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twg_000000052900 | and partook of the refreshments. Wild Bill paid the woman of the house, and we went out to the gate where my horse was standing. "Billy, my boy," said he, "I am mighty glad to see you. I haven't seen or heard of you since we got busted on that St. Louis' horse-race." "What are you doing out here?" I | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052901 | asked. "I am a scout under General McNiel. For the last few days I have been with General Marmaduke's division of Price's army, in disguise as a southern officer from Texas, as you see me now," said he. "That's exactly the kind of business that I am out on to-day," said I; "and I want to get some information concerning | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052902 | Price's movements." "I'll give you all that I have;" and he then went on and told me all that he knew regarding Price's intentions, and the number and condition of his men. He then asked about my mother, and when he learned that she was dead he was greatly surprised and grieved; he thought a great deal of her, for | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052903 | she had treated him almost as one of her own children. He finally took out a package, which he had concealed about his person, and handing it to me he said: "Here are some letters which I want you to give to General McNiel." "All right," said I as I took them, "but where will I meet you again?" "Never | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052904 | mind that," he replied; "I am getting so much valuable information that I propose to stay a little while longer in this disguise." Thereupon we shook hands and parted. It is not necessary to say much concerning Price's raid in general, as that event is a matter of recorded history. I am only relating the incidents in which I was | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052905 | personally interested either as one of the actors or as an observer. Another interesting and I may say exciting episode happened to me a day or two after my unexpected meeting with Wild Bill. I was riding with the advance guard of our army, and wishing a drink of water, I stopped at a farmhouse. There were no men about | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052906 | the premises, and no one excepting a very fine and intellectual looking lady and her two daughters. They seemed to be almost frightened to death at seeing me--a "yank"--appear before them. I quieted their fears somewhat, and the mother then asked me how far back the army was. When I told her it would be along shortly, she expressed her | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052907 | fears that they would take everything on the premises. They set me out a lunch and treated me rather kindly, so that I really began to sympathize with them; for I knew that the soldiers would ransack their house and confiscate everything they could lay their hands on. At last I resolved to do what I could to protect them. | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052908 | After the generals and the staff officers had passed by, I took it upon myself to be a sentry over the house. When the command came along some of the men rushed up with the intention of entering the place and carrying off all the desirable plunder possible, and then tearing and breaking everything to pieces, as they usually did | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052909 | along the line of march. "Halt!" I shouted; "I have been placed here by the commanding officer as a guard over this house, and no man must enter it." This stopped the first squad; and seeing that my plan was a success, I remained at my post during the passage of the entire command and kept out all intruders. It | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052910 | seemed as if the ladies could not thank me sufficiently for the protection I had afforded them. They were perfectly aware of the fact that I had acted without orders and entirely on my own responsibility, and therefore they felt the more grateful. They urgently invited me to remain a little while longer and partake of an excellent dinner which | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052911 | they said they were preparing for me. I was pretty hungry about that time, as our rations had been rather slim of late, and a good dinner was a temptation I could not withstand, especially as it was to be served up by such elegant ladies. While I was eating the meal, I was most agreeably entertained by the young | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052912 | ladies, and before I had finished it the last of the rear-guard must have been at least two miles from the house. Suddenly three men entered the room, and I looked up and saw three double-barreled shot-guns leveled straight at me. Before I could speak, however, the mother and her daughters sprang between the men and me. "Father! Boys! Lower | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052913 | your guns! You must not shoot this man," and similar exclamations, were the cry of all three. The guns were lowered, and then the men, who were the father and brothers of the young ladies, were informed of what I had done for them. It appeared that they had been concealed in the woods near by while the army was | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052914 | passing, and on coming into the house and finding a Yankee there, they determined to shoot him. Upon