The life of Hon. William F. Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, the famous hunter, scout and guide. An autobiography

Front matter

Class _"E_5QJ^

COPYRIGHT DEPQSm

THE LIFE OF

Chapter I. Childhood

Early Days in Iowa — A Brother's Death — The Family Move to a New- Country — Incidents on the Road — The Horse Race — Our " Little Gray " Victorious — A Pleasant Acquaintance— Uncle Elijah Cody

— Our New Home — My Ponies 17

Chapter II. Early Influences

Dress Parade at Fort Leavenworth — The Beautiful Salt Creek Valley — The Mormon Emigrants — The Wagon Trains — The Cholera — A Lively Scene — My First Sight of Indians — " Dolly " and " Prince " — A Long-Lost Relative Turns up — Adventurous Career of Horace Billings — His Splendid Horsemanship — Catching Wild Horses. ... 26 CHAPTER III

BO\' DAYS IN KANSAS.

My Indian Acquaintances — An Indian Barbecue — Beginning of the Kansas Troubles— An Indiscreet Speech by my Father, who is Stabbed for his Boldness — Persecutions at the Hands of the Missourians — A Strategic Escape — A Battle at Hickory Point — A Plan to Kill Father is Defeated by Myself -He is Elected to the Lecompton Legislature — I Enter the Employ of William Russell — Herding Cattle — A Plot to Blow L^p our House — A Drunken

Missourian on the War-Path. .... 38

Chapter IV. Youthful Experiences

At School — My First Love Scrape — I Punish my Rival, and then Run Away — My First Trip Across the Plains — Steve Gobel and I are Friends once more — Death of my Father — I Start forSalt Lake — Our Wagon Train Surprised by Indians, who Drive us off, and Capture our Outfit —I Kill my First Indian— Our Return to Leavenworth — I am Interviewed by a Newspaper Reporter, who gives me a Good "Send-Off" 53 xii CONTENTS.

Chapter V. In Business

My Second Trip Across the Plains— The Salt Lake Trail— Wild Bill — He Protects me from the Assault of a Bully— A Buffalo Hunt — Our Wagon Train Stampeded by Buffaloes — We are Taken Prisoners by the Mormons — We Proceed to Fort Bridger 64

Chapter VI. Hard Times

A Dreary Winter At Fort Bridger — Short Rations — Mule Steaks — Homeward Bound in the Spring — A Square Meal — Corraled by Indians — A Mule Barricade— We Hold the Fort — Home Again — Off for the West — Trapping on the Chugwater And Laramie Rivers — We go to Sleep In a Human Grave — A Horrifying Discovery — A Jollification at Oak Grove Ranch — Home Once More — I go to School — The Pikes Peak Gold Excitement — Down the

Platte River on a Raft — I Become a Pony Express Rider 78

Chapter VII. Accidents And Escapes

Trapping on Prairie Dog Creek — An Accident vehereby we Lose one of our Oxen — I Fall and Break my Leg — Left Alone in Camp — Unwelcome Visitors — A Party of Hostile Sioux Call upon me and Make Themselves at Home — Old Rain-in-the-Face Saves my Life — Snow- Bound — A Dreary Imprisonment — Return of my Partner — A Joyful Meeting— We Pull Out for Home- Harrington Dies 93

Chapter VIII. Adventukes On The Overland Boad

Introduction to Alf. Slade — He Employs me as a Pony Express Rider — I Make a Long Ride — Indians Attack an Overland Stage Coach — Wild Bill Leads a Successful Expedition against the Indians — A Grand Jollification at Sweetwater Bridge — Slade Kills a Stage Driver — The End of the Spree — A Bear Hunt — I fall among Horse

Thieves— My Escape— I Guide a Party to Capture the Gang 103

Chapter IX. Fast Driving

Bob Scott, the Stage Driver — The Story of the Most Reckless Piece of

Stage Driving that ever Occurred on the Overland Road 119

Chapter X. Questionable Proceedings

The Civil War— Jayhawking— Wild Bill's Fight with the McCandless Gang of Desperadoes— I become Wild Bill's Assistant Wagon- Master — We Lose our Last Dollar on a Horse Race — He becomes a Government Scout — He has a Duel iit Springfield 125

Contents

XIU

Chapter XI. A Soluikk

Scouting against tlie Indians in the Kiowa and Comanche country — The Red-Legged Scouts — A Trip to Denver — Death of my Mother — I Awake one Morning to Find myself a Soldier — I am put on Detached Service as a Scout — The Cliase after Price — An Unexpected Meeting with Wild Bill — An Unpleasant Situation — Wild Bill's Escape from the Southern Lines — The Charge upon Price's Army

— We return to Springfield . . . ; - 13i

Chapter XII

. A WEDDING.

