“Andy, you’ve been looking at the same sign I have. That trail we been following looks like a whole village was on the move.”
“Yeah, but like I said, there’s over six hundred of us.”
Squint seemed perplexed. “That ain’t the point. The point is where they’re headed. Ever since the spring snows melted, Injuns have been leaving the reservations to join Sittin’ Bull. Sittin’ Bull’s camp is somewhere on the Yellowstone or Little Big Horn and that’s where this trail is leading. There ain’t no tellin’ how many Sioux and Cheyenne and Arapaho there are in these basins.”
Andy thought this over for a moment. “I reckon you’re probably right, but we’re supposed to join up with General Terry in a couple of days. And Tom told me we’re supposed to join up with a bunch from Fort Fetterman and another bunch is coming down from Montana. Hell, we’re gonna have enough soldiers to clean out the territory before we’re through.”
“Maybe, but I still think we’re awful damn close to a helluva lot of Injuns and I ain’t seen none of them other soldiers yet.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of one of the Pawnee scouts returning to camp. “He shore is riding that horse hard,” Andy observed. “Reckon he found something.”
“Looks that way, don’t it?”
They were not long in finding out. Before Squint had finished his coffee and put out his fire, they heard the officers barking out commands to prepare to mount. A few minutes later they were joined by Tom, riding toward the rear of the column.
“We’re moving out,” Tom confirmed. “The scouts spotted some smoke on the far side of the ridge. There’s a hostile camp on the river. Colonel Custer wants to catch ’em before they can scatter and disappear into the hills. Andy, he wants you to ride back with the scouts and look it over.”
Squint stepped up on the Appaloosa and reined back while Andy galloped off to the head of the column. Andy called back after him to follow. He was about to do so when Captain Benteen rode up to them and signaled for Squint to join him and Tom.
“Tom, your men ready to move?” Benteen asked. “Let’s move smartly, mister. The colonel wants to catch them napping.” He turned to Squint. “You can go ahead with Coulter, but when you get back, I want you with me. Is that understood?”
“Yessir,” Squint replied quietly. “I’ll be back.” He rode off in pursuit of Andy.
* * *
The column marched at quick pace toward the Little Big Horn. Andy and Squint, along with three Pawnee scouts, were far out in front. When they were about two miles from the river, Squint held up his hand, motioning for the scouts to halt.
“What is it?” Andy whispered and, before Squint could answer, he saw what had stopped him. “I see ’em,” he said softly. On the far side of the river, several tipis could be seen. “How many you reckon?”
“Don’t know. We need to get closer.”
They decided to send the Pawnee scouts back to notify Custer of the Sioux camp while they went on a little closer. “Tell him, many Injuns ahead,” Andy instructed the scouts. When they had gone, he and Squint rode on another mile closer. From this point, they could see more lodges along the west bank of the river.
“Sizable camp,” Andy said. “Whaddaya think? Maybe four, five hundred?”
Squint was not sure. “Don’t know. From what we can see from here, I’d say that was a pretty fair estimate. We probably oughta come back and scout up the river a’ways after we report this to Custer.”
“Reckon you’re right,” Andy agreed. “Let’s go tell the general.” They mounted up and returned to intercept the column.
* * *
Some five miles from the point where Andy and Squint scouted the Sioux camp, Little Wolf sat cleaning his rifle. Unknown to the two scouts, the great Sioux and Cheyenne camp stretched some four miles along the Little Big Horn. The lodge Little Wolf sat before at that moment was on the northern end of the village. He had been a very busy man since he rode in the night before. It had been dark for several hours when he arrived and he went straight to Two Moon’s lodge to report the presence of the soldiers between the Rosebud and the Little Big Horn. Two Moon, the Cheyenne war chief, was surprised to hear of this and he took Little Wolf to report the news to Sitting Bull.
“It is as I promised you,” the Sioux spiritual chief told them. He received the news with a calm that indicated the confidence he felt. Sitting Bull had been making medicine for many days and his visions had foretold of the coming of Custer. Only a few days before he had told his war chiefs of a vision sent to him that told of many soldiers coming, and in the vision, he saw the soldiers dying and falling to the ground like hundreds of dead leaves.
