On arriving here I found General Connor just making preparations to move with almost his entire force against the Ute Indians, who at this time were concentrating their forces in Cash Valley, and committing a great many depredations in that part of the country.

CHAPTER XXV.

Three thousand dead Indians.—­A detective from Chicago.—­He goes home with an old Mormon’s youngest wife and gets into trouble.—­ The flight.

Gen. Connor offered me a position as scout, which I accepted, and on the sixth day after my arrival at Fort Douglas, in company with two other scouts, I struck out in advance of the command.  In the forenoon of the eighth day from the fort we found the Indians on a tributary of Cash Valley in a deep canyon and fortified.  They had cut logs and rolled them down the hill, piling them on each side of the canyon, several feet high and had intermingled them with brush.  This was the first fortification I had ever seen built by Indians.

We returned and met the command that night, and when we were making our report to the General he asked me what the fortifications looked like.  I told him that I could not think of anything to compare them to, but that I thought they could be swept very easily by a Howitzer from above and below.  He asked me if I would accompany one of his commissioned officers that night to see the fortifications, and I told him I would.  After supper that evening a Captain came to me, whose name I am sorry to say I have forgotten, and asked me if I was the man that was to accompany him to the Indian fortifications.  I told him that I was, and he asked what time we had better start.  I told him we had better start at once as there would be a moon in the fore part of the night, but that the after part would be very dark.  So we mounted our horses and were off.

We rode to within about three-quarters of a mile of the fortifications and there we remained until it was light enough to see, and then the Captain took out his glasses and scanned the whole country as well as the fortifications.  After looking about half an hour the Captain asked me what I thought of it, and what would be my plan of attack.  I told him that I had no idea, as I had never seen Indians fortified before.  He said it would be a bloody fight, I said yes, but I thought the blood would all be on one side.  “Yes,” replied the Captain, “we ought to clean them out without losing ten men.”

We went to our horses, mounted, and rode back to the command as quick as we could, meeting it about four miles from the fortifications, piloted by the two scouts that had been out with me the day before.

The Captain and Gen. Connor had a long conversation as we moved along.  When within a mile of the mouth of this canyon Gen. Connor formed his men in line, one half to go on each side of the canyon in which the Indians were fortified, and the cannon were placed at the mouth of the canyon.