I Fall in Love — A Successful Courting Expedition — I am Married — The Happiest Event of my Life— Our Trip up the Missouri River — The Bushwhackers Come after me — I become Landlord of a Hotel — Off for the Plains once more — Scouting on the Frontier for the Government — A Ride with General Custer — An Expedition from Fort Hays has a Lively Chase after Indians — Cholera in Camp.. 141 CHAPTER XIII.

A MILLIONAIRE.

A Town Lot Speculation — " A Big Thing " — I become Half-Owner of a City — Corner Lots Reserved- — Rome's Rapid Rise — We consider ourselves Millionaires — Dr. Webb — Hays City — We Regard ourselves as Paupers — A Race with Indians — Captain Graham's Scout

after the Indians 149

Chapter XIV. Earning A Title

Hunting for the Kansas Pacific — Kow I got my Name of " Buffalo Bill" — The Indians give me a Lively Chase — They get a Dose of their own Medicine — Another Adventure — Scotty and myself Corraled by

Indians — A Fire Signal brings Assistance — Kit Carson 161

Chapter XV. Champion Buffalo Killer

A Buffalo Killing Match with Billy Comstock — An Excursion party from St. Louis come out to Witness the Sport — I win the Match, and

am declared the Champion Buffalo Killer of the Plains 171

Chapter XVI. A Courier

Scouting — Captured by Indians — A Strategic Escape — A Hot Pursuit — The Indians led into an Ambush— Old Satanta's Tricks and Tlireats — Excitement at Fort Earned — Herders and Wood-Choppers Killed by the Indians — A Perilous Ride — I get into the wrong Pew — Safe arrival at Fort Hays — Interview with General Sheridan — My ride to Fort Dodge — I return to Fort Earned — My Mule gets away from me — A long Walk — The Mule Passes In his Chips 178 xiv , CONTENTS.

Chapter XVII. An Appointment

General Sheridan appoints me Guide and Cliief of Scouts of the Fifth Cavalry— The Dog Soldiers— General Forsyth's Fight on the Arickaree Fork 200

Chapter XVIII. Scouting

Arrival of the Fifth Cavalry at Fort Hays— Out on a Scout— A little Skirmish with Indians — A Buffalo Hunt — A False Alarm in camp — A Scout on the Beaver — The Supply Camp is Surprised — Arrival of General Carr — The new Lieutenant and his Reception — Another Indian Hunt — An Engagement — A Crack Shot — I have a little Indian fight of my own — Return to Fort Wallace — While hunting Buffaloes with a small Party, we are Attacked by Fifty Indians. . . . 206

Chapter XIX. A Tough Time

A Winter's Campaign in the Canadian River Country — Searching for Penrose's Command — A Heavy Snow-Storm — Taking the Wagon Train down a Mountain Side — Camp Turkey — Darkey Deserters from Penrose's Command — Starvation in Penrose's Camp — We reach the Command with Timely Relief — Wild Bill — A Beer Jollification — Hunting Antelopes — Return to Fort Lyon 218

Chapter XX. An Exciting Chase

A Difficulty with a Quartermaster's Agent— I give him a Severe Pounding — A Stormy Interview with General Bankhead and Captain Laufer— I put another "Head" on the Quartermaster's Agent— I am Arrested— In the Guard-House — General Bankhead Releases me— A Hunt after Horse Thieves— Their Capture— Escape of Bevins — His Recapture— Escape of Williams— Bevins Breaks Out of Jail— His Subsequent Career 229

CHAPTER XXL

A MILITARY EXPEDITION.

