“You could come on this scout with us,” Custer said.
“I don’t know,” Falcon replied. “I don’t know how much looking I would be able to do if I stayed with you.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to stay with us,” Custer said. “As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t want you to. You would be acting as a scout. That way you can break away from us anytime you want, go anywhere you want, but always have a base to which you can return. And you would be able to perform double duty—looking for the Gatling guns while, at the same time, helping us look for the Indians.”
“If I agree to do that, General, you will have to know that my first duty will be to find those two guns.”
“That’s fine,” Custer replied. “I, for one, would not want to have those Gatling guns in the hands of the Indians. So—in that respect, you would be serving me, even as you serve yourself.”
“All right, General. I’ll go along with that,” Falcon agreed.
“Good, good, and I have just the scout to work with you.”
Falcon held up his hand. “There’s no need for that, General. I would not want to take one of your scouts away from his regular duty.”
“Believe me, Falcon, if there is any chance that there may be a couple of Gatling guns out there, helping you find them would be a part of his regular duty. I think you will find him very helpful. He used to live with the Indians, he speaks the language, and he knows the area.” Custer stuck his head out and called to his messenger. “Trooper!”
“Yes, sir!” the soldier replied.
“Find Isaiah Dorman. Tell him I wish to see him.”
“Yes, sir,” the trooper said, hurrying off on his errand.
“I think you’ll find Dorman an interesting fellow,” Custer said. “He has been a mail carrier—no easy job out here where you have to travel hundreds of miles in a trackless wilderness all alone. And he was a guide and interpreter for the builders of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mr. Dorman also acted as an interpreter for me on a few occasions.”
A moment later, the messenger called from outside the tent. “General Custer, I have Dorman here, sir.”
“Send him in,” Custer called back.
The flap to the tent parted, and Dorman stepped inside.
“Gen’rul, you wanted to see me?”
Falcon was surprised to see that Isaiah Dorman was a black man.
“Yes, take Colonel MacCallister to see the saddler sergeant. Tell Fitzsimmons I said he is to make a horse available for the colonel. The colonel has some looking to do, and I want you to go with him. He’ll fill you in.”
“All right, Gen’rul,” Dorman said. He looked over at Falcon. “You want to come with me, Colonel? We’ll get you that horse.”
“I like the looks of that horse,” Falcon said, pointing to a buckskin.
“Sorry, Colonel, but you can’t have that one,” Sergeant Fitzsimmons said. “That one don’t belong to the cavalry. That there horse is the personal mount of one of the officers.”
“Comanche, come here,” Dorman called, and the horse, shaking his head, came over to Dorman and began nuzzling him.
“This noble beast belongs to Cap’n Keogh,” Dorman explained as he patted the horse on its nose. “He puts so much store in him that he bought him from the army just so’s no one else would ever ride him.”
Falcon reached up to tug on Comanche’s ear. “I don’t blame him,” Falcon said. “This is a good-looking horse, and you can tell by looking at him that he has spirit.”
“That’s a good horse over there,” Dorman said, pointing to a bay.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Falcon replied.
“I’ll get him saddled for you, Colonel,” Sergeant Fitzsimmons said.
The sky was overcast and a fog crept up from the river itself, but that didn’t alter Custer’s plans for a grand departure. With wives, children, and post personnel who were staying behind making up the audience, Custer readied his command for a parade.
The regimental band formed in the middle of the parade ground, just in front of the flagpole. The songs “Garryowen” and “The Girl I Left Behind Me” provided stirring martial music for the occasion. Falcon was given the honor of standing by Custer as the regiment rode by, led for this occasion by Major Reno.
Reno rode by first. A flag bearer rode immediately behind him carrying the blue and gold regimental standard on the same pole as Custer’s personal pennant, which was red and blue with crossed white sabers. The twelve companies of the Seventh came after that, the troopers all mounted on matching horses for each company, and riding in columns of fours.
As each company passed in review, the company guidon in front of each company would dip and the company commander would render a salute to Custer, who proudly returned the salute.
“Look at that,” Custer said. “I ask you, Falcon, have you ever seen a finer body of men anywhere in the world?”
“It is a fine-looking regiment, General,” Falcon replied.
“The world will take note and long remember what we will do on this scout,” Custer said. “From this day forward, the Seventh Cavalry will live in fame. I will lead them to glory.”
