up, Major Brown said:

"Cody, allow me to introduce you to Colonel E.B.O. Judson, otherwise
known as Ned Buntline."

"Colonel Judson, I am glad to meet you," said I; "the Major tells me that
you are to accompany us on the scout."

"Yes, my boy, so I am," said he; "I was to deliver a temperance lecture
to-night, but no lectures for me when there is a prospect for a fight.
The Major has kindly offered me a horse, but I don't know how I'll stand
the ride, for I haven't done any riding lately; but when I was a young
man I spent several years among the fur companies of the Northwest, and
was a good rider and an excellent shot."

"The Major has given you a fine horse, and you'll soon find yourself at
home in the saddle," said I.

The command soon pulled out for the South Platte River, which was very
wide and high, owing to recent mountain rains, and in crossing it we had
to swim our horses in some places. Buntline was the first man across. We
reached O'Fallon's at eleven o'clock, and in a short time I succeeded in
finding the Indian trail; the party seemed to be a small one, which had
come up from the south. We followed their track to the North Platte, but
as they had a start of two days, Major Brown abandoned the pursuit, and
returned to Fort McPherson, while I went back to Fort Sedgwick,
accompanied by Buntline.

During this short scout, Buntline had asked me a great many questions,
and he was determined to go out on the next expedition with me, providing
he could obtain permission from the commanding officer. I introduced him
to the officers--excepting those he already knew--and invited him to
become my guest while he remained at the post, and gave him my pony
Powder Face to ride.

By this time I had learned that my horse Tall Bull was a remarkably fast
runner, and therefore when Lieutenant Mason, who was quite a sport and
owned a racer, challenged me to a race, I immediately accepted it. We
were to run our horses a single dash of half a mile for one hundred
dollars a side. Several of the officers, and also Reub. Wood, the
post-trader, bantered me for side bets, and I took them all until I had
put up my last cent on Tall Bull.

The ground was measured off, the judges were selected, and all other
preliminaries were arranged. We rode our horses ourselves, and coming up
to the score nicely we let them go. I saw from the start that it would be
mere play to beat the Lieutenant's horse, and therefore I held Tall Bull