as far as was necessary; and that from now on it was safe for him and his escort; and that they could now go back to Fort Kearney and be mustered out and get their pay. The next morning with long-continued yells and shrieks and 'monkey business,' as O'Brien called it, the Pawnees left us and were soon out of sight, much to our satisfaction. The Government has many a time tried to utilize the noble red man for a soldier but has always failed, just as we tried and failed; he is no good for anything.
These Pawnees went back and were reorganized at Fort Kearney during August, as scouts on the road. A new set of officers tried to do something with them, but finally had to ogive it up. The new Pawnee Company thus organized were 77 in number, and was under a Captain Joseph McFadden, with Frank J. North, of whom I have spoken, as Lieutenant. They served about forty days, until October 1, 1864, and were again and finally mustered out. I have in my possession a muster-roll of the Pawnee company, and as an exhibit hereto I insert on the following page a list of their Indian names, copied verbatim from the roll.
Major North afterwards made a great reputation as a partner of Buffalo Bill in the Wild West show.
As stated, we camped near Court House Rock. It was a very wonderful formation, very attractive and very beautiful. Captain O'Brien and I determined that we would go to the top of it, but gave it up for that particular evening because it seemed as if it might be too dangerous at that time of the day, but we agreed to get up early in the morning and climb the rock.
Names of the 'Pawnee Scouts,' 1864;
Under Command of Major Frank J. North:
[Alphabetized list in single-column format]
She-te-le-lah-we-tit. La-shah-roo-te-wah-re. Tuck-ta-shah-ki-rick. La-shah-roo-pit-coo.
Lah-roo-suck-hoo-la-shar. Tah-we-li-he-ris-shah. La-re-roo-tah-ka-chicks-ooke. Te-reh-re-kucks-shah.
She-te-le-lah-wis-sha-rit. To-rah-re-chi-e-tus. Lah-roo-rit-kah-hah-la-shar. Teck-ta-re-roo-hut.
Ah-shah-wuck-ke. Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-la-shar. Te-ah-kah-chicks-tus-peke. Kah-kah-lah-la-shar.
Kah-kah-roo-re. Tah-hoo-rah-routs. Too-ke-tah-we-he-ris-ah. Ke-wuck-oo-lah-li-e-coots.
Tah-sah-hah-tah-he-ris-ah. Lah-we-teh-re-oots. Koot-tah-we-koots-oo-te-lah-lah. She-rer-re-hoo-le-tah- we.
Te-lah-kah-ooh-ke. Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-te-rer-reb. Suck-koo-roo-te-wa-re. Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-te-lah-we- la.
Te-suck-koo-loo-le-wits. Pe-tah-war-ucks-tee. See-te-kah-ricks-tah-hoo-re. Lah-hock-tah-we-la-shar.
Kah-roo-re-ah-ris. La-shah-kip-pe-re. Tuck-ke-leh-re-wah-tucks. Te-er-re-ta-cosh.
We-tit-te-la-shah-ris-pe. Le-re-ru-tah-kah. Kee-wuck-oo-te-lah-we. Lah-we-li-ish.
Too-lah-we-oo-roo. Te-ah-ke-la-rick. Ke-wuck-oo-roo-re. La-shah-roo-roo-te-lah-kah-ta-rick.
Ke-wuck-oo-la-shar. Lah-li-e-coots-ta-shah. Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-kah-lah. Lah-roo-wuck.
Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-rooh-kah. Te-ah-ke-wah-hoo-re-rick. Roo-kit-tah-we-its-pah. Co-rooks-te-cha-rick.
Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-let-kah-hah. Ta-ker-re-rah-we-hoot. Lah-li-e-coots-ta-shah. Ta-lah-wih-kah-wah.
La-kit-tah-we-la-shah. La-tock-kots-lock. Te-lah-kah-we-rick. Cha-kah.
Lah-he-ris-oo-rick. Roo-rah-rooh-kah-we. La-shah-too-rou-tah-we. Te-kah-ricks-tah-kah-lah-ta.
Tel-re-kit-tah-wa. Ta-sah-hah-kah-roit. Tah-weet-too-re-kah. La-tah-kots-too-ri-ha.
Te-hus-tah-we-re-kah-wah. Koot-tah-we-coots-oo-rah-lah-ha. Ah-roosh-ah-lah-kah-hoo-la-shar.
Roo-lal-re-roo-che-lah. Lah-roots-chah-koo-re-hoo. Koot-tah-we-coots. Kiel-e-kah-ris-oo-too-rouh-tah-we.
