This shield is of Spanish
origin, but they were used by all mountaineers as well as
Mexicans.
I was leaning over when the arrow struck me and pinned me to the
saddle, so that I could not straighten up, for I was almost on the
side of the horse when I received the arrow.
Capt. Mills, seeing the predicament I was in, came to my rescue
and cut the war chief down with his sabre, just in time to save me
from getting another arrow.
The Captain pulled the arrow out of my leg, which had a very large
spear made of hoop iron, and it tore a bad hole in my leg when he
pulled it out. By this time the redskins were scattering in all
directions, some on foot and some on horseback.
As soon as I was free I saw a band of about fifty horses not far
away, and asked the Captain to detail some of his men to assist me
in running them off. The Captain dashed off to his orderly who he
told to take a platoon of men and go with the boy scout to take
charge of those horses.
In this charge we got fifty-two horses and killed four Indians. We
drove the horses out on the hill where they would be out of the
way and where the Indians would not get them, and the Sergeant
left his men to guard them until further orders.
As I rode back to the scene of battle I looked up the road and saw
four wagons coming. I asked the Sergeant where those wagons were
going, and he said they were ambulances, coming to haul the
wounded to headquarters, saying they had started at the same time
the cavalry did but could not keep up, consequently they did not
arrive until after the battle was over.
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