That afternoon Gen. Wheaton sent for me, and I responded to the call at once.  When I arrived at the General’s camp he opened the conversation by saying:  “Captain, have you heard of the meeting that is to take place between Gen. Canby and Captain Jack?”

I said:  “No, General, I had heard nothing of it.”  This being a little white lie, for it had been told me in confidence by Col.  Miller.  I asked what the object of the meeting was, and when and where it was to be.

He said it was for the purpose of effecting a treaty with Captain Jack, and was to be held in a little glade or opening on the other side of Dry Lake canyon, this being about one mile south of headquarters, and within a quarter of a mile of Captain Jack’s stronghold.  Said he:  “Gen. Canby and Rev. Col.  Thomas, accompanied by George Meeks and his squaw as interpreters, are to meet Captain Jack there without escort or even side arms.  Now, Captain, tell me seriously, what you think of this affair.”

I said:  “General, they may go, but they will never return.”

The General then asked me if I would have a talk with Gen. Canby.  I told him that if Gen. Canby asked for my opinion in the matter I would give it just as frankly as I would to you, otherwise I had nothing to say, for Gen. Canby was a man that seemed to feel too much elevated to speak to a scout, except just to give orders.  Gen. Wheaton told me that he would see Gen. Canby himself and have a talk with him.  This was on Friday previous to the Sunday on which they were to meet in council.

In the afternoon of the same day it was reported that there had been Indians seen along Tule Lake.  I mounted my horse and started with a platoon of soldiers and a sergeant, and when we had advanced about twelve miles I was riding about two hundred yards in advance I saw something dodge into a bunch of sarvis brush.  Beckoning to the sergeant, he dashed up to my side and said:  “What’s up, Captain?”

“I got a glimpse of something just as it ran into that patch of brush, and I think it was an Indian.”

He had his men surround the brush and I went to scare the Indian out.  I searched that patch of brush thoroughly, but could find no Indian or anything else, and the boys all enjoyed a hearty laugh at my expense.

The sergeant proposed that we all have a smoke, so we turned our horses loose to graze.  The sergeant lit his pipe, threw off his overcoat and laid down to rest.  As he cast his eyes heavenward in the direction of the top of the only pine tree that stood in that patch of brush, he exclaimed:  “Captain, I have found your Indian.”  Of course we all commenced looking for the Indian, and I asked where he was, whereupon he told me to look up in the pine tree, and on looking I beheld an Indian with whom I was well acquainted, as he had been to my ranch several times in company with Captain Jack.

I asked him to come down, telling him that I would protect him if he would, but he would not utter a word, nor would he come down.  I tried for at least a half hour to induce him to come down until I had exhausted all the persuasive powers I possessed, but to no avail.