I said, “This is one of the times that the Indians were smarter than we and have out-generaled us.  Probably they too had a scout out, and he saw us before we discovered their trail and reported the fact to the others, and they made themselves scarce, which was a very wise proceeding on their part.”

We turned and walked back to our own camp and found the boys we had left there still asleep.  I said, “Capt., I think you had better stay here with your men and my scouts, and I will find the trail of those Indians and see where they have gone.  It may be that they are a part of a large band and have gone to inform the main tribe of our being here.  If this is the case, we will be sure to have some trouble with them.”

The Capt. woke the men, and they cooked breakfast from some of the deer that was left over the night before, and in a short time my men and I were off on the trail of the Indians.  I told my men they had better take something for a lunch, as it was no telling when we should come back.

We went to where the Indians had camped and soon found their trail leading from it.  It led us in a southwestern direction, and we followed it until about twelve o’clock when all at once we came on the Indians laying around a camp fire sound asleep.

I said, “Now boys, there are only two ways to choose from.  We have either got to tackle this outfit ourselves alone, or we must give up the idea of getting them at all.  Now I will leave it to you to choose which to do.”

They were all more than anxious to make the attack.  I said, “Now boys, ride slowly and easy until you get in the midst of them, and then don’t wait for each other, but turn loose, and each do our best, and let us get every one of them if we possibly can,” and it was surprising to me to see how cool the whole three men were in attempting to kill these Indians while they slept.  There was not a sound until we were in the midst of the sleeping Indians, and then it seemed as if every man shot at once and aimed to kill, and there were only five Indians out of the thirteen that had time to spring to their feet, and these did not try to defend themselves, but made for their horses with the attempt to get away.  Only one of them reached his horse, and as he sprang on his horse’s back, I gave him a cut with my knife across the small of his back and almost cut him in two.  He tumbled to the ground without a word, and as he did so, one of the boys shouted, “We have got them all.  That was the last one, and that was the easiest little fight that I was ever in.”

I asked if either of them was hurt.  One man said, “Hurt?  No, why durn their shadows, they were not awake enough to hurt a fly if it had been in their mouths.”

I could not help laughing at his droll way of expressing his contempt for the easily won battle if such it could be called when all the fighting had been on our side.

We staked our horses out to let them eat the sweet grass that was so abundant there, and we sat down and ate our own luncheon beneath a large tree, and after we had satisfied our hunger, we laid around and rested a while, and then we mounted our horses, I taking the lead and the boys driving the Indians’ horses after me.