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THE ADVENTURES OF BUFFALO BILL




[Illustration: HE SAW THE FEATHERED HEAD OF AN INDIAN POKE OVER THE BANK
BEFORE HIM.]




  The Adventures of
  Buffalo Bill


  BY COL. WILLIAM F. CODY
  (BUFFALO BILL)


  HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS
  NEW YORK, EVANSTON, and LONDON




_Harper's Young People's Series_

New Large Type Edition

Illustrated--Jackets Printed in Colors


  TOBY TYLER. By James Otis
  MR. STUBBS'S BROTHER. By James Otis
  TIM AND TIP. By James Otis
  RAISING THE PEARL. By James Otis
  ADVENTURES OF BUFFALO BILL. By W. F. Cody
  DIDDIE, DUMPS, AND TOT. By Mrs. L. C. Pyrnelle
  MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. By Lucy C. Lillie
  THE CRUISE OF THE CANOE CLUB. By W. L. Alden
  THE CRUISE OF THE "GHOST." By W. L. Alden
  MORAL PIRATES. By W. L. Alden
  A NEW ROBINSON CRUSOE. By W. L. Alden
  THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY BROWN. By W. L. Alden
  PRINCE LAZYBONES. By Mrs. W. J. Hays
  THE FLAMINGO FEATHER. By Kirk Munroe
  DERRICK STERLING. By Kirk Munroe
  CHRYSTAL, JACK & CO. By Kirk Munroe
  WAKULLA. By Kirk Munroe
  THE ICE QUEEN. By Ernest Ingersoll
  THE RED MUSTANG. By W. O. Stoddard
  TALKING LEAVES. By W. O. Stoddard
  TWO ARROWS. By W. O. Stoddard
  THE HOUSEHOLD OF GLEN HOLLY. By Lucy C. Lillie
  MILDRED'S BARGAIN. By Lucy C. Lillie
  NAN. By Lucy C. Lillie
  ROLF HOUSE. By Lucy C. Lillie




  THE ADVENTURES OF BUFFALO BILL


  Copyright 1904
  By Harper & Brothers
  Printed in the U.S.A.

  D-E




CONTENTS


                                                    PAGE
  THE ADVENTURES OF BUFFALO BILL

      I. CROSSING THE PLAINS                           1

     II. ROUNDING UP INDIANS                          29

    III. PURSUING THE SIOUX                           51

     IV. MY DUEL WITH YELLOW HAND                     76


  THE LIFE OF BUFFALO BILL

      I. THE LITTLE BOY OF THE PRAIRIE               101

     II. LITTLE BILL AT SCHOOL AND AT THE TRAPS      118

    III. THE PONY EXPRESS RIDER                      134

     IV. "BILL CODY, THE SCOUT"                      151

      V. THE INDIAN CAMPAIGNS WITH THE ARMY          160

     VI. BUFFALO BILL AND HIS SHOW                   169




ILLUSTRATIONS


  HE SAW THE FEATHERED HEAD OF AN INDIAN POKE
  OVER THE BANK BEFORE HIM                        _Frontispiece_

  I DISENTANGLED MYSELF AND JUMPED BEHIND
  THE DEAD BODY OF MY HORSE                       _Facing p._ 46

  IN THE DISTANCE I SAW A LARGE HERD OF
  BUFFALOES WHICH WERE BEING CHASED AND
  FIRED AT BY TWENTY OR THIRTY INDIANS                "       96

  HE LOOKED UP AND SAW INDIANS IN WAR PAINT
  STANDING INSIDE THE CAVE, GAZING AT HIM             "      128




FOREWORD


With the death of William Frederick Cody, at Denver on January 10, 1917,
there passed away the last of that intrepid band of pathfinders who gave
their lives to the taming of the West, a gallant company of brave men
steadfastly pushing back the frontier year by year and mile by mile, and
ceasing from their labors only when the young and vigorous life of the
Pacific States had been linked up for all time with the older civilization
of the Atlantic seaboard.

The fame of Colonel Cody, or Buffalo Bill as he was popularly called,
recalls that of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and Kit Carson, but he cannot
be said to rank with those earlier heroes in point of actual national
service. He played no large part in the upbuilding of our Continental
Empire. Yet he was made of the same stern stuff, and, on his more
circumscribed stage, he was a gallant and picturesque figure, a true
superman of the brave old days. When, in 1883, Cody gave up his roving
life and organized the Wild West show it meant that the Wild West itself
was gone for good and all. Together with Boone, Crockett, and Carson his
life rounds out the century of continental occupation, counting from the
year Boone crossed the mountains into Kentucky to the final completion of
the Union Pacific Railway. Boone was born in Pennsylvania and died in
Missouri; Crockett was born west of the Alleghanies, in Tennessee, and
died in Texas; Carson and Cody were born west of the Mississippi, and died
in Colorado.

