do not
kill me, they will still suffer for they have disobeyed orders. I do not
know whether I will pass through this battle or not, but if I live, I will
recommend you boys and you will be leaders of the Crows. Tomorrow I want
five of my Crow boys to go on the trail." We started just before
daybreak. When we started we saw some of the Mandans running round on the
top of the hill, and Goes-Ahead told me to go back and tell the command
that they must not have these Mandans running round over the hills, but to
keep them down in the valley, as we might be near the Sioux camp and would
be discovered before we knew it. Then they ordered these Mandans to come
down from the hills and stay down. When I started back I heard a howl
like a coyote. White Swan, Hairy Moccasin, Goes-Ahead, and
White-Man-Runs-Him were coming in to report. The Sioux had broken camp
the day before and had camped above where their old camp was on the Little
Rosebud. Custer told us to go on ahead and see which way they went, and
we came to where they had broken camp. We followed the trail until we saw
that they had camped on the Little Horn, and then we noticed that the
Sioux had gone toward the Little Horn and we waited at the head of Tallec
Creek for the command to come up. The command did not come up, for they
had camped on the Little Rosebud; and we went back to the camp. Then the
scouts had an argument, and I went by myself and asked Custer what we
should do. Custer asked me what I came back for. I told him that the
trail of the Sioux had gone to the west, toward the Little Horn, and that
I had come back for further orders. Then Custer told me to get my supper,
and take a lunch for the other scouts, and take with me two soldiers and
go on and camp on the hill in sight of the enemy. I was lying down at
daybreak, half asleep--the boys said they saw the camp where the Sioux were
located. I got up and saw them through the smoke. The command came
halfway toward us and then stopped and this officer who was with us wrote
a message for General Custer, and sent a Mandan scout back with it.
Custer did not wait. As soon as he got the message his men moved on
rapidly toward the Custer Field. Then Custer said: "We will charge upon
them now--that settles their journey." Custer then gave the order to
inspect their guns. Soon they started on down the ridge. Custer told us
to go on ahead. We followed the creek all the way down. There was half a