During the time I
was out hunting George Jones had taken two other scouts and had
made an entire circle of our camp, and not seeing any Indians or
fresh sign we felt safe from any attack that night.
The next morning we did not move camp, but leaving the twenty men
detailed for camp duty in charge of the camp and stock, I took my
entire scout force to escort Gen. Crook to Black canyon. When we
came to where the trail started down the bluff, he asked me how
far I had been down. I told him about a mile, but did not let him
know that Lieut. Jackson was with me at the time, knowing that the
General wanted the glory of being the first officer to investigate
and take in the situation of Black canyon. He asked me if it was
safe for us to go down that far. I told him it was not at this
time of day as we could not go that far and back without being
seen by hundreds of Indians.
He decided not to look any further, but we returned to our camp
and made preparations to start back to headquarters the next
morning. He did not say anything to me as to what he thought of
Black canyon that evening, but next day on our way back to
headquarters he asked me if I thought there would be grass enough
where we camped the night before for three or four hundred head of
stock for three or four days. This led me to believe that he
intended moving a part of his command to that place.
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