“By the way, Cody, we’re going to have a character with us on this scout.  It’s old ‘Ned Buntline,’ the novelist.”

At the same time I saw a stoutly built man near by who wore a blue military coat.  On his breast were pinned perhaps twenty badges of secret societies and gold medals.  He limped a little as he approached me, and I concluded that this must be the novelist.

“He has a good mark to shoot at on his left breast,” I said to Brown, “but he looks like a soldier.”  I was introduced to him by his real name, which was Colonel E.Z.C.  Judson.

“I was to deliver a temperance lecture tonight,” said my new acquaintance, “but no lecture for me when there is a prospect of a fight.  The major has offered me a horse, but I don’t know how I shall stand the ride.”

I assured him that he would soon feel at home in the saddle, and we set out.  The command headed for the North Platte, which had been swollen by mountain rains.  In crossing we had to swim our horses.  Buntline was the first man across.

We reached O’Fallen’s Station at eleven o’clock.  In a short time I succeeded in finding an Indian trail.  The party of Indians, which had come up from the south, seemed to be a small one.  We followed the track of the Indians, to the North Platte, but they had a start of two days.  Major Brown soon abandoned the pursuit, and returned to Fort Sedgwick.  During this short scout, Buntline had plied me with questions.  He was anxious to go out on the next scout with me.

By this time I had learned that my horse, Tall Bull, was a remarkably fast runner.  Therefore, when Lieutenant Mason, who owned a racer, challenged me to a race, I immediately accepted.  We were to run our horses a single dash of a half mile for five hundred dollars a side.

Several of the officers, as well as Rube Wood, the post-trader, offered to make side bets with me.  I took them up until I had my last cent on Tall Bull.

I saw from the start that it would be easy to beat the lieutenant’s horse, and kept Tall Bull in check, so that no one might know how fast he really was.  I won easily, and pocketed a snug sum.  Everybody was now talking horse race.  Major Brown said that if Tall Bull could beat the Pawnees’ fast horse, I could break his whole command.

The next day all the troops were paid off, including the Pawnees.  For two or three days our Indian allies did nothing but run horses, as all the lately captured animals had to be tested to determine which was the swiftest.  Finally the Pawnees offered to run their favorite against Tall Bull.  They raised three hundred dollars to bet on their horse, and I covered the money.  In addition I took numerous side bets.  The race was a single dash of a mile.  Tall Bull won without any trouble, and I was ahead on this race about seven hundred dollars.