Wolves of Eden by Kevin McCarthy

Author:Kevin McCarthy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2018-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

25

THE FT. LARAMIE PEACE TALKS & 1ST MEETING WITH MR. LO (AS WE DO CALL THE INDIANS)

I WILL TAKE UP THE PEN AGAIN SIR BECAUSE I CANNOT sleep for the cold & the terrible thoughts in my head. I do not know what time or day it is now though I suppose it does not matter. It is still today or it is tomorrow but nothing has changed for me since I last wrote here some hours ago.

I was writing before about the march of Col. Carrington’s Overland Parade arriving at Ft. Laramie & we soon learnt the reason for our hauling up there. It was the big Pow Wow between the chiefs of the Sioux & Cheyanne & our very own Big Hats of the Army & Government that was called the Laramie Peace Talks.

Well we now do know how much good them talks were at all for you can see how peaceable they made the lot of us both red & white neither side of us giving a penny f___  for the terms of the treaty signed but preferring the bow & musket all round. But for us back then it did be a rest from the road & we took it as soldiers in any Army would & tore up on a fine old spree.

Sure none of us common Bills knew a thing of the negotiations then only that we were free for a day or 3 with light duties & the Paymaster God Bless Him was due to catch us up there with 2 months back pay & Thank God for that for soldiers do raise a fierce thirst in marching. (You know all this well yourself for I can see it in you no offence Sir. I can smell the whiskey on you when you watch me through the Judas window in my cell door.)

But I will tell you of this time because it has a bearing on events to come though I feel that it is only in writing about it that I will discover how.

Well it was at Ft. Laramie where we did lay eyes on our first proper Indian Braves anyway. Of course we did see Indians before back East even & betimes at Leavenworth come to trade skins or meat but they were common sad fat fellows & no soldier of Uncle Sam’s Army would fear them much. And we did see 1 or 2 on the march as well but at some distance. It would happen that one of us Bills would point to a faraway hill where a lone rider or 2 on horseback spied on our dusty parade as it plied the Platte River bank.

“Injins boys,” would say the fellow to spot them. “Taking our measure so’s he can have our hair for a winter hat.”

We would have a fine chuckle at that & point at Buffalo Stu a bald fellow of barely 30 years of age from the great falls of Niagara or the city called Buffalo close by them saying, “Well then you are safe Stu.

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