Part 3 (2/2)

We had ridden about threeslowly toward us He reported that he had run into a party of Indian buffalo hunters, and had killed one of the number, and had had one of his horses wounded We i about five ht of hundreds ofup the creek to meet us They for desirous of striking their village, ordered the troops to charge, break through their line, and keep straight on This movement would no doubt have been successfully accomplished had it not been for the rattle-brained and dare-devil French Lieutenant Schinosky, co General Carr's orders, charged upon some Indians at the left, while the rest of the coht on, when it was observed that Schinosky and his company were surrounded by four or five hundred Indians The General, to save the coe back to the rescue The coht had several men and quite a number of horses killed

All this took up valuable ti desperately to keep us fro inforetting away During that afternoon it was all that we could do to hold our own in fighting theevery inch of the ground The General had left word for our wagon train to folloith its escort of two companies, but as it had not made its appearance, he entertained some fears that it had been surrounded, and to prevent the possible loss of the supply train we had to go back and look for it About nine o'clock that evening we found it and went into caht

Early the next day we broke camp and passed down the creek, but there was not an Indian to be seen They had all disappeared and gone on with their village Two e had been located, and here we found nearly everything belonging to or pertaining to an Indian caet away These articles were all gathered up and burned We then pushed out on the trail as fast as possible It led us to the northeast toward the Republican; but as the Indians had a night the start of us, we entertained but little hope of overtaking the the Republican in the afternoon the General called a halt, and as the trail was running on train on to Fort McPherson by the most direct route, while he would follow on the trail of the redskins

Next aining rapidly on the Indians, for we could occasionally see them in the distance About eleven o'clock that day, while Major Babcock was ahead of thea deep ravine, ere surprised by about three hundred warriors, who co out of the ravine on to the rough prairie, the men dis the Indians before us and were so close to them at one ties and caht They left behind them their played-out horses, and forin every direction The trail became divided, and the Indians scattered in s and our horses were about giving out, a halt was called A co loose over the country, and to burn the other Indian property

The co nearly out of rations, I was sent to the nearest point, old Fort Kearny, about sixty miles distant, for supplies

Shortly after we reached Fort McPherson, which continued to be the headquarters of the Fifth Cavalry for some time, we fitted out for a new expedition to the Republican River country, and were re-enforced by three companies of the celebrated pawnee Indian scouts, commanded by Major Frank North General Carr recour, as in command of the department, that I be made chief of scouts in the Department of the Platte, and infores than I had been getting in the Department of the Missouri This appointment I had not asked for

I made the acquaintance of Major Frank North, and I found hiood friends from the very start The pawnee scouts had made quite a reputation for themselves, as they had perforainst the Sioux, whose bitter enehly acquainted with the Republican and Beaver country, I was glad that they were to be with the expedition, and my expectation of the aid they would render was not disappointed

During our stay at Fort McPherson I e P Belden, known as the ”White Chief” I found hi fellow, a splendid rider, and an excellent shot An hour after our introduction he challenged me for a rifle ed We were to shoot ten shots each for fifty dollars, at two hundred yards, off-hand Belden was to use a Henry rifle, while I was to shoot my old ”Lucretia” This match I won, and then Belden proposed to shoot a one-hundred-yardover his distance In this match Belden was victorious We were now even, and we stopped right there

While ere at this post General Augur and several of his officers paid us a visit for the purpose of reviewing the coiment turned out in fine style and showed the military tactics The pawnee scouts were also reviewed, and it was very aular uniforulation cavalry uniform, and on this parade soe black hats, with all the brass accouterments attached; some of them were minus pantaloons, and only wore a breech-clout Others wore regulation pantaloons, but no shi+rts, and were bareheaded; others again had the seat of the pantaloons cut out, leaving only leggings; but for all this they seemed to understand the drill reiven to thee by Major North, who could talk it as well as any full-blooded pawnee The Indians ell mounted, and felt proud and elated because they had been made United States soldiers Major North had for years complete control over these Indians, and could do , after the parade was over, the officers and quite a nuiven by the pawnees, and of all the Indians I have seen, their dances excel those of any other tribe

Next day the command started When encamped, several days after, on the Republican River, near the mouth of the Beaver, we heard the whoops of Indians, followed by shots in the vicinity of the mule herd, which had been taken down to water One of the herders ca in hi him bareback, I at once dashed off after the mule herd, which had been stampeded I supposed certainly that I would be the first round, but I was ular soldiers, had not waited to receive orders from their officers, but had ju ropes in their mouths, had dashed off in the direction whence the shots caot there ahead of me It proved to be a party of about fifty Sioux who had endeavored to stampede our mules, and it took them by surprise to see their inveterate eneallop at them They were not aware that the pawnees ith the coular soldiers soht they would have aive chase

We had a running fight of fifteenthis chase I was mounted on an excellent horse, which Colonel Royal had picked out for me, and for the first mile or tas in advance of the pawnees Presently a pawnee shot bythe horse he was riding Seeing that he possessed rare running qualities, I deteret possession of the anie buckskin or yellow horse, and I took a careful view of him, so that I would know him when I returned to camp

After the chase was over I rode up to Major North and inquired about the buckskin horse

”Oh yes,” said the Major; ”that is one of our favorite steeds”

”What chance is there to trade for hiovern him is very much attached to the animal”

”I have fallen in love with the horse myself,” said I, ”and I would like to know if you have any objections to e it satisfactorily with the Indians?”

He replied, ”None whatever, and I will help you to do it; you can give the Indian another horse in his place”

A few days after this I persuaded the Indian, byhim several presents, to trade horses with me, and in this way I became the owner of the buckskin steed; not as overnave him the name of ”Buckskin Joe,” and he proved to be a fine buffalo hunter In the winter of 1872, after I had left Fort McPherson, Buckskin Joe was condeht by Dave Perry, at North Platte, who in 1877 presented him to me, and I owned him until his death in 1879

The co rivers, occasionally having running fights ay parties of Indians, but did not succeed in getting theeneral battle At the end of twenty days we found ourselves back on the Republican

Hitherto the pawnees had not taken ained their respect and adh the pawnees were excellent buffalo hunters, for Indians, I have never seen one of thele run A nuenerally surround the herd and then dash in upon them, and in this way each one kills froone out in company with Major North and some of the officers, and saw them make a ”surround” Twenty of the pawnees circled a herd and succeeded in killing only thirty-two

While they were cutting up the aniht The Indians were preparing to surround it, when I asked Major North to keep thely informed the Indians of my wish, and they readily consented to let me have the opportunity I had learned that Buckskin Joe was an excellent buffalo horse, and felt confident that I would astonish the natives Galloping in a thirty-six in less than a half- the dead animals out on the prairie, not over fifty feet apart This reatly ad chief, and froh in their esti camp the command took a ard course up the Republican, and Major North, with two companies of cavalry, under the command of Colonel Royal, one into camp, on the Black Tail Deer Fork, we observed a band of Indians co and waving their lances and long poles At first we supposed them to be Sioux, and all was excitement for a few moments We noticed, however, that our pawnee Indiansout to fight the themselves Captain Lute North stepped up to General Carr and said: ”General, those are our ht That is the way they act when they come back from a battle and have taken any scalps”

The pawnees ca to one of theeant, soon found out that they had run across a party of Sioux ere following a large Indian trail These Indians had evidently been in a fight, for two or three of the the injured persons on _travoix_ The pawnees had ”juht, in which much ammunition was expended