learning the facts, the old man extended his hand to me, saying: "I would not harm a hair of your head for the world; but it is best that you stay here no longer, as your command is some distance from here | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052915 | now, and you might be cut off by bushwhackers before reaching it." Bidding them all good-bye, and with many thanks from the mother and daughters, I mounted my horse and soon overtook the column, happy in the thought that I had done a good deed, and with no regrets that I had saved from pillage and destruction the home and | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052916 | property of a confederate and his family. Our command kept crowding against Price and his army until they were pushed into the vicinity of Kansas City, where their further advance was checked by United States troops from Kansas; and then was begun their memorable and extraordinary retreat back into Kansas. While both armies were drawn up in skirmish line near | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052917 | Fort Scott, Kansas, two men on horseback were seen rapidly leaving the Confederate lines, and suddenly they made a dash towards us. Instantly quick volleys were discharged from the Confederates, who also began a pursuit, and some five hundred shots were fired at the flying men. It was evident that they were trying to reach our lines, but when within | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052918 | about a quarter of a mile of us, one of them fell from his horse to rise no more. He had been fatally shot. His companion galloped on unhurt, and seven companies of our regiment charged out and met him, and checked his pursuers. The fugitive was dressed in Confederate uniform, and as he rode into our lines I recognized | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052919 | him as Wild Bill, the Union scout. He immediately sought Generals Pleasanton and McNiel, with whom he held a consultation. He told them that although Price made a bold showing on the front, by bringing all his men into view, yet he was really a great deal weaker than the appearance of his lines would indicate; and that he was | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052920 | then trying to cross a difficult stream four miles from Fort Scott. It was late in the afternoon, but General Pleasanton immediately ordered an advance, and we charged in full force upon the rear of Price's army, and drove it before us for two hours. If Wild Bill could have made his successful dash into our lines earlier in the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052921 | day, the attack would have been made sooner, and greater results might have been expected. The Confederates had suspected him of being a spy for two or three days, and had watched him too closely to allow an opportunity to get away from them sooner. His unfortunate companion who had been shot, was a scout from Springfield, Missouri, whose name | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052922 | I cannot now remember. From this time on, Wild Bill and myself continued to scout together until Price's army was driven south of the Arkansas River and the pursuit abandoned. We then returned to Springfield, Missouri, for a rest and for supplies, and Wild Bill and myself spent two weeks there in "having a jolly good time," as some people | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052923 | would express it. . A WEDDING. It was during the winter of -, while I was on detached service at military headquarters, at St. Louis, that I became acquainted with a young lady named Louisa Frederici, whom I greatly admired and in whose charming society I spent many a pleasant hour. The war closing in , I was discharged, and | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052924 | after a brief visit at Leavenworth I returned to St. Louis, having made up my mind to capture the heart of Miss Frederici, whom I now adored above any other young lady I had ever seen. Her lovely face, her gentle disposition and her graceful manners won my admiration and love; and I was not slow in declaring my sentiments | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052925 | to her. The result was that I obtained her consent to marry me in the near future, and when I bade her good-bye I considered myself one of the happiest of men. Meantime I drove a string of horses from Leavenworth to Fort Kearney, where I met my old friend Bill Trotter, who was then division stage agent. He employed | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052926 | me at once to drive stage between Kearney and Plum Creek, the road running near the spot where I had my first Indian fight with the McCarthy brothers, and where I killed my first Indian, nearly nine years before. I drove stage over this route until February, , and while bounding over the cold, dreary road day after day, my | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052927 | thoughts turned continually towards my promised bride, until I at last determined to abandon staging forever, and marry and settle down. Immediately after coming to this conclusion, I went to St. Louis, where I was most cordially received by my sweetheart; it was arranged between us that our wedding should take place on the 6th day of March, following. At | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052928 | last the day arrived, and the wedding ceremony was performed at the residence of the bride's parents, in the presence of a large