“How many are the soldiers?” Sitting Bull asked.
Little Wolf replied that he estimated there to be four or five hundred, maybe more; it was difficult to be sure in the fading light. Sitting Bull called for a council of all the war chiefs to alert them to ready their warriors to repel an attack on the village. Among the leaders, Gall and Crazy Horse urged that a counterforce be mounted to meet the soldiers before they reached the village. Others were not convinced this was the thing to do. Sitting Bull listened to the arguments for a while before speaking.
“Why should we go out to do battle? It is better to wait here and defend our village. We are many more in number than the soldiers. They would be foolish to attack us. They will have to cross the river to get to us. It is better to hide our warriors in the gullies along the riverbanks and in the high grass between the river and the village. We will cut them down as they cross the river. I have seen it this way in my vision.”
So confident were the war chiefs in the prophecy of Sitting Bull that they felt invincible. They would heed his advice and see to the readiness of their warriors. It was very late when Little Wolf returned to the tipi of his friend Sleeps Standing but it mattered little, for everyone in the village was awake and scurrying about to prepare for battle.
Even though the leaders had decided they could defend the village successfully, the women, Rain Song among them, were still busy packing for flight in case it became necessary to abandon the camp. For this reason, Little Wolf had no opportunity to speak to Rain Song alone. He had hoped to hint to her what his dream had told him but it had to be done in the right way. Although he had been unable to rid his mind of her, his ego dictated that he should not tell her this at this point. There was a remote chance that she might have changed her mind about wanting him and he did not want to risk damaging his dignity. So, in the bustle of a camp preparing to fight, there was no time for anything else, other than a glance in her direction as he went about the business of making war.
So now he sat, cleaning his rifle, hoping to have an opportunity to speak to her before the certain chaos that was bound to take place in a matter of hours. But it was not to be. Sleeps Standing rode up at that moment.
“Little Wolf! Come quickly! Two Moon summons you.”
He responded without delay. Sliding his rifle in its buckskin saddle sheath and leaping upon the Medicine Hat, Little Wolf followed his friend toward the center of the village where Two Moon was in council with his war chiefs. When they rode up, he interrupted his talk to greet them.
“Little Wolf, we have need of your keen eyes and silent step. The soldiers cannot be far from our village. If they are indeed bent on attacking us, it will be before the sun is directly overhead. We must be sure where they plan to attack us. Time is short and we must be ready. I have been in council with the Sioux chiefs. Since the soldiers are approaching the lower end of the village where the Sioux are camped, Gall’s warriors will conceal themselves in the gullies and ravines along the river. Crazy Horse will hide his braves in the tall grass on this side of the river. We will ride to the point of attack to strengthen our brothers. You and Sleeps Standing must cross the river and signal us as soon as you can see where the soldiers are going to try to cross. I will hold my warriors on the rise beyond the Sioux lodges. I can see your signal from
there if you take a position on the hill we can see beyond the bluffs.” He pointed to a distant hill across the river. “Will you do this?”
“We will go at once,” Little Wolf responded. He and Sleeps Standing exchanged brief glances and Little Wolf wondered if his own face reflected the radiance he saw in his friend’s. The excitement that he read in Sleeps Standing’s eyes told him that his friend was filled with the anticipation of combat and the glory that accompanied it. There was a feeling of tense anticipation throughout the entire village. Maybe it was due to Sitting Bull’s prophecies of the victory to come, he wasn’t sure. But this day was somehow different from battles he had engaged in in the past and he was caught up in the excitement that flowed through his people on this day.
They galloped through the busy camp and crossed the river. On the far side, Gall’s warriors were already positioning themselves in the many gulleys along the water’s edge. Painted faces with the same excitement he had seen on Sleeps Standing’s face looked up at him at they rode by. This was to be a day of glory for his people.
When they reached the specified hilltop, they hobbled their horses out of sight behind the hill and waited, searching the rolling plains to the south and east for the first signs of cavalry. Looking back across the river, they could see Two Moon and his war council waiting on the rise of ground directly behind the tipis of Lame Dog’s band of Lakotas.
