Rangers and sovereignty Page: 55 of 188

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RANGERS AND SOVEREIGNTY

But three of my men were mounted on good, big
Spanish horses that held their speed and kept the
interval closed about the same for five or six miles,
through the mud nearly knee deep, when my "boys"
discovered the Indians' horses were weakening. Then
for a fight, was in order. My men knew that help
was impossible, as they had left all the others early in
the chase. James Hawkins, John Cupp and Willianm
Springer were the men who overtook them. They
determined to fight it out if not one of them ever
returned to camp. So, very soon, the firing commenced.
The country was open, practically a prairie.
The Indians tried a flank movement on them several
times in order to surround them, but my men caught
the move in time and would give back a little, breaking
their strength in the center and they could easily
take care of the flankers. So, this went on, probably
two hours. My men had the best of it in horses, as
their horses were strong, on grain, and the Indian's
horses were grass fed. During the fight my men got
two of them "down for good," and saw them drag
off another one with a rope attached to a horse, which
was the only horse they got away with. None of my
"boys" were hurt. After a little relax from excitement
and fatigue the Rangers began to gather up
their horses and spoils of battle, returning to camp
late in the night.
Sergeant Reynolds had come into camp late in the
evening and reported the last he had seen of tin