Perhaps the most picturesque period in Buffalo Bill's life was his service
as a rider in the service of the famous Pony Express just before the Civil
War. This was perhaps the most perilous job that a man could undertake,
and young Cody was barely fifteen years old. Yet he had had previous
experience in Indian fighting and at the age of eleven he had killed his
first Indian. Shortly afterward the Civil War began and Cody enlisted in
the Union Army, serving as a scout. When the fighting was over he
returned to the Far West. The transcontinental railways were in process of
construction, a romantic episode in American history fittingly depicted in
the glowing pages of Zane Grey's _The U. P. Trail_. The builders of the
Kansas Pacific Railroad wanted buffalo meat to feed their laborers and
Cody undertook the contract. In eighteen months (1867-68) he killed 4,280
buffaloes, and thereby earned his title of Buffalo Bill.

In 1868 Cody rejoined the army as scout and guide, and quickly made a
reputation as a man of infinite endurance and daring. He was attached to
General Sheridan's headquarters at Hays City, Kansas; and soon after
reporting for duty he learned that the commander wanted a dispatch sent to
Fort Dodge, a distance of ninety-five miles. The Indians had recently
killed two or three dispatch riders on this route, and none of the scouts
was anxious to take on the job. Even a promised bonus of several hundred
dollars found no takers. Cody volunteered and made the dangerous trip in
safety. But at Fort Dodge he found that the commanding officer there was
very anxious to send dispatches to Fort Larned, and again the regular
scouts shunned the task. On went Buffalo Bill to Fort Larned, sixty-five
miles farther. About half-way he stopped to water his mule and the animal
got away from him. For thirty-five miles Cody trailed the obstinate brute
on foot, never quite able to get within clutch of his bridle rein. At
daybreak Fort Larned came in sight and the danger from roving Indians was
over. "Now, Mr. Mule, it is my turn," exclaimed the exhausted and
thoroughly infuriated scout, raising his gun to his shoulder. Like the
majority of Government mules he was not easy to kill. He died hard, but he
died.

After a few hours' sleep it was necessary to begin the return journey, as
answering dispatches had to be sent to General Sheridan. Again the ride
was made in safety, and one of the greatest feats in all scout history had
been accomplished. It should be explained that, previous to beginning the
ride to Fort Dodge, Cody had been in the saddle for twenty hours, covering
a distance of 140 miles. His grand total for a period of fifty-eight
hours was 365 miles (including thirty-five miles on foot), an average of
over six miles an hour.

A little later Cody was appointed chief scout and guide for the Fifth
Cavalry in a campaign against the hostile Sioux and Cheyennes, and he had
many narrow escapes from the tight places into which his adventurous
disposition was always leading him. He also served as chief scout for the
Republican River Expedition of 1869.

While living near Fort McPherson, Nebraska, in 1870, Cody was appointed
justice of the peace by General Emory to take care of certain civilian
offenders against the common law. Buffalo Bill protested that he knew
nothing about law, but General Emory was insistent and Cody went over to
North Platte and was sworn in. That very night he was aroused by a man who
had a complaint to make. One of his horses had been stolen by the boss of
a passing herd, and he wanted a writ of replevin. "I don't know what a
replevin is," answered 'Squire Cody, as he took down his old Lucretia
rifle and patted it gently, "but I guess this will do as well." In
company with the complainant Cody galloped after the cavalcade and soon
overtook the offender against the ethical code. At first the boss was
defiant, but when he realized who the 'Squire was he quickly weakened. "I
didn't care a blank about you being justice of the peace and constable
combined," he explained, "but when I found out you were Buffalo Bill it
was time to lay down my hand." The 'Squire read the fellow a lecture on
the iniquity of horse stealing, collected a fine of one hundred and fifty
dollars, reclaimed the animal, and declared that court was adjourned.

In 1872 the Russian Grand Duke Alexis visited this country, and a Far West
hunting expedition was arranged in his honor. Buffalo Bill acted as guide
and chief huntsman. The Grand Duke, under Cody's tutelage, succeeded in
bagging several handsome heads, and, in token of his appreciation, he
presented to Buffalo Bill his almost priceless fur overcoat and a
wonderful set of sleeve links and scarfpin studded with diamonds and
rubies. In this same year Cody was elected a member of the Nebraska
Legislature. Later on he resigned and went to Chicago, where he made his
first appearance on the stage as an actor in a play written around himself
and entitled, "The Scout of the Plains."

In 1874 Cody acted as guide to a grand hunting party given by General
Sheridan to a number of wealthy and distinguished Eastern men. Cody became
a great favorite with everybody, and the next winter he went on to New
York to visit his new friends. He wore his famous sombrero and his fringed
hunting suit of buckskin everywhere, and they created a mild sensation on
Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Then he went back to the West and tried the
hum-drum life of a farmer and ranchman.

The famous Wild West show was staged for the first time at Omaha on May
17, 1883. It was a tremendous success from the start, and Colonel Cody was
besieged with applications from all over the country. He went to England
in 1887; royalty patronized this truly original and thrilling
entertainment, and Buffalo Bill's fortune was made. In later years
several successful European tours were undertaken.