“A man can ask for no greater honor than this,” Sleeps Standing stated, the excitement in his voice causing it to tremble as he spoke. Little Wolf said nothing but smiled and nodded agreement. “Once again we fight side by side, my friend. Perhaps we will die together, if that is Man Above’s wish.” His smile broadened. “If it is to be, there is no greater thing for me than to die fighting beside my friend, Little Wolf.”
Little Wolf was touched by his friend’s words. He reached out and laid his hand on Sleeps Standing’s shoulder. “We have traveled many paths together, my friend. We will fight well this day, and when we have defeated the soldiers, we will go back and celebrate our victory.” He paused as Sleeps Standing beamed, then added, “Then I will steal ten fine horses to offer you in exchange for Rain Song as my wife.”
Sleeps Standing’s face fairly shone with the pleasure he could barely contain. “I knew we would be brothers! This is indeed a glorious day!” He clapped his friend on the shoulder several times. “This is the best day of my life!”
* * *
The morning sun was high in the sky when Squint and Andy galloped back to meet the column. They rode up to Custer, who had already sent for Reno and Benteen when he saw the two scouts approaching. The colonel said but one word when they pulled up before him.
“Where?”
Andy answered, “General, they’s about two miles straight ahead.”
“How many?”
“Hard to say. From what we could see, I’d say they was at least five or six hundred. But I couldn’t say for shore without we circle around and scout up the river a ways.”
Custer was impatient, his eyes flashing as he listened to the report. “But what you saw was maybe five or six hundred?” he insisted.
Squint answered. “Well, yessir. But, like Andy said, we can’t say for shore until we scout further upstream.”
Custer did not seem to be listening. “We’ve got them, gentlemen. We’ve got them right where we want them.”
Major Reno interjected, “Sir, aren’t we supposed to wait for General Terry’s men to join up?”
Custer’s eyes flashed in a moment of anger before his face relaxed in a benevolent smile. “Major Reno, thank you for reminding me of my orders but I think you will agree that it is the responsibility of command to seize the opportunity when you have the advantage. I don’t intend to let these devils slip out from under us this time. We’ll strike them before they have a chance to run.” His hand rested on the handle of his pistol as he thought for a moment before continuing. “Major Reno, you will take your battalion and attack directly across the river. I will lead mine along the bluffs of the river and support your attack from the flank. Captain Benteen, your battalion is to break off to the left of this trail and scout the territory to the south, along the river, and cover that route of escape in case any of the hostiles evade my flanking movement. But don’t tarry, Captain, you must be ready to come up in support of the main attack.” He returned the salutes of both officers. “And gentlemen, the object of this mission, and the order of the day, is annihilation. Is that clear? Women, children, dogs, horses . . . all are hostiles.”
Following orders previously given him, Squint followed Captain Benteen back to his battalion. He touched his hat with one finger in a salute to Andy Coulter as he galloped away.
CHAPTER 27
The sun was directly overhead when Sleeps Standing pointed to a small cloud of dust beyond the river bluffs. Within a few minutes’ time they were able to pick out the blue uniforms of the troopers advancing toward them in a long line, two abreast. The two warriors watched patiently as the soldiers advanced along a line paralleling the river. When they were about a mile away, some of the soldiers broke off from the others and turned east toward the river below the village. The remaining soldiers continued on toward the village. Little Wolf could see that his estimate of the night before was accurate. There were about five or six hundred troopers in all. A scout rode several hundred yards in front of the soldiers, searching the river for a possible crossing. Little Wolf was amused by the caution the scout, a Pawnee apparently, displayed as he was careful to keep below the bluffs in order not to be seen from the village. Little Wolf knew in advance where the scout would decide to cross. It was the only place suitable for a sizable force to cross en masse, and it was the place where Gall and Crazy Horse were hidden, waiting.
