When they asked him what he thought best to be done, he said that he could not advise them what to do, but he had come to that part of the State to protect the settlements from the outrages of the savages for the next six months.

We rode to the edge of the settlement and went into camp, thinking we would stay there until towards evening.  We had just eaten our dinner when two of the settlers came to our camp and in a very excited manner told us that a small band of Indians had just gone into camp a few miles from the settlement.

We asked them how they got the news.  They said that two of the men had been out hunting and saw the Indians when they went into camp.

We told these men to go and bring the men who’d seen the Indians’ camp so we could get all the particulars from them.  In a few moments the hunters were with us.  I asked them how far the Indians’ camp was from the settlement.

“Not over five miles,” one of them said.  I asked which way the Indians had come from and if there were any squaws with them.  The answer was that the Indians had come from an eastern direction and there were no squaws with them, and they were driving quite a large band of horses.

Capt.  McKee said to me, “What do you think of it?”

I said, “Capt., I am afraid they will move again before night, but I want one of these men to go and show me where the Indians are, and I will locate their camp tonight, and we can get every one of them and the horses too.”

Capt.  McKee said, “That is a good idea.  How many men do you want to go with you?”

I said, “Give me the two men that went with me on the other Indian hunt.”

In a little while my men and I were off.  I told the Capt. to stay in that camp until he heard from me, which would be before dark.

We had ridden between four and five miles when we came to a little ridge, and, stopping and pointing to a little bunch of timber, my guard said, “The Indians’ camp is there.”

We dismounted, and, taking one man with me, I crawled to the top of the hill and looked over, and sure enough, there was a small band of Indians squatted around their camp fire, smoking and talking and apparently not fearing any danger.

I told my companion to count them, and I would count too, and we might find out how many there were.  I crawled around in the brush keeping out of sight, and I counted forty-eight, and my men made out fifty-one.  We crept along on the ridge to see if we could find out how many horses the Indians had with them, but we could not count them, although I was satisfied that there were at least a hundred horses feeding in the valley.  Some few of them were staked out, but the most of them were feeding where they chose.

We went back to our horses, and I told the boys to take the horses to a little ravine which was a short distance from us and to find a place where they could not be seen and to stay with them until they heard from me, for I intended to watch the Indians, and if they did not move before sundown I would send one of them to the Capt.