will fi nd our dusky neighbors tilling fi elds,
and the blessing will rest on the head of N.C. Meeker.
But a herd of horses skirted the fenced fi eld,
and it seemed to me they looked with a jealous eye
upon the growing crops.
All the Indians we met had a red smear
over their faces. They were very quiet.
I asked one buck if anyone were dead,
but he did not reply.
Mr. Meeker said he would do whatever he could
to bring the two Utes to account. Chief Douglas said
these Utes were not on the Reservation, hence
he could not give them up. Mr. Meeker said
they could not be far away, and Douglas said
he did not know about that. Mr. Meeker told him
it was his duty to send Utes with the Sheriff
to identify the culprits. Douglas was silent,
and with a reed he had, drew lines in the dirt.
Finally he looked up, and a thunder-cloud
was on his brow. He said decidedly
and emphatically that he would not do it. This
ended the council.
At nightfall of the day we left, we saw
a large fi re start ten miles from the Agency,
we constantly saw the smoke of fi res, one fi re
was sweeping the forests on Gore Range, the air
was blue with smoke, and upon every hand
we heard complaints of fi res set by the Utes.