They were gesticulating wildly
to us. Frank Burton, who was standing near me, shouted, "Henry, get
your carbine and fall in with me on the left!"
"Don't expose yourselves, boys," I said. "The colonel told me to keep
you out of danger."
"We are needed, sir," answered Frank, promptly, and the two youngsters
instantly placed themselves on the left of the line.
I broke the company to the rear through the intervals between the
cabins. The men had only the marching allowance of ten rounds of
ammunition, so I had a couple of boxes broken open with an axe, and
cartridges were distributed to them. The two Mexicans joined us, and
steadily and rapidly we advanced up the slope to unite with the guard.
Scarcely two hundred yards distant we saw a compact body of over three
hundred Indians. They were charging down upon us, and with a general
and frightful war-whoop they began firing.
We deployed as skirmishers. The men fired by volleys, sheltering
themselves behind bowlders, logs, and ridges.
Instantly, at the head of the mounted column, there was an emptying of
saddles.
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