Page:On the border with Crook - Bourke - 1892.djvu/383

 provocation sufficient to lead a corpse to laugh itself out of its shroud.

One of the biggest liars among Stanton's scouts—I do not recall whether it was "Slap-jack Billy, the Pride of the Pan-Handle," or "Pisen-weed Patsey, the Terror of the Bresh"—was devoting a half-hour of his valuable time to "gettin' in his work" on the victim, and was riding one pony and leading another, which he had tied to the tail of the first by a rope or halter. This plan worked admirably, and would have been a success to the end had not the led pony started at some Indian clothing in the trail, and jumped, and pulled the tail of the leader nearly out by the roots. The front horse wasn't going to stand any such nonsense as that; he squealed and kicked and plunged in rage, sending his rider over his head like a rocket, and then, still attached to the other, something after the style of a Siamese twin, charged through the column of scouts, scattering them in every direction. But this paroxysm of hilarity was soon over, and the correspondent subsided into his normal condition of deep-settled melancholy. He left us when we reached the Yellowstone, and I have never blamed him.

One of the facts brought out in the telegrams received by General Crook was that eight warriors, who had left the hostiles and surrendered at Red Cloud Agency, had reported that the main body of the hostiles would turn south. Lieutenant E. B. Robertson, Ninth Infantry, found a soapstone dish on the line of march, which could have come from the Mandans only, either by trade or theft; or, possibly, some band of Mandans, in search of buffalo, had penetrated thus far into the interior and had lost it.

In a telegram sent in to Sheridan about this date Crook said: "On the 25th or 26th, all the hostile Indians left the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, and moved back in the direction of the Rosebud Mountains, so that it is now impracticable to communicate with General Terry by courier. I am fearful that they will scatter, as there is not sufficient grass in that country to support them in such large numbers. If we meet the Indians in too strong force, I will swing around and unite with General Terry. Your management of the agencies will be a great benefit to us here."

We had one busy day; saddles had to be exchanged or repaired,