number of invited friends, whose hearty congratulations we received. I was certainly to be congratulated, for I had become possessed of a lovely and noble woman, and as I gazed upon her as she stood beside me | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052929 | arrayed in her wedding costume, I indeed felt proud of her; and from that time to this I have always thought that I made a most fortunate choice for a life partner. An hour after the ceremony we--my bride and myself--were on board of a Missouri river steamboat, bound for our new home in Kansas. My wife's parents had accompanied | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052930 | us to the boat, and had bidden us a fond farewell and a God-speed on our journey. During the trip up the river several very amusing, yet awkward incidents occurred, some of which I cannot resist relating. There happened to be on board the boat an excursion party from Lexington, Missouri, and those comprising it seemed to shun me, for | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052931 | some reason which I could not then account for. They would point at me, and quietly talk among themselves, and eye me very closely. Their actions seemed very strange to me. After the boat had proceeded some little distance, I made the acquaintance of several families from Indiana, who were _en route_ to Kansas. A gentleman, who seemed to be | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052932 | the leader of these colonists, said to me, "The people of this excursion party don't seem to have any great love for you." "What does it mean?" I asked; "What are they saying? It's all a mystery to me." "They say that you are one of the Kansas jay-hawkers, and one of Jennison's house burners," replied the gentleman. "I am | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052933 | from Kansas--that's true; and was a soldier and a scout in the Union army," said I; "and I was in Kansas during the border ruffian war of . Perhaps these people know who I am, and that explains their hard looks." I had a lengthy conversation with this gentleman--for such he seemed to be--and entertained him with several chapters of | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052934 | the history of the early Kansas troubles, and told him the experiences of my own family. In the evening the Lexington folks got up a dance, but neither the Indiana people, my wife or myself were invited to join them. My new-found friend thereupon came to me and said: "Mr. Cody, let us have a dance of our own." "Very | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052935 | well," was my reply. "We have some musicians along with us, so we can have plenty of music," remarked the gentleman. "Good enough!" said I, "and I will hire the negro barber to play the violin for us. He is a good fiddler, as I heard him playing only a little while ago." The result was that we soon organized | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052936 | a good string band and had a splendid dance, keeping it up as long as the Lexington party did theirs. The second day out from St. Louis, the boat stopped to wood up, at a wild-looking landing. Suddenly twenty horsemen were seen galloping up through the timber, and as they came nearer the boat they fired on the negro deckhands, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052937 | against whom they seemed to have a special grudge, and who were engaged in throwing wood on board. The negroes all quickly jumped on the boat and pulled in the gang plank, and the captain had only just time to get the steamer out into the stream before the bushwhackers--for such they proved to be--appeared on the bank. "Where is | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052938 | the black abolition jay-hawker?" shouted the leader. "Show him to us, and we'll shoot him," yelled another. But as the boat had got well out in the river by this time, they could not board us, and the captain ordering a full head of steam, pulled out and left them. I afterwards ascertained that some of the Missourians, who were | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052939 | with the excursion party, were bushwhackers themselves, and had telegraphed to their friends from some previous landing that I was on board, telling them to come to the landing which we had just left, and take me off. Had the villains captured me they would have undoubtedly put an end to my career, and the public would never have had | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052940 | the pleasure of being bored by this autobiography. I noticed that my wife felt grieved over the manner in which these people had treated me. Just married, she was going into a new country, and seeing how her husband was regarded, how he had been shunned, and how his life had been threatened, I was afraid she might come to | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052941 | the conclusion too soon that she had wedded a "hard customer." So when the boat landed at Kansas City I telegraphed to some of my friends in Leavenworth that I would arrive there in the evening. My object was to have my acquaintances give me a reception, so that my wife could see that I really did have some friends, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052942 | and was not so bad a man as the bushwhackers tried to make out. Just as I expected, when the boat reached Leavenworth, I found a general round-up of friends at the landing to receive us. There were about sixty gentlemen