he had his wagons form a double
column with about forty infantrymen flanking either side and the thirteen-man
cavalry unit at the front. The Indians, after discovering that Tehan was
missing, came upon the train as it was crossing the divide between the
Canadian and Washita rivers. They began firing at it from long range while
a small group ascended the ridge ahead of the wagons; but the cavalry's
defensive maneuvers enabled the train to move twelve miles farther south,
to almost a mile from the Washita. About mid-afternoon, as the wagons emerged
from a steep ravine, they were suddenly set upon by about seventy mounted
warriors, who rushed in with heavy rifle fire. As Lyman hastily formed
the vehicles into a protective circle, the Indians came close to overrunning
them. At sunset the Indians broke off the attack,allowing Lyman's men
to dig protective rifle pits, organize a better defense, and get water
from a pool about 400 yards away. The Indians likewise dug in for a prolonged
siege.

On the afternoon of September 10, Lyman, seeing
that the situation was critical not only for his own men but for Miles's
column, penned a formal message to the commander at Camp Supply, telling
of his plight and requesting reinforcements. In the meantime Tehan slipped
away and went back to his adopted people. He probably advised the Kiowas
to fortify the waterhole, and the besieged train endured nearly two days
without sufficient water as the Indians, whom Lyman estimated to be nearly
400 in number, continued taking potshots at the whites. By September 12
various parties of Indians had begun pulling out to continue their intended
trek south toward Palo