bearing on events to come though I feel that it is only in writing about it that I will discover how.
Well it was at Ft. Laramie where we did lay eyes on our first proper Indian Braves anyway. Of course we did see Indians before back East even & betimes at Leavenworth come to trade skins or meat but they were common sad fat fellows & no soldier of Uncle Sam’s Army would fear them much. And we did see 1 or 2 on the march as well but at some distance. It would happen that one of us Bills would point to a faraway hill where a lone rider or 2 on horseback spied on our dusty parade as it plied the Platte River bank.
“Injins boys,” would say the fellow to spot them. “Taking our measure so’s he can have our hair for a winter hat.”
We would have a fine chuckle at that & point at Buffalo Stu a bald fellow of barely 30 years of age from the great falls of Niagara or the city called Buffalo close by them saying, “Well then you are safe Stu. Your scalp would leave a Brave right f_____ cold come winter.”
And Stu would say, “That may be right boys but my ball sack would make a fine hairy hat for an Injin baby.”
“An ugly f_____ hat that would be Stu,” says another Bill.
“Ugly f_____ babies,” says Stu & we did all laugh.
I remember saying, “A fierce strange man you are putting the mockers on us talking of losing the ball sack Stu talking like that God Bless Us.”
“Talking like how Paddy Mick? Can you talk like I am talking? In English & all Paddy Mick? Hell them Injins would make a fine pair a boots from that thick Irish tongue of yours.”
Stu was a gasbag of a man a fine Yankee Bill altogether & a veteran like myself & Tom. Also like us he was a 2nd time take on man who did freely admit to coming back in the Army under a different name because he put his cousin up the spout while her husband was away in Canada. “A French Canuck,” says Stu, “is not the type to be trifled with!” & so Stu took on again with the 18th & kept us mightily entertained. God Keep Him Close for he is dead & gone Buffalo Stu or so we do think as he went out to meet the woodtrain one day in October by himself (a fool thing but done at the time before Carrington put a stop to it with one of his Special Orders) & well poor Stu was never to be seen again.
I tell you Sir on that long march we had a smile most of the days & the ragging between us was mighty. Even Tom took his rags from the boys about the campfire his spirit better by far since he made acquaintance with his darling whore. I did worry betimes when some fellow would crack on about the brother’s dinted gob for as I did tell you he was once terrible handsome to look at & it is not easy to go from pretty to what he is like now overnight but in them days Tom just gave a smile or raised an idle fist or shook his head.
But forgive me Sir for it is Laramie I am writing of how it was there at that Pow Wow where we met our first real & proper Indian Braves the ones who will fill you full of arrows & take your scalp or your ball sack if you are not careful. Our first sign of them was near a mile of tee pees along the river outside the Ft. I tell you there must of been 1000 of them & soon we would meet the boys who camped in them.
A fine lot them red boys were & taller than you may think for the Indian Paint horse they raise up as a breed well these are small & betimes bowbacked but the Sioux & Cheyanne lads they are tall men some of them taller than manys the Bill sent to fight them. As well they appear stronger in the arm & shoulders on the whole with fine white teeth & long plaited hair shining with buffalo grease some with Eagle feathers in bands or larriots round their heads & some without & some wearing shirts of cotton or calico. Others their chests are