and ladies. They had a band of music with them, and we were given a fine serenade. Taking carriages, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052943 | we all drove to South Leavenworth to the home of my sister Eliza, who had married George Myers, and there we were given a very handsome reception. All this cheered up my wife, who concluded that I was not a desperado after all. Having promised my wife that I would abandon the plains, I rented a hotel in Salt Creek | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052944 | Valley--the same house by the way, which my mother had formerly kept, but which was then owned by Dr. J.J. Crook, late surgeon of the 7th Kansas. This hotel I called the Golden Rule House, and I kept it until the next September. People generally said I made a good landlord, and knew how to run a hotel--a business qualification | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052945 | which, it is said, is possessed by comparatively few men. But it proved too tame employment for me, and again I sighed for the freedom of the plains. Believing that I could make more money out West on the frontier than I could at Salt Creek Valley, I sold out the Golden Rule House, and started alone for Saline, Kansas, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052946 | which was then the end of the track of the Kansas Pacific railway, which was at that time being built across the plains. On my way I stopped at Junction City, where I again met my old friend Wild Bill, who was scouting for the government; his headquarters being at Fort Ellsworth, afterwards called Fort Harker. He told me that | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052947 | they needed more scouts at this post, and I accordingly accompanied him to that fort, where I had no difficulty in obtaining employment. During the winter of -, I scouted between Fort Ellsworth and Fort Fletcher. In the spring of I was at Fort Fletcher, when General Custer came out to go on an Indian expedition with General Hancock. I | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052948 | remained at this post until it was drowned out by the heavy floods of Big Creek, on which it was located; the water rose about the fortifications and rendered the place unfit for occupancy; so the government abandoned the fort, and moved the troops and supplies to a new post--which had been named Fort Hays--located further west, on the south | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052949 | fork of Big Creek. It was while scouting in the vicinity of Fort Hays that I had my first ride with the dashing and gallant Custer, who had come up to the post from Fort Ellsworth with an escort of only ten men. He wanted a guide to pilot him to Fort Larned, a distance of sixty-five miles across the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052950 | country. I was ordered by the commanding officer to guide General Custer to his desired destination, and I soon received word from the General that he would start out in the morning with the intention of making the trip in one day. Early in the morning, after a good night's rest, I was on hand, mounted on my large mouse-colored | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052951 | mule--an animal of great endurance--and ready for the journey; when the General saw me, he said: "Cody, I want to travel fast and go through as quickly as possible, and I don't think that mule of yours is fast enough to suit me." "General, never mind the mule," said I, "he'll get there as soon as your horses. That mule | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052952 | is a good one," as I knew that the animal was better than most horses. "Very well; go ahead, then," said he, though he looked as if he thought I would delay the party on the road. For the first fifteen miles, until we came to the Smoky Hill River, which we were to cross, I could hardly keep the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052953 | mule in advance of the General, who rode a frisky, impatient and ambitious thoroughbred steed; in fact, the whole party was finely mounted. The General repeatedly told me that the mule was "no good," and that I ought to have had a good horse. But after crossing the river and striking the sand-hills, I began letting my mule out a | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052954 | little, and putting the "persuaders" to him. He was soon out-traveling the horses, and by the time we had made about half the distance to Fort Larned, I occasionally had to wait for the General or some of his party, as their horses were beginning to show signs of fatigue. "General, how about this mule, anyhow?" I asked, at last. | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052955 | "Cody, you have a better vehicle than I thought you had," was his reply. From that time on to Fort Larned I had no trouble in keeping ahead of the party. We rode into the fort at four o'clock in the afternoon with about half the escort only, the rest having lagged far behind. General Custer thanked me for having | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052956 | brought him straight across the country without any trail, and said that if I were not engaged as post scout at Fort Hays he would like to have me accompany him as one of his scouts during the summer; and he added that whenever I was out of employment, if I would come to him he would find something for | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052957 | me to do. This was the