Up the Rosebud we found trail and on morning of June 25 got word that Sioux camp had been located. At divide on June 25 Custersaid, "There are other soldiers coming to attack the village, and I want to be there first so that we will get the honor of fighting the Sioux. I want you to charge the camp first and capture all the horses you can." At lone tepee Custer became impatient and said that we were slow and if he had to urge us again to go forward he would take our guns and horses and put us afoot. [Note: Here isRed Bear's account of the same incident, complete with the Scouts' amusing backtalk.] We now started out fast and forded Little Bighorn and soon overtook a bunch of horses herded by two Sioux. We followed horses and soon saw the village, and Sioux came out of village to help the two herders.

The village was not stirred up and Forked Horn, Red Foolish Bear, Little Brave, Watoksha,2 Caroo,3 Machpiya Sha,4 Bobtail Bull andStrikes Two … had a little skirmish [note: this could be the murder of the Sioux women and children at the outset of the battle depicted in the Little Wolf Ledger. The fact thatStrikes Two is circumspect about something that would normally be recounted in proud detail suggests he is actually refering the foul murder of a dozen or more Sioux women and childen, whose bodies were found in small ravine after the battle by scout George Herendeen], and Bobtail said, "Look for a means of escape if the soldiers were to retreat, as there are more people here than we thought…

Strikes Two [Blank]