"
I asked him where the next move would be and he said that Gen.
Crook was going to return to the fort and we would go farther out
on the road to protect the emigrants, who would soon begin to move
toward California. For the next two or three days everything was
undergoing a change around camp; rigging up packs and fitting up
in general.
The soldiers who had their horses killed were mounted on the
choice horses that we had captured from the Indians, which made
very fair cavalry horses.
As soon as we had completed our arrangements Gen. Crook started
back for Fort Yuma, much wiser than he came, while we pushed
farther out on the Butterfield route, with two companies of
cavalry and fifty infantry-men.
We traveled four days from our old camp before making a general
halt. The evening of the fourth day just a short time before we
were ready to go into camp the scouts came in and reported having
seen a small band of Indians only a short distance west of us, and
they said they had watched them go into camp.
I reported to the Lieutenant and he started with one company of
cavalry after them, leaving orders for the command to go into camp
at the next water, which was about a mile ahead of us. This proved
to be a small hunting party, and they in some way discovered us
before we got to their camp. When we came in sight of them we were
about a quarter of a mile away from their camp and they had their
horses all packed and were beginning to mount.
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