I had told them the day before that they might expect to see
Indians at any time now, as we were then in the Sioux country.
The morning of the fifth day I started two scouts ahead of the
train, telling them to keep about two miles ahead of the wagons,
two to drop behind the train and two south, and to keep on the
highest ground they could find. Taking the other two with me I
struck out north of the road, this being where I most expected to
find Indians. After riding five or six miles we came up on to a
high point where I took out my glasses and made a survey of the
surrounding country. I saw a large band of Indians traveling
almost parallel with the wagon road and moving in the same
direction the train was going. I should judge them to have been
about ten miles away. Anyway, they were so far that I could not
tell their number, but I thought there were in the neighborhood of
one hundred and fifty in the band.
I showed them to my associates by allowing them to look through my
glasses. I then showed them a route to take and designated a
certain point for them to go to and remain, until I should come to
them, and I started alone after the Indians to try to get closer
to them and also get their general course of travel so as to come
to some conclusion as to what their intentions were. I succeeded
in getting within about four miles of them and at getting a good
view of them as they were passing over a little ridge.
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