The Fifth Cavalry is Ordered to the i:)eparttr.cnt of the Platte— Liquids vs. Solids— A Skirmish with tlie Indians— Arrival at Fort McPher- 8on— Appointed Chief of Scouts— Major Frank North and the Pawnee Scouts— Belden the White Cliicf— The Sliooting Match- Review of the Pawnee Scouts— An Expedition against the Indians — " Buckskin Joe" 243

CONTENTS. XV

Chapter XXII. A Desperate Fight

Pawnees vs. Siouxs — We strike a Large Trail — The Print of a Woman's Shoe — The Summit Springs Fight — A Successful Charge — Capture of the Indian Village — Rescue of a White Woman — One hundnd and forty Indians Killed — I kill Tall Bull and Capture his Swift Steed — The Command proceeds to Fort Sedgwick — Powder Face — A Scout after Indian Horse-Thieves — "Ned Buntline " — "Tall Bull" as a Racer — Powder Face wins a Race without a Rider—

An Expedition to the Niobrara — An Indian Tradition 254

Chapter XXIII. Administering Justice

I make my Home at Fort McPherson — Arrival of my Family — Hunting and Horse Racing — An Indian Raid — Powder Fave Stolen — A Lively Chase — An Expedition to the Republican River Country — General Duncan — A Skirmish with the Indians — A Stern Chase — An Addition to my Family — Kit Carson Cody — I am made a Justice of the Peace — A Case of Replevin — I perform a Marriage Ceremony — Professor Marsh's Fossil- Hunting Expedition 268

Chapter XXIV. Hunting Expeditions

The Grand Hunt of General Sheridan, James Gordon Bennett, and other Distinguished Gentlemen — From Fort McPherson to Fort Hays — Incidents of the Trip — " Ten Days on the Plains" — General Carr's Hunting Expedition — A Joke on McCarthy — A Search for the Remains of Buck's Surveying Party, who had been Murdered by the Indians 281

Chapter XXV. Hunting With A Grand Duke

The Grand Duke Alexis Hunt — Selection of a Camp — I Visit Spotted Tail's Camp — The Grand Duke and Party arrive at Camp Alexis — Spotted Tail's Indians give a Dance — The Hunt — Alexis Kills his First Buffalo — Champagne — The Duke Kills another Buffalo — More Champagne — End of the Hunt — Departure of the Duke and his Party 295

Chapter XXVI. Sight-seeing

My Visit in the East — Reception in Chicago — Arrival in New York — I am well Entertained by my old Hunting Friends — I View the Sights of the Metropolis— Ned Buntline— The Play of " Buffalo Bill "—I am Called Upon to make a Speecli — A Visit to my Relatives — Return to the West 306 xvi CONTENTS.

Chapter XXVII. Honors

Arrival of the Third Cavalry at Fort McPherson — A Scout after Indians — A Desperate Fight with Thirteen Indians — A Hunt with the Earl of Dunraven — A Hunt with a Chicago Party — Milligan's Bravery — Neville — I am Elected to the Nebraska Legislature 313

Chapter XXVIII. An Actor

I resolve to go upon the Stage — I resign my Seat in the Legislature — Texas Jack — " The Scouts of the Plains " — A Crowded House — A Hapify Thought— A Brilliant Debvt—X Tour of tlie Country 320

Chapter XXIX. Starring

The Theatrical Season of 1S73-74— Wild Bill and his Tricks— He Leaves us at Rochester — He becomes a " Star" — A Bogus " Wild Bill " — A Hunt with Thomas P. Medley, an English gentleman — A Scout on the Powder River and in the Big Horn Country — California Joe — Theatrical Tour of IST-l and 1875 — Death of my son, Kit Carson Cody , 329

Chapter XXX. A Eetuen To The Plains

The Sioux Campaign of 1876 — I am appointed Guide and Chief of Scouts of the Fifth Cavalry — An Engagement with eight hundred Cheyennes — A Duel with Yellow Hand — Generals Terry and Crook

meet, and co-operate Together 340

CHAPTER XXXL

DANGEROUS WORK.

Scouting on a Steamboat — Captain Grant Marsh — A Trip down the Yellowstone River — Acting as Dispatch Carrier — I Return East and open my Theatrical Season with a New Play — Immense Audiences — I go into the Cattle Business in company with Major Frank North — My Home at North Platte 3ij3

Conclusion

A Cattle "Round-up" — A Visit to My Family in our New Home — A A Visit from my Sisters — I go to Denver — Buying more Cattle — Pawnee and Nez-Perces Indians Engaged for a Theatrical Tour — The Season of 1878-79 — An experience in Washington — Home Once More 362