Chapter 51

“I don’t carry a calendar around on me, so I don’t know if I can recollect all of those dates, but for the most part I’ve been wandering back and forth between the Mead and the Laramie country looking for some of my father’s people. After the war, some of the bands broke up, and I had trouble finding my family. Only managed to locate one or two.”

“Your father’s people? Does that mean your father’s passed on?”

“He died fighting for the Union against Stand Watie’s Confederates when I was just a boy.”

“You’re a blood Indian, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir. My mother was Yanube. We were both survivors of the Smith Massacre.”

When the Major asked for more details, I could tell denying riding with Crazy Horse was tearing Matthew up inside. He got his licks in by admitting he’d liked to have been with the chief because he’d been a great man.