The Life of Hon. William F. Cody Known as Buffalo Bill The Famous Hunter, Scout and Guide

oned there. They were having a dress parade when we rode up, and as this was the first time that I had ever see

upon the most beautiful valley I have ever seen. It was about twelve miles long and five miles wide. The different tributaries of Salt Creek came down from the range of hills at the sou

red gaze, was the vast number of white-covered wagons, or "prairie-schooners," which were encamped along the different streams. I ask

ere were at least one thousand wagons in the valley, and their white covers lent a pleasing contrast to the green grass

great government freighters. They had several trains there, each consisting of twenty-five wa

whipping them fearfully, the loud reports of the bull-whips sounding like gun-shots. They were "doubling-up," and some of the wagons were being drawn by fifteen yokes of oxen. I

steer clear of the former as the cholera was raging among them. Five hundred had died that spring-1853-and the grave-yard was daily increasing i

ns of some of their number who had died. Their old cemetery is yet indicated by various

ry appropriately called, and after riding for some time, my father pointed

stopped at this establishment for a while, and found perhaps a hundred men, women and children gathered there, engaged in trading and gossip

they looked like a very dangerous crowd. Some were buying articles of merchandise; others were talking about the cholera, the various camps, and matters of in

ressed people, whom I ascertained were Indians, and as I had never before seen a real live Indian, I was

ather's description of them, I had no difficulty in finding them. They were lariated in the grass and I immediately ran up to them supposing

d one of his men caught one of the animals and bridled her, then putting me on her back, led her around, greatly to my delight. I kept petting her so

houses-and exchanged their furs for clothing, sugar and tobacco. Father had not learned their language, and therefore communicated with t

ded for mentioning so many of the little circumstances, which so greatly interested me in my childhood's days, and which no doubt had a great influe

putting me on my pony "Dolly," led the animal all the way. He seemed anxious to break me in

majority occupied log cabins. The agent resided in a double-hewed log house, one of the apartme

The Kickapoos were very friendly Indians, and we spent much o

the west, over the California trail. They were being driven by seven or eight mounted men, wearing sombreros, and dressed in buckskin, with their lariats

tall, was well built, and had a light, springy and wiry step. He wore a broad-brimmed California hat, and was dressed in a complete suit of buckskin, bea

re working with your pon

o break her, when my father called me

and one of them nev

ringing lightly to his feet, he conti

d. The stranger untied the rope from the picket pin, and taki

s to throw his rider; but the man was not unseated. He was evidently an experienced horseman. I watched his every move

mpletely mastered, then coming up to me, jump

pony. He's al

in the shade of a tent, and began talking about the latt

, being attracted there by the gold excitement, the news of which had reached the Islands. I did not go to mining, however, but went to work as a bocarro-catching and breaking wild horses, great numbers of which were roaming through California. Last summer we caught this herd that we have brought with us a

n: BILLINGS

ather, "and perhaps I can tell you

," said the

eat surprise; "why Elijah Cody is my b

race Billings,

ew. You are the son

and began shaking hands in t

and said: "Come here, my son. He

l him little Billy;" and turning to me said: "Billy, my boy, this is a

im. His appearance, therefore, in our camp in the guise of a Californian was somewhat of a mystery to me, and I could hardly comprehend it

l he had given us a full account of his wandering

and just before the

ned upon horses and ho

tle Gray, and his grea

aid Little Gray could

second, and away went the horse and his rider, circling round and round on the prairie. Billings managed him by the rope alone, and convinced him that he was his master. When half a mile away, the horse started for camp at the

BILLINGS RIDI

ty good horse,

occasion was really wonderful, and was the most skillful and daring feat of the kind that I ever witnessed. The remainder of the ev

ht he was a magnificent looking man. I envied his appearance, and my ambition just then was to become as skillful a horseman as he was. He had r

farm to see my mother and sisters, I started ahead to show them my present, as well as to tell them who was coming. They were delighted to see the long-lost Horace, and invited

and three hundred of the horses were running at large over the Kansas prairies, and had become quite wild. A reward of ten dollars was offered for every one of the horses that was captured and delivered to the quartermaster at Fort Leavenworth. This kind of work of course just suited the roaming di

ion: EXCIT

took me with him, and many a wild and perilous chase he led me over the prairie. I made rapid advances in the art of horsemanship, for I could have had no bett

gave me Little Gray to take care of. He would then mount the captive horse and ride him into Fort Leavenworth. I spent two months with Horace in this way, until a

suit him, and he gave the horses a cruel beating. This greatly displeased father, who took him to task for it. Horace's anger flew up in a moment; throwing down the lines he h