ll of us who were mounted and ready immediately started down the
stream toward the ford. There were Ogallalas, Minneconjous, Cheyennes,
and some Unkpapas, and those around me seemed to be nearly all very
young men.

"'Behold, there is among us a young woman!' I shouted. 'Let no young man
hide behind her garment!' I knew that would make those young men brave.

"The woman was Tashenamani, or Moving Robe, whose brother had just been
killed in the fight with Three Stars. Holding her brother's war staff
over her head, and leaning forward upon her charger, she looked as
pretty as a bird. Always when there is a woman in the charge, it causes
the warriors to vie with one another in displaying their valor," he
added.

"The foremost warriors had almost surrounded the white men, and more
were continually crossing the stream. The soldiers had dismounted, and
were firing into the camp from the top of the cliff."

"My friend, was Sitting Bull in this fight?" I inquired.

"I did not see him there, but I learned afterward that he was among
those who met Reno, and that was three or four of the white man's miles
from Custer's position. Later he joined the attack upon Custer, but was
not among the foremost.

"When the troops were surrounded on two sides, with the river on the
third, the order came to charge! There were many very young men, some of
whom had only a war staff or a stone war club in hand, who plunged into
the column, knocking the men over and stampeding their horses.

"The soldiers had mounted and started back, but when the onset came they
dismounted again and separated into several divisions, facing different
ways. They fired as fast as they could load their guns, while we used
chiefly arrows and war clubs. There seemed to be two distinct movements
among the Indians. One body moved continually in a circle, while the
other rode directly into and through the troops.

"Presently some of the soldiers remounted and fled along the ridge
toward Reno's position; but they were followed by our warriors, like
hundreds of blackbirds after a hawk. A larger body remained together at
the upper end of a little ravine, and fought bravely until they were cut
to pieces. I had always thought that white men were cowards, but I had a
great respect for them after this day.

"It is generally said that a young man with nothing but a war staff in
his hand broke through the column and knocked down the leader very early
in the fight. We suppo