In November, 1911, Colonel Cody announced his retirement. He was then
sixty-seven years old and reputed to be worth $3,000,000. He went to his
ranch at Cody, Wyoming, and tried to settle down. But the old spirit of
adventure lured him back to the sawdust arena. This time he was not so
fortunate. He lost money on every hand, and finally the celebrated show
went under the auctioneer's hammer. Friends came to his rescue, however,
and bid in his famous white horse, Ishan, which the Colonel always rode at
the head of his roughriders.

The old scout had kept his courage, too, and he announced his intention of
trying it again; he even joined a circus company as one of the regular
troupe of performers. But his race was run, his day was done. Even his
iron constitution had been weakened by the trials and privations of
seventy-two years of strenuous life. He had lived up to the very last inch
of his allotted span. He had played hard and he had fought hard and in the
end he died hard, amazing even his experienced physicians by his
extraordinary vitality. The doctors had told him that the end was near,
but he only laughed and called for a pack of cards. "You can't kill the
old scout," he said, smilingly. "Let's have a game of high-five." Yet even
this undaunted spirit was forced to bow to mortal necessity, and a day or
two later he relapsed into a state of unconsciousness from which he was
never to emerge.

His death attracted the notice of two continents. The newspapers printed
columns of obituaries; the State of Colorado ordered a public funeral in
his honor; it was the passing of a heroic figure in American annals. All
in all, he must rank as the greatest of scouts and the most gallant of
Indian fighters. He never knew fear. His life was in danger hundreds of
times, and yet he always had the better of his adversary. He lived a free
life among wild surroundings, but he was always to be found on the side of
law and order. He was a dead shot, a splendid horseman, and an absolutely
fearless fighter. The men who knew him best, including many well-known
officers of the army, all united in praising the bravery, honesty, and
modesty of this true product of the old wild West. His place can never be
filled; he was a relic of the days that are gone, never to return.




THE ADVENTURES OF BUFFALO BILL




I

CROSSING THE PLAINS


In the early settlement of Kansas common-school advantages were denied us,
and to provide a means for educating the few boys and girls in the
neighborhood of my home, a subscription school was started in a small log
cabin that was built on the bank of a creek that ran near our house. My
mother took great interest in this school, and at her persuasion I
returned home and became enrolled as a pupil, where I made satisfactory
progress until, as the result of a quarrel with a schoolmate, I left the
town and started across the plains with one of Russell, Majors & Waddell's
freight trains.

The trip proved a most enjoyable one to me, although no incidents worthy
of note occurred on the way. On my return from Fort Kearny I was paid off
the same as the rest of the employes. The remainder of the summer and fall
I spent in herding cattle and working for Russell, Majors & Waddell.

In May, 1857, I started for Salt Lake City with a herd of beef cattle, in
charge of Frank and Bill McCarthy, for General Albert Sidney Johnston's
army, which was then being sent across the plains to fight the Mormons.

Nothing occurred to interrupt our journey until we reached Plum Creek, on
the South Platte River, thirty-five miles west of old Fort Kearny. We had
made a morning drive, and had camped for dinner. The wagon masters and a
majority of the men had gone to sleep under the mess wagons. The cattle
were being guarded by three men, and the cook was preparing dinner. No one
had any idea that Indians were anywhere near us. The first warning we had
that they were infesting that part of the country was the firing of shots
and the whoops and yells from a party of them, who, catching us napping,
gave us a most unwelcome surprise. All the men jumped to their feet and
seized their guns. They saw with astonishment the cattle running in every
direction, they having been stampeded by the Indians, who had shot and
killed the three men who were on day herd duty, and the redmen were now
charging down upon the rest of us.

The McCarthy boys, at the proper moment, gave orders to fire upon the
advancing enemy. The volley checked them, although they returned the
compliment, and shot one of our party through the leg. Frank McCarthy then
sang out, "Boys, make a break for the slough yonder, and we can then have
the bank for a breastwork."

We made a run for the slough, which was only a short distance off, and
succeeded in safely reaching it, bringing with us the wounded man. The
bank proved to be a very effective breastwork, affording us good
protection. We had been there but a short time when Frank McCarthy, seeing
that the longer we were corralled the worse it would be for us, said,

"Well, boys, we'll try to make our way back to Fort Kearny by wading in
the river and keeping the bank for a breastwork."

We all agreed that this was the best plan, and we accordingly proceeded
down the river several miles in this way, managing to keep the Indians at
a safe distance with our guns, until the slough made a junction with the
main Platte River. From there down we found the river at times quite deep,
and in order to carry the wounded man along with us, we constructed a raft
of poles for his accommodation, and in this way he was transported.

Occasionally the water would be too deep for us to wade, and we were
obliged to put our weapons on the raft and swim. The Indians followed us
pretty closely, and were continually watching for an opportunity to get a
good range and give us a raking fire. Covering ourselves by keeping well
under the bank, we pushed ahead as rapidly as possible, and made pretty
good progress, the night finding us still on the way and our enemies yet
on our track.

I, being the youngest and smallest of the party, became somewhat tired,
and, without noticing it, I had fallen behind the others for some little
distance. It was