When it was obvious the Pawnee had made his decision and rode back to meet the soldiers, Little Wolf turned and signaled across the river to Two Moon, indicating the point of attack. Then he signaled that the second group of soldiers split off to the south of the village. He and Sleeps Standing stayed until the main body of troopers approached the crossing. There the soldiers split into two groups again. One group continued on along the bluffs while the second prepared to cross the river. The stillness of the day was then pierced by the sharp staccato notes of a bugle and the troopers broke into a gallop and came crashing down into the river. Little Wolf looked back at the village. He could see his people scurrying about the tipis, women and children running, gathering up belongings. Bands of warriors were running toward the river to defend the village. There were thousands of warriors, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, streaming toward the river like a flood, eddying around the lodges and flowing into the high grass between the village and the river.
“Come!” Sleeps Standing shouted. “Let us join the battle!”
Their job done on the hill, they jumped on their ponies and galloped down the hill. The first ranks of soldiers were charging down the bluffs already and plunging into the river, rifles blazing. They were cut down by a hailstorm of fire from the ravines along the riverbank and the charge was halted before the first soldier reached the midpoint of the river. Another wave of troopers came on behind the first and made it into the middle of the river. They, like the first wave, were met with blistering fire as hundreds of warriors rose up from the grass between the river and the village.
Little Wolf and Sleeps Standing rode at full speed along the riverbank, firing as they rode at the ranks of soldiers now retreating back across the river into the gullies under the bluffs. Some of the soldiers dismounted and began to fight on foot. Little Wolf rode into the swirling water to join hundreds of his brothers who were swarming across the river. The air was alive with the snapping of flying lead and the screaming of men and horses, and thick with the black smoke of gunfire. Little Wolf emptied his rifle and reloaded time and again. The soldiers on foot were taking heavy casualties so they remounted and retreated back up the bluffs until they found a position they were better able to defend.
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In the confusion of the battle, Little Wolf searched in vain for the familiar figure in knee-high boots and long hair. He could not see anyone that resembled the hated enemy in this group of retreating soldiers. He looked toward Sleeps Standing who had remained at his side.
“Longhair?” he asked.
Sleeps Standing shook his head no.
He wheeled and galloped off to join the fighting now going on downstream where the second group of soldiers had tried to make their way down through the gullies and across the river. The Sioux, led by Gall, rose up like angry hornets, pushing the soldiers back up into the bluffs. Two Moon’s Cheyennes, now joined by Little Wolf and Sleeps Standing, streamed into the river after the demoralized troopers. Through the smoke of black powder, Little Wolf caught a glimpse of an officer behind the retreating troopers. He was mounted on a dirty white horse, his saber in his hand, shouting unheard orders to the men around him. It was Custer!
“Mine must be the hand that slays him!” Little Wolf growled. He raised his rifle and fired but his aim was spoiled when the Medicine Hat almost stumbled. There was no opportunity for a second shot, for Custer turned and rode back up the bluffs, his men falling back around him, firing desperately as they retreated. The air was filled with death. Individual rifle shots were indistinguishable as the river basin was engulfed in the enormous roar of battle.
“After them! They are running!” someone yelled off to his right. It sounded like Two Moon but, in the heat of the moment, he could not be sure. With the others, he pushed on after the retreating soldiers, caught up in the bloodletting.
“The hill!” someone else shouted. “They are trying to get to the hill!”
Little Wolf looked around him. The numbers of Sioux and Cheyenne were still increasing as many of the warriors who had pushed the first group of soldiers back had now joined in the pursuit of Custer’s group. The soldiers were successful in reaching the hill and prepared to defend it against the Indians now swarming upon them from all sides. They were to find it was not a defensible position. In no more than an hour, they were overwhelmed. Little Wolf, trying to get to Custer, fired three times into the ring of soldiers surrounding their leader. Each time a soldier fell. Now he had a clear shot at the long-haired officer, who was frantically yelling commands and waving his saber in the air. He took careful aim and squeezed the trigger only to hear the empty click of the firing pin on the metal jacket of the bullet. Quickly, he ejected the faulty cartridge and reached for another only to find that he had fired his last round. He immediately looked to his left for Sleeps Standing but he was no longer by his side. Frantically he looked right and left, but there was no sign of his friend. They had become separated in the assault on the hillside. He dropped his rifle and took his bow from his back. The thought struck him that it was more proper to put an arrow into Custer’s chest instead of a rifle bullet.
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