beginning of my acquaintance with General Custer, whom I always admired as a man and as an officer. [Illustration: GENERAL CUSTER] A few days after my return to Fort Hays, the Indians made a raid on the Kansas Pacific Railroad, killing five or six men and running off about one hundred horses and mules. | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052958 | The news was brought to the commanding officer, who immediately ordered Major Arms, of the Tenth Cavalry--which, by the way, was a negro regiment,--with his company and one mountain howitzer, to go in pursuit of the red-skins, and I was sent along with the expedition as scout and guide. On the second day out we suddenly discovered, on the opposite | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052959 | side of the Saline River, about a mile distant, a large body of Indians, who were charging down upon us. Major Arms, placing the cannon on a little knoll, limbered it up and left twenty men to guard it; and then, with the rest of the command, he crossed the river to meet the Indians. Just as he had got | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052960 | the men over the stream, we heard a terrific yelling and shouting in our rear, and looking back to the knoll where the cannon had been stationed, we saw the negroes, who had been left there to guard the gun, flying towards us, being pursued by about one hundred Indians; while another large party of the latter were dancing around | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052961 | the captured cannon, as if they had got hold of an elephant and did not know what to do with it. Major Arms turned his command back and drove the Indians from the gun. The troops then dismounted and took position there. Quite a severe fight ensued, lasting about two hours. Five or six of the soldiers, as well as | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052962 | Major Arms, were wounded, and several of the horses were shot. The Indians seemed to grow thicker and thicker, as if receiving reinforcements from some large party. The colored troops, who had been bragging all the way that if they could only see some Indians "dey would blow 'em off de farm,"--which was a favorite expression of theirs,--were now singing | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052963 | a different tune. Every time the Indians would make a charge at us, the darkeys would cry out: "Heah dey cum;" "Dey must be ten thousand ob 'em;" "De whole country is alive wid 'em;" "Massa Bill, does you tink we is eber agoin' to get out o' heah?" and many other similar expressions. Major Arms, who was wounded and | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052964 | lying under the cannon--which, by the way, had become useless,--called me up and asked if I thought there was any show of getting back to the fort. I replied that there was. Orders were accordingly given by Major Arms for a retreat, the cannon being left behind. During the movement several of our men were killed, but as night came | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052965 | and dense darkness prevailed, we succeeded in making good headway, and got into Fort Hays just at daylight next morning, in a very played-out condition. During our absence the cholera had broken out at the post, and five or six men were dying daily. It was difficult to tell which was the greater danger--fighting Indians on the prairie, or facing | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052966 | the cholera in camp; but the former was decidedly the more inviting. . A MILLIONAIRE. Soon after returning to Fort Hays, I was sent with dispatches to Fort Harker. After delivering the messages, I visited the town of Ellsworth, about three miles west of Fort Harker, and there I met a man named William Rose, a contractor on the Kansas | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052967 | Pacific Railroad, who had a contract for grading near Fort Hays. He had had his stock stolen by the Indians, and had come to Ellsworth to buy more. During the course of our conversation, Mr. Rose incidentally remarked that he had some idea of laying out a town on the west side of Big Creek, about one mile from the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052968 | fort, where the railroad was to cross. He asked my opinion of the contemplated enterprise, and I told him that I thought it was "a big thing." He then proposed taking me as a partner in the scheme, and suggested that after we got the town laid out and thrown open to the public, we should establish a store and | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052969 | saloon there. Thinking it would be a grand thing to be half-owner of a town, I at once accepted his proposition. We bought a stock of such articles as are usually found in a frontier store, and transported them to the place on Big Creek, where we were to found our town. We hired a railroad engineer to survey the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052970 | site and stake it off into lots; and we gave the new town the ancient and historical name of Rome. To a "starter," we donated lots to any one who would build on them, but reserved the corner lots and others which were best located for ourselves. These reserved lots we valued at fifty dollars each. Our modern Rome, like | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052971 | all mushroom towns along the line of a new railroad, sprang up as if by magic, and in less than one month we had two hundred frame and