Wellington's Quest by Robert F. Clifton (best books to read now .TXT) 📕

“Sacred pipe?”

“Yep. Now, you as a good Christian you profess to revere Jesus Christ, don't you?”

“Of course”.

“Well the plains Indians revere the White Buffalo Calf Woman. To them she is the Messiah. Legend has it that she appeared to the people who were starving and gave them the buffalo. She also gave them the sacred pipe. It's called the Chanupa. The stem is held in the right hand and the bowl with the left. When the stem and the bowl are put together it represents man and woman. When White Buffalo Calf Woman left, she rolled over on the ground four times. After each roll she appeared as a buffalo calf of a different color. Finally, on the last roll she materialized as a white buffalo calf. Since then, they hold the white buffalo as sacred. The sacred pipe is kept in a skin bag and the bag wrapped in the buffalo robe. To them it is a holy object. So, whoever keeps the sacred pipe and the white buffalo robe is a holy man or woman. The White Buffalo Calf Woman also gave the people seven sacred rites”, explained Sandy.

“So, this fella, One Horn is the Medicine Man”, said Jim

“Probably, providing the old squaw was telling the truth. If she was, then it's like Barney said. One Horn could be anywhere”

Chapter Nine

Winter At Fort Rice On the Yellow Stone River

After the battle of White Stone Hill General Sully marched back to Fort Pierre. He had wounded that needed medical treatment. In addition he was short of supplies. With winter quickly approaching he needed replacements, food, fodder and winter clothing. He decided to wait before going after the tribes and while he did he planned the construction of a new fort.

Jim and Sandy rode out each day in search of the Sioux, looking for any sign of war parties. In particular they looked for sign in those areas used by the woodcutters and water gatherers. Both work parties presented easy targets when working outside of the fort. Yet, as they inspected every bent blade of grass, each bush, high grass and low grass there was no evidence that war parties were near.

During his leisure time Jim learned about the Sioux, their spoken languages, sign language, religion and customs. Eventually, Jim and Sandy were assigned to Colonel Daniel J. Day of the Thirteenth Wisconsin Infantry. Days orders were to construct a new fort at a place called, Long Lake Creek. Sully had received word from Washington that the Sioux, still angry about Whites passing through their land had been attacking civilians, wagon trains and steamboats. As a result fifteen steamboats had been dispatched to the upper Missouri River, all loaded with men and supplies. They would arrive when the river was free from ice.

Out early in the morning Jim rode the banks of the Missouri River looking for any sign of the Sioux. By noon he crossed over and inspected the shoreline of the Yellow Stone River. Riding his mount at a slow walk his eyes examined his immediate surroundings. Then he saw them. He stopped the horse, dismounted and kneeling down studied the moccasin clad footprints in the sand. Now, as a result of gained experience he was able to tell that the prints were one or two days old. He stood up and turned in the direction of the construction site of the new fort. It was easy to see that the Sioux had been watching the movements of the army.

Arriving back at the building site Jim reported directly to Colonel Day.”Sir, it appears are out there watching us. They probably come before daylight and hole up on the banks of the Yellow Stone. They're probably counting how many men and horses you have. By now they now that you don't have cannon, something they fear the most. The cottonwood trees growing near the river provides them with a lot of cover. It might be a good idea to cut those down, instead of the trees your taking now.”

“That means cutting and hauling logs a greater distance. It also means a loss of time”, said the Colonel.

“Better a loss of time than a loss of life”, Jim replied.

“I guess you're right. It means sending out additional men to protect the woodcutters, but I'll do it. I'll have to send word to General Sully explaining the delay”, said Colonel Day.

Each day cottonwood trees were cut down and removed from the rover bank. Each day the construction of the new fort proceeded and the logs were used first, to build the stockade wall and when finished measured five hundred and ten by five hundred feet. The blockhouses guarded the northeast and southwest corners of the fort. Other buildings built inside the formation were built with log walls and sod roofing.

As winter set in construction of the fort slowed. Each morning ice formed on the river banks and the flow of the water carried larger slabs of ice everyday. The ground in and around the fortification was white with hoarfrost or snow. The cottonwood forest that had grown on the banks of the Missouri and Yellow Stone Rivers were gone. Left were the remaining stumps and when covered with snow resembled white, headstones in a cemetery.

An army wagon train arrived from Fort Pierre carrying food, fodder and buffalo hide overcoats. In addition overshoes made of buffalo pelts were issued. Jim found the overcoat warm, but the overshoes made it difficult to place his feet in the stirrups. Still, each day he saddled the Cayuse and rode out on the now frozen prairie searching for any sign of the tribes.

