Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-03-12

4 + q
| at Fort Larned, on Pawnee Fork, near
the Arkansas river
4 One evening the general arrived at
/ Fort Hays from Fort Harker He had
with him only two officers and three
orderlies. The general told Captain
i Ovenshine, who was in command Of
Fort Hays at the time, that he wished
! to leave Fort Hays the next morning
at daylight to join his regiment and
wanted guide who knew the country,
4 one that would make no mistake, well
mounted, to guide him to Fort Larned
Captain Ovenshine sent for me and
4 told me to be ready sharp at daylight
] to go with General Custer and that he
4 wanted me to have the best mount
there was at the post. AT that time
the horses at the fort We're pretty well
run down from many chases after In
/ dams, but l was riding and had at
/ the time as good a long distance horse
as have ever known, and he was
mule The general himself was riding
Kentucky thoroughbred.
/ At daylight | rode up to the COM
manding officers quarters, and Cap
/ tain Ovenshine introduced me for the
first time to General Custer. The gen
eral, seeing that was mounted on a
mule, said to Captain Ovenshine:
/ captain. haven't got time to dilly
! daily along the road with mule.
see that my guide here is mounted on
mule. want him to have a horse,
4 and good one"
/ I said, General, this is the best
4 horse at the fort, and assure you
that he won't be much behind you
when you reach Fort Larned.
The captain explained to the general
that the horses were in pretty bad
condition at the fort aud that he had
heard me brag so much about that
d mule that he felt quite sure that the
beast was all right
The general seemed a little displeas-
ed aud said. swell, if5that is the best
you have will have to put UP with
4 it,"
We mounted and started out on the
road. For the first fifteen mics to
Smoky Hill river there was a good
wagon road, and as we rode along the
general asked me numerous questions
4
dians and thus we talked along mile
after mile But the general was going
at a pretty rapid gait, and my mule.
was not very speedy on the start, but
knew he would finish all right, So
when the general was nots5looking !
would put the spurs to the mule lit
tie to wake him up. However, I kept
alongside of the general until got to
Smoky Hill river. l noticed that the
old mule was not painting much, but
the horses were.
told the general that this would be
the last water for forty five miles un-
til we got near Larned; that 1t would
be best to water the horses there, and
II the men required any water they
had better fill up their canteens, which
they did
From this point we struck into the
sand hills. leaving all roads. 1t was
pretty sandy and@pretty heavy travel
ing for horse or mule, but made up
my mind that would show, the gem
eral from there on that ! had spoken
the truth about the mule. So when the
general was not looking at me word
put the spurs TO him.. and as he would
lunge ahead would say:
"Whoa. there! Take it easy, old fell
low Don't get to frettin'."
We went on like that for a mile or
So The mule would get ahead Of the
b horses. and whenever the general
wasn't looking, / would spur him, and
q as the mule would forge ahead I
Z would pat him to calm him down
"A Finally the general remarked THAT
is really quite a horse you are ridine
III there" &5s ga
Il t'Oh, he isn't warmed up yet. gen
erai, said. s'He doesn't go good un
til he gets his second wind,
BY this time the mule was really be
ginning to show his staying qualitie,
over the Kentucky horse that the gen
eral was riding, and the general coult
not keep up But the general woult
n not give up. and we Went on mile
Z after mile through the sand hills unit
|. finally had actually to wait on th,
IA general a little. Every once in awhil,
the general would remark about tina
. mule But we went on, and the gen
2 ern still would not give In. We con
! tinued going until we got within abou
!. fifteen miles of Fort Larned Here W,
!. stopped on a hill to walt for the Off
!. GERS and orderlies to overtake us
!. When they got up ! showed the gen
eral a depression in the sand hills ant
= tod him that that was the Pawne
Fork ereeiS and that all we had to d
|. was to follow the creek down and W,
would come to the fort.
!. Now, general, 4 I said, If you hay
any urgent dispatches that You wan
q taken to your commanding officer, /
; you will give them to me viii taxi
them on and hare then, delivered t
him. You cannot help but find you
as way,
ssAh,s he said, you are kidding M
about what said in regard TO tina
mule. Wen, turning to one Of til
officers 'gou bring the escort ID. Fol