ies, the Pawnees, coming toward them at full
gallop. They had no idea the Pawnees were with the command. They knew
that it would take regular soldiers a few minutes to turn out, and
fancied they would have plenty of time to stampede the herd and get
away.

In a running fight of fifteen or twenty miles several of the Sioux were
killed. I was mounted on an excellent horse Colonel Royal had selected
for me. For the first mile or two I was in advance of the Pawnees. Soon
a Pawnee shot past me. I could not help admiring the horse he was
riding. I determined that if possible that horse should be mine. He was
a big buckskin, or yellow horse. I took a careful look at him, so as to
recognize him when we got back to camp.

After the chase was over I rode over to Major North and asked him about
the animal. I was told that he was one of the favorite steeds of the
command.

"What chance is there to trade for him?" I asked.

"It is a Government horse," replied the Major. "The Indian who rides
him is very much attached to him."

I told Major North I had fallen in love with the horse, and asked if he
had any objections to my trying to secure him. He replied that he had
not. A few days later, after making the Indian several presents, I
persuaded him to trade horses with me. In this way I became possessed
of the buckskin, although he still remained Government property. I
named him Buckskin Joe, and he proved to be a second Brigham.

I rode him during the summers of '69, '70, '71, and '72. He was the
horse ridden by the Grand Duke Alexis on his buffalo hunt. In the
winter of '72, after I had left Fort McPherson, Buckskin Joe was
condemned and sold at public sale to Dave Perry at North Platte. In
1877 he presented him to me. He remained on my ranch on the Dismal
River for many years, stone blind, until he died.

At the end of twenty days, after a few unimportant running fights, we
found ourselves back to the Republican River.

Hitherto the Pawnee scouts had not taken much interest in me. But while
at the camp I gained their respect and admiration by showing them how
to kill buffaloes. Though they were excellent buffalo killers, for
Indians, I had never seen them kill more than four or five animals in
one run. A number of them would surround a herd and dash in on it, each
one killing from one to four buffaloes. I had gone out in company with
Major North, and watched them make a "surround." Twenty Pawnees,
circling a herd, killed t