The Life of Hon. William F. Cody, Known as Buffalo Bill

Contents

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 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.. . . . . . . 31 chapter iii. Boy 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 Up Our House— A Drunken Missourian on the War-Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 contents 12 the life of hon. william f. cody, known as buffalo bill 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 for Salt 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.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 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.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 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 Pike’s Peak Gold Excitement—Down the Platte River on a Raft—I Become a Pony Express Rider. . . . . . . . . . . . .91 chapter vii. Accidents and Escapes Trapping on Prairie Dog Creek—An Accident whereby 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 the life of hon. william f. cody, known as buffalo bill 13 Imprisonment—Return of My Partner—A Joyful Meeting— We Pull Out for Home—Harrington Dies.. . . . . . . . . . . .107 chapter viii. Adventures on the Overland Road 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. . . . . . . . . 117 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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 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 at Springfield. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 chapter xi. A Soldier Scouting against the 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 Chase 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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 chapter xii. A Wedding I Fall in Love—A Successful Courting Expedition—I Am Married—The Happiest Event of My Life—Our Trip Up 14 the...