For the first fifteen miles, until we came to the Smoky Hill River, which we were to cross, I could hardly keep the mule in advance of the General, who rode a frisky, impatient and ambitious thoroughbred steed; in fact, the whole party was finely mounted.  The General repeatedly told me that the mule was “no good,” and that I ought to have had a good horse.  But after crossing the river and striking the sand-hills, I began letting my mule out a little, and putting the “persuaders” to him.  He was soon out-traveling the horses, and by the time we had made about half the distance to Fort Larned, I occasionally had to wait for the General or some of his party, as their horses were beginning to show signs of fatigue.

“General, how about this mule, anyhow?” I asked, at last.

“Cody, you have a better vehicle than I thought you had,” was his reply.

From that time on to Fort Larned I had no trouble in keeping ahead of the party.  We rode into the fort at four o’clock in the afternoon with about half the escort only, the rest having lagged far behind.

General Custer thanked me for having brought him straight across the country without any trail, and said that if I were not engaged as post scout at Fort Hays he would like to have me accompany him as one of his scouts during the summer; and he added that whenever I was out of employment, if I would come to him he would find something for me to do.  This was the beginning of my acquaintance with General Custer, whom I always admired as a man and as an officer.

[Illustration:  GENERAL CUSTER]

A few days after my return to Fort Hays, the Indians made a raid on the Kansas Pacific Railroad, killing five or six men and running off about one hundred horses and mules.  The news was brought to the commanding officer, who immediately ordered Major Arms, of the Tenth Cavalry—­which, by the way, was a negro regiment,—­with his company and one mountain howitzer, to go in pursuit of the red-skins, and I was sent along with the expedition as scout and guide.  On the second day out we suddenly discovered, on the opposite side of the Saline River, about a mile distant, a large body of Indians, who were charging down upon us.  Major Arms, placing the cannon on a little knoll, limbered it up and left twenty men to guard it; and then, with the rest of the command, he crossed the river to meet the Indians.

Just as he had got the men over the stream, we heard a terrific yelling and shouting in our rear, and looking back to the knoll where the cannon had been stationed, we saw the negroes, who had been left there to guard the gun, flying towards us, being pursued by about one hundred Indians; while another large party of the latter were dancing around the captured cannon, as if they had got hold of an elephant and did not know what to do with it.