log houses, three or four stores, several saloons, and one good hotel. Rome was looming up, and Rose and I already considered ourselves millionaires, and thought we "had the world by the | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052972 | tail." But one day a fine-looking gentleman, calling himself Dr. W.E. Webb, appeared in town, and dropping into our store introduced himself in a very pleasant way. "Gentlemen, you've got a very flourishing little town here. Wouldn't you like to have a partner in your enterprise?" "No, thank you," said I, "we have too good a thing here to whack | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052973 | up with anybody." My partner agreed with me, but the conversation was continued, and at last the stranger said: "Gentlemen, I am the agent or prospector of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, and my business is to locate towns for the company along the line." "We think we have the only suitable town-site in this immediate locality," said Mr. Rose, "and | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052974 | as a town is already started, we have saved the company considerable expense." "You know as well as I do," said Dr. Webb, "that the company expects to make money by selling lands and town lots; and as you are not disposed to give the company a show, or share with me, I shall probably have to start another town | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052975 | near you. Competition is the life of trade, you know." "Start your town, if you want to. We've got the 'bulge' on you, and can hold it," said I, somewhat provoked at his threat. But we acted too independently and too indiscreetly for our own good Dr. Webb, the very next day after his interview with us, began hauling material | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052976 | to a spot about one mile east of us, where he staked out a new town, which he called Hays City. He took great pains to circulate in our town the story that the railroad company would locate their round-houses and machine shops at Hays City, and that it was to be _the_ town and a splendid business center. A | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052977 | ruinous stampede from our place was the result. People who had built in Rome came to the conclusion that they had built in the wrong place; they began pulling down their buildings and moving them over to Hays City, and in less than three days our once flourishing city had dwindled down to the little store which Rose and I | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052978 | had built. It was on a bright summer morning that we sat on a pine box in front of our crib, moodily viewing the demolition of the last building. Three days before, we had considered ourselves millionaires; on that morning we looked around and saw that we were reduced to the ragged edge of poverty. Our sanguine expectations of realizing | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052979 | immense fortunes were dashed to the ground, and we felt pretty blue. The new town of Hays had swallowed Rome entirely. Mr. Rose facetiously remarked that he felt like "the last rose of summer," with all his lovely companions faded and gone, and _he_ left blooming alone. I told him I was still there, staunch and true, but he replied | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052980 | that that didn't help the matter much. Thus ends the brief history of the "Rise, Decline and Fall" of Modern Rome. It having become evident to me that there was very little hope of Rome ever regaining its former splendor and prosperity, I sent my wife and daughter Arta--who had been born at Leavenworth in the latter part of December, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052981 | --to St. Louis on a visit. They had been living with me for some little time in the rear part of our "store." At this time Mr. Rose and myself had a contract under Schumacher, Miller & Co., constructors of the Kansas Pacific, for grading five miles of track westward from Big Creek, and running through the site of Rome. | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052982 | Notwithstanding we had been deserted, we had some small hope that they would not be able to get water at the new town, and that the people would all soon move back to Rome, as we really had the best location. We determined, therefore, to go on with our grading contract, and wait for something better to turn up. It | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052983 | was indeed hard for us, who had been millionaires, to come down to the level of common railroad contractors-- but we had to do it, all the same. We visited the new town of Hays almost daily, to see how it was progressing, and in a short time we became much better acquainted with Dr. Webb, who had reduced us | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052984 | from our late independent to our present dependent position. We found him a perfect gentleman--a whole-souled, genial-hearted fellow, whom everybody liked and respected. Nearly every day, "Doc." and I would take a ride over the prairie together and hunt buffalo. On one occasion, having ventured about ten miles from the town, we spied a band of Indians not over two | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052985 | miles distant, who were endeavoring to get between us and the town, and thus cut us off. I was mounted on my celebrated horse Brigham, the fleetest steed I ever owned. On several subsequent