defenses and supplies within then I felt secure of standing a fifteen or twenty days' siege against any number of prairie Indians, and the larger the number the shorter the period they could devote to a siege. Every man having bee assigned the position of his cartridges and caps as would enable him to load the most expeditiously. At 9 p. m. the usual guard was set and the rest of the men directed to lay upon their arms in the trenches. The moon was at its full and the night clear, so that with the aid of glasses the guard could detect the movements of men around them. Until 2 o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, July 20, nothing unusual could be detected in any direction. About that time, however, three horsemen were discovered passing along the foot of the hill one-third of a mile distant, and proceeding toward an arm of the lake where the rushes were high enough to cover them. The men were immediately aroused and on the alert watching closely in every direction. In a few minutes other horsemen were seen approaching under cover of rushes on the end of the other arm of the lake. Shortly after five horsemen were discovered approaching the camp from the fort of the hill. They were allowed to approach to within about 400 yards, when they were hailed and asked who they were and what they wanted at the time of night. They replied that they ware Sioux and wished to come to our camp. They were told that no one could be allowed to come to the camp at night, and if they continued to approach they would be fired upon. Up to this time nothing unusual had been seen upon the hill north and nearest to he camp, but when the horsemen stated, in a loud voice, that they had been told they would be fired upon if they continued to approach the camp, in an instant, and as if by magic, the hill was covered by horsemen. A conversation then ensued, when the Indians said their numbers, and that we would then learn who they were and what they wanted. They were told that they would not be permitted to approach the camp at night without being shot at, let their numbers be great or small. About this time the five horsemen again began to advance upon the camp, and large numbers were seen descending the hill, and the soldiers' war-whoops wounded in all directions. I felt satisfied a rush would be made upon us in a short time if decisive measures were not adopted, and determined to act promptly, let the consequences be what they might. I therefore again notified the Indians that if they advanced any nearer the camp I would fire upon them. The response was the war-whoop, closely followed by an order to fire, and the report of my carbine. Other scouts firing about the same time, some twelve or fifteen shots were fired from that side of the camp with commendable rapidity, and were returned by the Indians for a short time after the first gun was fired the flat was clear of Indians, and we had the satisfaction to learn that some fifty or sixty Indians, and we had been stationed within 500 or 600 yards of the camp, ready to rush in as soon as the signal should be given. They did not move as carefully and secretly in returning from the flat as they had in getting onto it. As the Indians withdrew we ceased firing, and then the approach of a large body of men along the south side of the lake became perceptible. They advanced with yells, but the war-whoop was seldom heard among them. As the party neared the end of the lake near the hill they were urged to "keep up north and not go near the camp, as the people there are fools; they have fired upon us, and will fire upon you if you go near them."