With the Spring thaw the ice began to leave the rivers and the first steamboat arrived carrying needed supplies. New, army replacements came ashore. Many of them were former Confederate prisoners of war, now called “Galvanized Yankees”. These men enlisted in the Union Army and volunteered to fight Indians on the western frontier rather than rot in a Union prison.

Among the supplies were the newly issued Spencer Repeating Rifle.

Jim and Sandy stood and watched and listened as a Sergeant instructed the garrison on the nomenclature and use of the weapon. Later, both men sighted in their issued weapons out on the grassland.

“Well? What do you think?', asked Cahill after both men had shot several rounds.

“Nice having seven rounds and the fifty two caliber cartridge has enough power to knock a man off of his feet or out of his saddle. It doesn't have the range of the Springfield. But rapid fire is an asset”, said Jim.

“Just remember to cock the hammer for each shot”, Cahill responded.

That evening they sat by a fire eating antelope steaks and tipsula (wild turnip). The two men had hunted for and cooked their own meals, a result of sickness hitting the ranks at the fort. Men began to die from diseases, scurvy, typhoid, chronic diarrhea and other illnesses. Jim and Sandy believed the cause was army issued food. To them scurvy was one clue as fresh fruit and vegetables being served was rare. Out of habit as well as necessity they rode two miles up stream to fill their canteens with water from the river. Eighty men died from one disease or another and were buried in the newly created cemetery.

Sandy took a sip of black coffee from his cup. As he did he noticed the far away look in Jim's eyes. “Something on your mind Jim?”, he asked.

“Just thinking. It's been two years since the Minnesota raids. Two years of looking, searching for her and getting no where”.

“Well, at least the army has punished the Sioux”,Sandy replied. “The only Sioux being punished are the women and children. The warriors are born to either hunt or fight. If they die they expect to walk the spirit path and rest in the place for the souls. To them there is no suffering if they die in battle. It is the women and children who are left to suffer”, said Jim.

“Still feeling sorry for them aren't you? You seem to forget that they killed your family, your gal's family and if she's still alive is a captive and probably a slave,”said Sandy.

“No, I haven't forgotten, but I do remember that it was the cheating traders and a corrupt Bureau Of Indian Affairs that caused the uprising.”

“Well, come the thaw Sully will re-supply, train his green troops and get ready to march again. So a lot more warriors are going to die and so will their women and children. Get use to it”, said Sandy.

“I'm not going to argue with you Sandy, but I'll never get use to it”.

“Suit yourself, but the word is that they found gold in Montana and Idaho Territory. Sully received orders to keep the way open for civilians headed that way. That means the Missouri River and the grassland pointing north. All the land west of the river the Sioux claim as theirs. Don't expect them to send out invitations to come into their land”.

“I agree, but someday, the army is going to get its ass kicked. I don't know where or when, but its going to happen”, Jim replied as he got up to wash his plate and cup.

As anticipated, with the spring thaw, Sully received steamboat traffic carrying men and material. His troops were now armed with the new Spencer Carbines. Fresh horses were unloaded, assigned and trained. Army food improved and the deadly diseases disappeared from the fort.

In early June Sully took his First Brigade containing seventeen hundred men and marched, following the Missouri River west, into the Sioux homeland. About the same time fifteen hundred and fifty men left Fort Ridgely in Minnesota.

The two scouts rode out two miles in front of the advancing column of troops. They worked their horses back and forth across the prairie looking for sign of the Sioux and their ponies. They found nothing. As the sun began setting they joined up together and began the ride back towards the army. Cahill suddenly pulled on the reins of his mount stopping the animal. “Wait a minute Jim. Something out there is coming our way”, he said.

Jim turned in his saddle and looked. “It appears to be Barney and he's leading three horses”.

“Yep, and it looks like three bodies draped over the saddles,”said Sandy.

They waited until Barney reined up beside them.“Good to see you two. Got me three deserters that quit the army to run away to the gold fields. Three of them rebel boys”, said Barney.

“By the look of them the Sioux got em before they got too far”, said Sandy.

“Yep, shot em full of arrows, and took their hair. How some ever, I want you two to ride the trail I made comin here. When you get to the spot where I found these three start lookin for the bastards what did this. Meanwhile, I'll send some troops back this way to bring them in. Don't matter much be they alive or be they dead. Here's what's left of the grub I be carryin. Hope you got more. If not, hunt for what you need. Now, I'm a going before these here bodies a start to ripen. See you when you get back”, said Mathis as he nudged his horse forward.

The two scouts didn't ride too far before daylight failed. Winter in the Dakota Territory meant only nine hours of daylight and seeing an old buffalo wallow they stopped and decided to make camp there. After hobbling their horses they made a cold camp and spent the rest of the night alternating between sleep and standing guard.

In the morning they were on the move again following the trail that Barney Mathis made as he had crossed the grassland. Shortly before noon they came to the spot where the