The whole post buzzed with speculation about the details of the one-time trader turned peace ambassador’s mission…and with the fact that he came accompanied by several freight wagons hauling gifts for the Sioux and Cheyenne chiefs who would agree to meet with the commission. Andrew and Colonel Cavanaugh stayed closeted with Beauvais for hours on end. The colonel made no secret of his opposition to the peace mission. Nor did Cavanaugh hesitate to deride Beauvais for kowtowing to the “heathen savages.” The more agitated the colonel became, the more he laced himself with laudanum. Finally, Andrew was forced to step in and issue the necessary orders for the couriers Beauvais wanted dispatched to the various chiefs. The post rang for a day and a half with the sound of bugles announcing the patrols’ departures. All this Julia learned in bits and snatches from Andrew. He came by Suds Row each evening to check on her and Suzanne, but the press of duties made his visits brief. Not until the following week, when Julia encountered him by chance after classes, did they have time to talk privately about the rocky start to the peace negotiations.
