Buffalo Bill: His Life and Adventures in the Wild West — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a noted buffalo horse, and he was armed with a breech-loading Springfield rifle, and a weapon which had sent many a red-skin to the happy hunting grounds. Comstock was also splendidly mounted, and carried his favourite buffalo repeating rife, and both men felt confident of vrtory Reaching the herd, the two hunters, followed by their counters, well mounted ra ipo into as and it quickly ivided, each one an opportunity to show Fis ale as though tho buffaloes themselves _ pathised with the match, and were willing to do all in their power to forward it. Yn his first run Buffalo Bill killed thirty- eicht, while in the same length of time Billy Comstock dropped twenty-thres, which gave the former the advantage thus far, A rest was then cailed for both horses and men, and once more they started out for the second run, a small herd appearing opportunely in sight. In this run Builalo Biul’s tally was eighteen to Comstock’s fourteen, and another halt was made for rest and re- freshments. When called to the scratch for the third run, Buffalo Bill, knowing he had the best buffaio horse in the country, stripped him of saddle and bridle and sprung- upon his bare back. A third herd was looked up, and the two killers began their work with a will, and Buffalo Bill sailed to the front with thirteen, which ave bim a lst of sixty- nine te Comstock’s forty-six. The third run closed the match, and Buffalo Bill was proclaimed the winner and the champion buffalo killer of the prairies. Pcor Will Comstock was also a renowned Indian fighter, and in confiicts with the Sioux fourd the fame denied him in this field. He was killed treacherously among some red men, whom he had trusted in some strange fit of blindness, —_ CHAPTER XIX, IN THE DESPERADOES’ DEX, BE Indians became so bad along the Pony Express line that the express and stage coaches had to be stopped for awhile on account of the large nu of horses run off, This caused a number of the eraployés Rta Sia j “BUFFALO ee | J La A ee ate ae Sate am eee 2 LF yn . of the Overland Mail to. be idle, at once formed S compan Ia ins coe | of the missing stock, anc | Be the redskins. es Of this company Wild » been driving stage, was sere ic the com- ‘a mander, and, as they were all a brave s of men, it was expected they would 'r en a good account of themselves. = Of course Buffalo Billy went along years the youngest of the mee second to none for courage and « in By prairie craft, me They first struck the Indians in ie 0 On the Overland trail, and defeating them | with heavy loss, pursued them to the Powder River, and then down thaé stre to the vicinity of where old Fort F now stands. Vg Pushing them hard the whites? efi several engagements with them, and ea one of the company performed some ¢ oi of valour, but none were more conspicuod ou8, for daring deeds than was Buffalo uy Permitting them no rest the mig drove the Indians into their villag although they were outnumbered fi ons, captured all of the company’ as te a as well as the ponies of ther ns, 5 _ Having been so successful Wi Bill ve the order to return, and the} Indi ar been too badly worsted to follow, ai they reached Sweetwater Bridge in and without the loss of an animal ha} had retaken or captured. — =i ae The stages Pony Express at o rne be an to run again on time, and Buff 0 Billy was transferred to another p se the Line, to drive through a mounts ,inous But anxious to return home, a ter bis long absence, he resigned position, determined to take advantage of at going east, and in which he could gets position as assistant bag 6 mas er -¢ the homeward-bound trip, which 4 pay him for a couple of menths’-s thereby giving him a larger : ‘sum to oar As it would be several days” oefor 5th train started, Buffalo Billy dete mined ‘to enjoy 2 bear-hunt, and mountin . is favourite horse, the roan he had: capi x from the Indian chief, he .set out i foot hills of Laramie P ea ty i After a de_ of pleasure, in which be shot <onsiderable e, such as antelope, and sage hens, but ot 2 he camped for the night m a pret upon one of the mouritain strear Hardly had he fastened his ro begun. to build a fire, | mich 200k 7 * M 4 \ AS i% a & 4 ~~ bes - =“ iy “ge ty “to , 0 ooo * ier ™