Custer. Custer was constantly on the move, not only seeing to his own command, but issuing orders to the other commands as well, seeing to the placement of the advance guard, the rear guard, and the flanks.
Once they reached their encampment on the Little Heart River, Custer’s orderly, Private John Burkman, erected the double Sibley tent for him as Custer continued to move around the campsite…Mary Adams, Custer’s cook, began preparing their supper.
Libbie, Maggie Calhoun, and their houseguest, Lorena Wood, had all three accompanied the regiment this far, and they began helping Burkman pitch the tent.
As the regiment settled in for its first night’s encampment, Falcon and Dorman started out on their first scout.
They rode out about ten miles, but saw nothing of particular interest until Dorman pointed out an elk.
“If I’m goin’ to be ridin’ with someone out in Injun territory, I’d like to have me an idee as to how he can shoot,” Dorman said. “It’ll be a good shot if you can bring him down. And a little roast elk is a heap better than skillgilly.”
“Roast elk doesn’t sound bad,” Falcon said, pulling an army carbine from the saddle sleeve. Raising the Sharps, Falcon took aim and fired. Even from there, they could see a little mist of blood erupt from the elk’s head.
“Damn,” Dorman said, impressed with the shot. “You hit his head plumb center. Colonel, you can ride with me anywhere.”
Falcon and Dorman returned to join the regiment just as the Seventh was going into bivouac.
Benteen was standing beside one of the wagons with his shirt off and his gold-colored suspenders down along his sides, hanging in such a way as to make a loop across the gold stripe on his pants. The captain had lather on his face, and he was looking into a mirror that was propped on the side of the wagon. He looked around as Falcon and Dorman returned to the camp.
“Colonel, if you’ll excuse me, I’m goin’ to look up Bloody Knife,” Dorman said.
“Sure, go ahead,” said Falcon.
“Did you find anything?” Benteen asked as Dorman moved away.
“No,” Falcon replied.
“Uh, huh, I didn’t think so,” Benteen said, and he reached one hand up to pull his cheek taut, then lifted the razor, returning to the task of shaving. “You aren’t likely to find anything as long as you have that nigger with you.”
“Oh?” Falcon said. “I don’t know why you would say that. Mr. Dorman seems quite capable to me.”
“It’s not a question of his capability,” Benteen said. “It’s a question of his loyalty.”
“Why would you question his loyalty?”
“He turned Indian out here,” Benteen said. “They call him ‘Black White Man,’ and he is married to a squaw from Inkpaduta’s band of the Santee Sioux.”
“I thought he had been working for the army for some time now,” Falcon said.
Benteen took a towel and wiped the rest of the lather from his face. “Oh, he doesn’t mind taking money from us,” he said. “But this will be the first time he has ever had to go up against his own.”
“What about Bloody Knife? Are you worried about him?”
“No,” Benteen said, reaching for his tunic. “Gall killed Bloody Knife’s two brothers. Bloody Knife hates the Sioux.”
At that moment, a bugle call was sounded and some of the men cheered.
“What is that?” Falcon asked.
“Pay call,” Benteen said. “Custer decided to withhold the soldiers’ pay until after we left the fort. He was afraid there would be too many hangovers and too many desertions if he paid before we left.”
Within minutes after the soldiers were paid, several dozen card games began. The soldiers sat on the ground with an army blanket laid out between them to hold the cards and the money.
Shortly after pay call, Falcon and Dorman were getting ready to go out again when Lieutenant Cooke came up to them. Falcon was adjusting the cinch strap on his saddle.
“Hello, Cooke,” Falcon said.
“The general’s compliments, sir, and he asks if you would join him and Mrs. Custer, Captain and Mrs. Calhoun, Captain Custer and Miss Wood for a picnic lunch. The ladies will be leaving with the paymaster as soon as he starts back to Ft. Lincoln.”
“Captain Custer and Miss Wood?”
“Yes, sir,” Cooke replied. “Uh, Colonel, I wonder if I might have a word with you, sir,” Cooke said.
“Sure, go ahead,” he said.
Cooke looked over at Dorman. “Alone, sir.”
“I’ll just move over there and you two can talk all you want,” Dorman said, leading his horse away.
“What is it?”
“The way you questioned me when I said Captain Custer and Miss Wood. Did that bother you?”
Falcon chuckled. “No, it didn’t bother me. I just found it rather funny the way you said it in the same way you said General and Mrs. Custer and Captain and Mrs. Calhoun.”
