We dismounted, and I sent one man back to tell the Capt., and one I left to care for the horses, and the other I took with me, and we crawled down the hill through the thick brush to try to see what position the Indians were in and find out what the best way would be to attack them.

When we had got to within a hundred yards of their camp, I saw an Indian crawl out of his blanket and go to one of the fires and put more wood on it.  I whispered to my comrade to stop, and I told him we could not go any nearer now, and in another moment two more Indians got up.

I said, “Now let us get back to our horses as quickly as we can.”

As we reached the edge of the brush, I looked around to see where their horses were, but there was not a horse in sight.  We kept on until we reached our horses.

I said, “Now boys, you both stay here, and I will ride down the ridge a little way and maybe I can see their horses, and be sure to keep a close watch on the Indians’ movements, and if they appear to be excited, signal to me at once.”

I discovered their horses feeding quietly about a quarter of a mile below their camp.  This seemed very strange to me, and that the horses were not staked out but allowed to run loose seemed still more strange.

I turned and rode back to my two scouts, and after I had told them what I had seen, I said, “Boys, I am tempted to make a proposition.”

They asked what it was.  I said, “It may not work, but I have a mind for us to go down where the Indians’ horses are and get around them and stampede them and drive them to meet the Capt. and the men with him.”

Just as I finished speaking, one of the men said, “Hark, it is too late.  The Capt. and his men are here now,” and sure enough there they were in sight.

When I told the Capt. about the Indians and their horses being so far from them and running loose, he said, “There is something up you may be sure, for it is a very unusual thing for an Indian to do to leave himself so unprotected by letting his horses run at large.”

He then asked if I had any idea how many there were in the camp below us.  I told him that I had not counted them and could not do so the way the camp was situated and the fires so dim.

He then asked if I wanted any more help to run the horses off.  I answered, “No sir, if you and your men will attend to the Indians, I and my scouts will attend to the horses, and you need have no concern but we will get them away all right.  We will run them up on this open ridge and hold them until you finish the Indians, and you will know where to find the horses and us.”

The Capt. and his men struck out for the Indian camp, and my men and I to get the Indians’ horses.  We had not reached the horses when we heard the sound of the guns.  We had just succeeded in getting the horses on a lope when we heard someone shouting behind us, and turning in my saddle I saw two Indians coming on a run, and they were running for all they were worth.