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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1900)
Conservative. now clear our train moved ahead , traveling all night and keeping out nil the mounted ones as front and roar guards. We now come to the "last leaving of the Little Blue" and pass over the up land without wood or water thirty- three miles to Fort Kearney , in the great Platte valley. It was nearly night and in a drizzling rain when we came to the line of the reservation when a trooper sitting on his horse , informed us that we would have to keep off , or go on through the reservation , a distance of three or four miles. It was dark and raining , and we camped right there without any supper or fire to make even some coffee. Wo hitched up in the morning and drove into the Fort , where wo were very kindly treated by the commanding officer , whoso name I think was MoArthur. Pie tendered us a large room and tables with pen and ink , paper and "envelope paper , " where wo wrote the first letters back from Ne braska , which I believe were all re ceived at home with nrach joy. The greater part of the troops wore absent on a scout. After buying a few things that we had forgotten to bring witli us and getting rested , wo moved on our journey again , going up on the south side of the Platte river. One of our comrades , Robert Nelson , belonging to the captain's wagon , was now very sick with something like cholera , and on May 27 , about sixty miles above Fort Kearney , he died. We sewed his remains up in his blanket and buried him within a few rods of the river bank at sunrise the next day. Nearly all the company knew him well and his death and burial were to all of us very sad indeed. We now came to the "south fork of the Platte river" immediately where it flows into the main river. We had long dreaded this crossing , owing to the treacherous quicksands of its bottom. Here the guards succeeded in killing our first buffalo. About 0 o'clock in the morning , nil things being in readiness , two men were sent in to wade across the river with long willows to stick in the sand , to mark out the route through. Two or three wagons could be seen where they had settled down in the quicksand , because of stopping in the stream , and were never able to get out. With these evidences before us of the risks we were to run , we started. Every man but the drivers walked , or rather , waded , along side the horses to render assistance if il should be required. Following the route marked by the willows , with scarcely a i word spoken , -we drove clear through and out on dry laud without a halt or break. To say that we all felt happy to know that the crossing was behind us did not half express our feelings. One man dug out a demijohn of brandy from his traps and treated all hands , remark ing that "the success of that under- aking really merited something extra ordinary. " A few days after this an incident occurred in camp that bordered on the ragio , but finally ended in good feeling. Vly guard mate , named Oharley Stewart , and myself were the two youngest in the company , and being guards together , were great friends. He was a native of Cincinnati , well educated , and had a fund of stories and recitations that ho uaed to got off when wo were on guard together. This night wo were camped on the side of some little hills near some ravines. The moon was shining , bxit there were dark clouds occasionally pas sing over , so at times it was quite dark , tt was near midnight , and we would be relieved in an hour. We had been the "grand rounds" out among the stock and came to the nearest wagon , which was facing the animals which wore picketed out on the slope. Stewart was armed with a "Colt's Army , " while I bad a double-barreled shotgun loaded with buckshot. I was sitting on the double-tree on the right side of the tongue which was propped up with the ueckyoko ; Stewart sat on the tongue about an arm's length in front of me , I holding my gun between my knees with the butt on the ground. Stewart was getting off one of his stories and was about to come to the climax , when I saw something running low to the ground in among the stock. Thinking it was an Indian on all fours to stam pede the animals , I instantly leveled my gun and as I was following it to an opening herd , my gun came in contact with Stewart's face at the moment of discharge. Stewart fell backward over the wagon tongue , his legs and feet hanging over. My first thought was that I had killed him. He recovered in a moment and commenced cursing and calling me vile names , accusing me of attempting to murder him , etc. During these moments in his frenzy he was trying to get his revolver out from undei him , swearing ho would kill me in a minute. Taking in the situation , 1 dropped my gun , jumped over the wagon tongue , as he was now getting on his feet , and engaged in what proved to be a desperate fight for that revolver. We were both sometimes struggling on the ground , then again on our knees , he striking me repeatedly in the face anc elsewhere , still accusing me of trying to murder him , and I having no chance to explain things , so the struggle for thai revolver went on. Finally I threw him down and held him till he was too much exhausted to continue the fight any longer , and having wrested the revolver from him , I helped him to his feet. In trying to pacify him I led him out to where the object ran that I had fired afc whore nearby lay the dead body of. a large gray wolf with several buckshot holes through his side. Stewart was speechless , Looking _ at the wolf ; hen at me he suddenly realized his nistako and repeatedly begged my par don. Wo agreed never to mention the affair to anyone in the company. Taking the wolf by the oars we dragged him back to the wagon , where I picked up my gun and gave Stewart his re volver. I have often thought what would have been the consequence of that shot had I not killed the wolf. Along in this vicinity the bluff comes down to the edge of the river , and con sequently wo had to take to the hills , which were mostly deep sand , making heavy hauling. This trail brought us into Ash Hollow , a few miles up from its numth. Coming down to where it opened out on the Platte about noon , we turned out for lunch. Hero was a party of Sioux Indians camped in tents of buffalo skins. They were friendly , as all of that tribe was that summer. This is the place where General Kearney , several years later , had a terrific battle with the same tribe who were then on the war-path along this valley. Some weeks before the fore-wheel of my wagon had been badly damaged , and I had been on the lookout for another wheel for the spokes in order to make the necessary repairs. Taking my rifle , after lunch , I started out and across the bottom , whore , in a few rods of the river and about a half mile off the road , which turned close along the bluff , I came upon an old broken down wagon , almost hidden in the grass. Taking the measure of the spokes , I found to my great joy they were just the right size and length. Looking around I saw the train moving on at a good pace almost three-quarters of a mile away. I was delayed some time in trying to get the wheel off the axletree. Succeeding at last , I fired my rifle towards the tram , but no one looked around , all evidently supposing that I was on ahead. It was an awful hot afternoon , and I was get ting warmed up myself. I reloaded my rifle , looked at the receding train , and I made up my mind to have that wheel if it took the balance of the day to get it into camp. I started by rolling it by hand , then by dragging it behind mo , then I ran my rifle through the hub and got it upon my shoulder , when I moved off at a good pace. The sun shining hot soon began to melt the tar in the hub , which began running down my back , both on the inside and outside of my clothes , as well as down along my rifie. I finally got back to the road very tired , stopping to rest , hoping some wagon would come along to help me out , but not one catno in sight that afternoon. In short , I rolled , dragged and carried that wheel , my neck , shoulders and back daubed over with tor , until the train turned out to camp , when I , being missed , was discovered way back in the road , with my wheel. When relief came to me I was nearly tired out with my exertions
