“I can’t allow any such business as this, Cody,” he exclaimed.  “What do you mean by it!”

“I didn’t care about asking for wagons this time, Colonel,” I replied.  “I thought I would make the buffaloes furnish their own transportation.”

The colonel saw the force of my defense, and had no more to say on the subject.

No Indians had been seen in the vicinity during the day.  Colonel Royal, having posted his pickets, supposed that everything was serene for the night.  But before morning we were aroused by shots, and immediately afterward one of the mounted pickets came galloping into camp with the announcement that there were Indians close at hand.  All the companies fell into line, prepared and eager for action.  The men were still new to Indian fighting.  Many of them were excited.

But, despite the alarm, no Indians made their appearance.  Upon going to the post where the picket said he had seen them, none were to be found, nor could the faintest trace be discovered.

The sentinel, an Irishman, insisted that there certainly had been redskins there.

“But you must be mistaken,” said the colonel.

“Upon me sowl, I’m not.  As sure as me name’s Pat Maloney, wan iv them red devils hit me on th’ head with a club, so he did,” persisted the picket.

When morning came we made a successful effort to clear up the mystery.  Elk tracks were found in the vicinity, and it was undoubtedly a herd of elk that had frightened the picket.  When he turned to flee he must have hit his head on an overhanging limb, which he supposed was the club of a redskin, bent on his murder.  It was hard, however, to convince him that he could have been mistaken.

Three days’ march brought us to Beaver Creek, where we encamped and where scouts were sent out in different directions.  None of these parties discovered Indians, and they all returned to camp at about the same time.  They found it in a state of excitement.  A few hours before the return of the scouts the camp had been attacked by a party of redskins, who had killed two men and made off with sixty horses belonging to Company H.

That evening the command started on the trail of the horse thieves.  Major Brown with two companies and three days’ rations pushed ahead in advance of the main command.  On the eighteenth day out, being unsuccessful in the chase, and nearly out of rations, the entire command marched toward the nearest railroad station and camped on the Saline river, three miles distant from Buffalo Tank.

While waiting for supplies we were joined by a new commanding officer, Brevet-Major-Greneral E.A.  Carr, who was the senior major of the regiment and ranked Colonel Royal.  He brought with him the celebrated Forsythe Scouts, who were commanded by Lieutenant Pepoon, a regular-army officer.

While in this camp, Major Brown welcomed a new lieutenant, who had come to fill a vacancy in the command.  This was A.B.  Bache, and on the day he was to arrive Major Brown had his private ambulance brought out and invited me to ride with him to the railroad station to meet the lieutenant.  On the way to the depot he said: