The reports of our guns had been heard by Captain Meinhold, who at once started with his company up the creek to our aid, and when the remaining Indians, whom we were still fighting, saw these re-enforcements coming, they whirled their horses and fled; as their steeds were quite fresh they made their escape.  However, we killed six out of the thirteen Indians, and captured most of their stolen stock.  Our loss was one man killed, and another—­myself—­slightly wounded.  One of our horses was killed, and Buckskin Joe was wounded, but I didn’t discover the fact until some time afterward, as he had been shot in the breast and showed no signs of having received a scratch of any kind.  Securing the scalps of the dead Indians and other trophies we returned to the fort.

I made several other scouts during the summer with different officers of the Third Cavalry, one being with Major Aleck Moore, a good officer, with whom I was out for thirty days.  Another long one was with Major Curtis, with whom I followed some Indians from the South Platte River to Fort Randall on the Missouri River, in Dakota, on which trip the command ran out of rations and for fifteen days subsisted entirely upon the game we killed.

In 1876 the great Sioux war was inaugurated.  Colonel Mills had written me several letters saying that General Crook was anxious for me to accompany his command, and I promised to do so, intending to overtake him in the Powder River country.  But when I arrived at Chicago, on my way West, I learned that my old regiment, the gallant Fifth Cavalry, was on its way back from Arizona to join General Crook, and that my old commander, General Carr, was in command.  He had written to military headquarters at Chicago to learn my whereabouts, as he wished to secure me as his guide and chief of scouts.  I then gave up the idea of overtaking General Crook, and hastened on to Cheyenne, where the Fifth Cavalry had already arrived.  I was met at the depot by Lieutenant King, adjutant of the regiment, who had been sent down from Fort D. A. Russell for that purpose by General Carr, who had learned by a telegram from military headquarters at Chicago that I was on the way.  I accompanied the lieutenant on horseback to the camp, and as we rode, one of the boys shouted, “Here’s Buffalo Bill!” Soon after there came three hearty cheers from the regiment.  Officers and men were all glad to see me, and I was equally delighted to meet them once more.  The general at once appointed me his guide and chief of scouts.

The next morning the command pulled out for Fort Laramie, and on reaching the post we found General Sheridan there, accompanied by General Frye and General Forsythe, en route to Red Cloud agency.  As the command was to remain here a few days, I accompanied General Sheridan to Red Cloud and back, taking a company of cavalry as escort.