoes of epithets, given with a variety of expression and accent. These usually satisfactory measures were totally inoperative in our case. The driver, a powerful robust man, with an excellent pulmonary development, and a powerful leverage in the whip-hand, gave up in complete despair. He had not only demolished his whip, but also his patience, and by way of peroration gave vent to a soliloquy in denunciation of "shave-tails," declaring that they were only "sulky and playing off."

At four o'clock, we were at least three miles in the rear, and no prospect of making camp at a very seasonable hour. To heighten the interest of our situation, the driver reported mounted figures in sight, but several miles off the road. An optical reconnoisance, on our part, confirmed the report of the driver. It was certain the objects were not troops nor passing couriers. Our rifles and pistols were dragged out from under the seats for service, if necessary, and the figures were closely watched; meanwhile the “shave-tails" took their own time, notwithstanding the repeated emphatic and artistic declamations of the driver. The predicament in which we found ourselves was anything but consoling Night coming on, far in the rear of the rest of the little command, and Indians evidently awaiting a chance to pounce upon us. Our anxiety was, however, allayed by the arrival of a detachment from the front, sent to our relief. With the assistance of a periodic probing with sabres, executed by troopers galloping abreast each mule, we managed to worry the animals into a run, which was kept up by constant applications of the same argument, and shouting and yelling like so many savages. The Indians at a distance, who appeared to be watching our movements, vanished upon the arrival of the escort.

About an hour after dark, we rejoined the rest of the party