Lah-li-e-coots-kit-e-buts. Kah-wa-hoo-roo.
Chapter XX.
Ascent of Court House Rock, July 25th – Ficklin's – The Agency – Fort Laramie – July 27th – Bordeaux – Champagne – The Post Sutler – Mr. Bullock – The Squaw Camp – Grasshoppers – Jules Coffey – Charles Elston – Leo Palladio – Bridger – Bridger's Stories
ON JULY 25, 1864, the Captain and I got up early, and with a couple of lariat-ropes started out to ascend Court House Rock. We both succeeded in getting on top of the precipice. It had a covering of stone, not very hard, on which there were several names carved; we took a few minutes to add our names to the number. It was a good deal of a task to get to the top and one equally difficult and dangerous to get down. We rejoined our column, which had started on its march, and we camped in the afternoon at a deserted old place where it looked as if nobody had lived for a generation. It was called 'Ficklin's,' and was situated on the river sixty-seven miles east of Fort Laramie. It was named before the war, from one of the officers of the Overland Stage Company, We had marched that day about forty miles from Mud Springs. From Mud Springs the weather had been cloudy and misty, and we did not get a chance to see the beauties of the route; this was so for several days, but on our return we had delightful weather, and I will wait until then to describe what we really saw.
On July 26, 1864, we left Ficklin's and went up the North Platte River. We kept on the south side, and camped at what was called the 'Agency.' The weather was hot and dusty; the clouds seemed to fill the valley, which was entirely unusual. The guides said they had never seen anything like it before, and I must add that I myself never did afterwards. Antelopes appeared without number, and the hills where seen seemed to be alive with deer.
There was water in the river all along the line. We passed Scott's Bluff, fifty-eight miles east of Fort Laramie. We also passed Alcohol Butte and the celebrated Chimney Rock. The Agency where we camped was called the Woc-co-pom'-any agency. It was the place where the Sioux Indians of the north came down to get their annuity goods. There was a large, long, one-story rambling stone house on the place, but there was not a soul there. In fact, there was nobody then living along the river at that time, from the Forks of the Platte River down at Jack Morrow's up nearly to Fort Laramie, over 250 miles, except near the Fort, at Julesburg.
The next day, July 27, 1864, we camped north of Fort Laramie, and I went down to the Fort. Major Wood of our regiment was placed in command of the post by General Mitchell, and I was detailed as post adjutant. There were three companies of the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry then at the Fort; at least, the Fort was the headquarters of three companies, but they were out scouting and guarding trains, all in command of Major Underhill of that regiment. The Captains were named Shuman, Koehne, and Marshall; and there were eight Lieutenants. Five miles down the river from Fort Laramie was the ranch of a Frenchman by the name of Beauvais, and five miles still farther down was the ranch of Bordeaux. These two Frenchmen had Indian wives and children, and Indian herders, drivers, etc., etc., making quite a retinue, and they did all they could to keep the Indians from being hostile, and breaking out in war. These two traders were rich. They had made a great deal of money, had very large stocks of goods, and were reported to own considerable property; but, trade was at a standstill, there being no emigration. A very interesting acquaintance opened while I was at the Fort, under the following circumstances:
The ranchman, Bordeaux, had sent up word that there was a large band of Indians back in the hills; that he was afraid they might make a break on him; and he thought if the Government would send a few soldiers down for a demonstration, that the Indians would go away. The post commander, Major Wood, told me about four o'clock in the afternoon to take ten men and go down there and see what there was to it; stay all night, and come back in the morning. I got down to Bordeaux' before sundown, and he seemed very glad to see me, and he gave my soldiers a camping-place in his 'pilgrim quarters,' and we put our
horses in the corral. I put the Sergeant in charge, and told him to keep a good lookout. The soldiers had their own rations, but Bordeaux insisted on being my host. After supper with him we went into his store. It was a large, rambling log building with sod end to it, and additions and outbuildings attached to it, so that it was a sort of wandering, straggling caravansary and store combined. He got to showing me what he had, and then he went into the front of the store-building, where he had some cigars. The doors were all bolted and barred. He got to telling me about his visit to France. The floor in this part of the building was made out of pine logs brought down to a grade with an adz. It happened that I could read his French language, and I expressed myself very much interested, and he told me all about his recent trip to ' La Belle France '; and he had a new variety of bitters known as Red Jacket Bitters, of which he was partaking freely. We talked about Indians and Indian matters and Indian habits and Indian customs, and he said that the Indians that had been back of his house had gone off. But I was very much