occasions he saved my life, and he was the horse that I rode when I killed sixty-nine buffaloes in one day. Dr. Webb was riding a | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052986 | beautiful thoroughbred bay, which he had brought with him from the East. Having such splendid horses, we laughed at the idea of a band of Indians overtaking us on a square run, no matter how well they might be mounted; but not caring to be cut off by them, we ran our steeds about three miles towards home, thus getting | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052987 | between the braves and the town. The Indians were then about three-quarters of a mile distant, and we stopped and waved our hats at them, and fired some shots at long range. There were thirteen in the party, and as they were getting pretty close to us, we struck out for Hays. They came on in pursuit and sent several | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052988 | scattering shots after us, but we easily left them behind. They finally turned and rode off towards the Saline River. The Doctor thought this glorious sport, and wanted to organize a party to go in pursuit of them, but I induced him to give up this idea, although he did so rather reluctantly. The Doctor soon became quite an expert | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052989 | hunter, and before he had remained on the prairie a year there were but few men in the country who could kill more buffaloes on a hunt than he. Being aware that Rose and myself felt rather downhearted over our deserted village, the Doctor one day said that, as he had made the proprietors of Rome "howl," he would give | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052990 | us two lots each in Hays, and did so. We finally came to the conclusion that our old town was dead beyond redemption or revival, and we thereupon devoted our undivided attention to our railroad contract. One day we were pushed for horses to work on our scrapers--so I hitched up Brigham, to see how he would work. He was | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052991 | not much used to that kind of labor, and I was about giving up the idea of making a work-horse of him, when one of the men called to me that there were some buffaloes coming over the hill. As there had been no buffaloes seen anywhere in the vicinity of the camp for several days, we had become rather | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052992 | short of meat. I immediately told one of our men to hitch his horses to a wagon and follow me, as I was going out after the herd, and we would bring back some fresh meat for supper. I had no saddle, as mine had been left at the camp a mile distant, so taking the harness from Brigham, I | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052993 | mounted him bareback and started out after the game, being armed with my celebrated buffalo-killer, "Lucretia Borgia,"--a newly-improved breech-loading needle gun, which I had obtained from the government. While I was riding toward the buffaloes I observed five horsemen coming out from the fort, who had evidently seen the buffaloes from the post, and were going out for a chase. | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052994 | They proved to be some newly-arrived officers in that part of the country, and when they came up closer, I could see by the shoulder straps that the senior officer was a captain, while the others were lieutenants. "Hello! may friend," sang out the captain, "I see you are after the same game we are." "Yes, sir; I saw those | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052995 | buffaloes coming over the hill, and as we were about out of fresh meat I thought I would go and get some," said I. They scanned my cheap-looking outfit pretty closely, and as my horse was not very prepossessing in appearance, having on only a blind bridle, and otherwise looking like a work-horse they evidently considered me a green hand | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052996 | at hunting. "Do you expect to catch those buffaloes on that Gothic steed?" laughingly asked the captain. "I hope so, by pushing on the reins hard enough," was my reply. "You'll never catch them in the world, my fine fellow," said the captain. "It requires a fast horse to overtake the animals on these prairies." "Does it?" asked I as | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052997 | if I didn't know it. "Yes; but come along with us as we are going to kill them more for pleasure than anything else. All we want are the tongues and a piece of tender loin, and you may have all that is left," said the generous man. "I am much obliged to you, Captain, and will follow you," I | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052998 | replied. There were eleven buffaloes in the herd and they were not more than a mile from us. The officers dashed ahead as if they had a sure thing on killing them all before I could come up with them; but I had noticed that the herd was making towards the creek for water, and as I knew buffalo nature, | 60 | gutenberg |
twg_000000052999 | I was perfectly aware that it would be difficult to turn them from their direct course. Thereupon, I started towards the creek to head them off, while the officers came up in the rear and gave chase. The buffaloes came rushing past me not a hundred yards distant, with the officers about three hundred yards in the rear. Now, thought | 60 | gutenberg |
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