I said, “Now, Captain, you must know that the Indians have no fear of death, but they do dread to lose their scalps after they are killed, as they think there will be no chance for a scalpless Indian to enter the Happy Hunting ground.  So if we reach the train before the Indians get there and fear they will attack it when they do, all we have to do is to hang these scalps up in a prominent place and put the Chief’s war bonnet high above them all, and there will be no need of a fight or chance for one, for the Indians will not come near enough to be shot at, for they will fear that they will share the same fate that befell the Indians that these scalps belonged to.”

Capt.  McKee then asked me if I were willing to go on and assist him in this way until the train reached Santa Fe, and he said, “I am quite sure your plan in using the scalps and bonnet for protection with the Indians will prove a success, for I know how superstitious the Indians are about being scalped, and I am also sure that we have not sufficient men to save the train from the Indians without some other means is used.”

I then asked the Capt. who would pay me and my men for our time if we went with him.  His answer was “The Government pays me and will pay you and the men with you, and if we have a chance to test your plan and it proves a success, I will see that you have double pay.”

Everything being understood and arranged to the satisfaction of all hands, we separated and turned in for the night.

Next morning we were all up in good season and got an early start on the road.

Late that evening just before we went into camp we saw a few Buffalo feeding near the river.  I asked the Capt. where he was going to camp that night.  He pointed to a little ravine about a half a mile from us, and answered, “We will camp on that ravine.”  I said, “Take my pack on your saddle in front of you, and I will kill a calf for supper.”

He took my pack, saying, “All right, we surely will enjoy some fresh meat,” and the company moved on, and I struck out to kill the Buffalo.  I rode around the herd so if they became frightened they would run towards the place where we were to camp.  They saw me before I had got in gun shot of them and started to run directly towards where the Capt. had gone into camp.

As soon as I saw the direction they were taking, I commenced to shout to the men at the camp to look out, for the Buffalo were coming, and they did not get the news any too quick before the Buffalos were there.  The men grabbed their guns and commenced shooting, and that was all that saved the camp from being overrun with Buffalo.  They shot down three calves and two heifers right in camp.

The boys had the laugh on me for several days.  When anything was said about getting fresh meat, some of them would say, “Will can go and drive it into camp, and we will shoot it,” and the Capt. would laugh and say he reckoned that was a good way to save me from packing it.