“Did they ever find out how many Injuns was there?  Not def’nite, but near enough.  On th’ tenth annivers’ry of th’ fight th’ survivors held a reunion on th’ battle-field, an’ bein’ as I was line-ridin’ for Tracy’s Tumble H outfit at th’ time, I sneaked off an’ went over.

“They’d done a wonderful thing; somethin’ that’d never bin done before, an’ most likely never’ll be done ag’in.  Dave Barry—­him as th’ Injuns called ‘th’ Shadow Catcher’—­was a great friend o’ Charlie Reynolds, Barry speakin’ Injun talk, an’ bein’ adopted into th’ tribe, an’ savvyin’ Injun ways just th’ same as Charlie did.  An’ Dave wanted t’ get the real dope on th’ fight on Charlie’s account, an’ him bein’ also a close friend of old John Gall, th’ chief what led th’ Injuns in th’ big fight.

“Now, Barry he persuaded—­nobody knows how he done it—­he persuaded John Gall t’ go along t’ this reunion.  An’ then, as if one miracle wasn’t enough, he pulled another.  By golly, he got th’ old man t’ make a talk.  Boys, it sure was some picture, on that June evenin’, t’ see that Injun when th’ blanket fell off his shoulders, standin’ like one o’ them bronze statutes, with th’ settin’ sun a-hittin’ him.  I sure never will forget it.  Old Gall, he pointed here an’ there, showin’ where Rain-in-th’-Face was, an’ where Crazy Hoss was, an’ where Crow King was—­an’ all th’ rest of th’ other chiefs.

“An’ then Barry, who was interpretin’ for th’ old Injun, asked him quiet-like, in th’ Injun lingo, ‘How many of you was there, John?’ An’ th’ old Injun he paused like, while every one waited t’ hear, an’ then he pointed to th’ ground, an’ said some Injun words.  An’ Barry, he said in that quiet, firm, even voice o’ his’n, ’We were like the blades of grass on the ground.’  So you see what th’ old Seventh was up ag’inst, boys.

“A mighty funny thing happened after th’ talk.  You all know Will Curley.  He’s s’posed t’ be th’ only survivor of Custer’s men.  No, I ain’t sure he is.  How should I know?  I wasn’t there, I was with Reno, two miles away.  Well, th’ bunch sorta interduced, or tried t’ interduce, Old John t’ Will Curley.

“Will Curley had somehow got himself a brand-new Stetson, in celebration of th’ occasion, an’ when Barry said, in Injun talk, ’John, this is Will Curley,’ Old John he never moved a muscle, but his eyes looked like forked lightnin’.  You know, Curley is a Crow—­th’ perpetual enemy of th’ Sioux—­an’ in addition t’ that, Curley he was a scout for th’ whites.  Old Gall he walked slowly over t’ Curley, with a walk that made me think o’ nothin’ else on earth but a painter, an’ when he got t’ Will he paused, with everybody holdin’ their breath t’ see what’d happen, an’ then it did happen!

“Th’ old man reached out an’ took that brand-new Stetson off Will Curley’s head, an’ shook it an’ knocked it on all sides, an’ put it on his own head an’ walked away.  Insultin’!—­all I c’n say is, if it ever happened t’ me, it’d be my dyin’ wish that I’d have a gun in each hand.”