Prentiss Ingraham

“ Chief Oak Heart wanted no prisoners from Danforth’s band. I told the chief that Danforth and his men were come to take him captive—that they had sworn to do it! Ha! ha! That was rich, eh? So every man of them died.”
“And he came for you,” said Cody bitterly.
“Aye; and met the death he deserved; but a more merciful death than you will meet, scout. I do not need to stir up the red men’s rage against you. They will receive you with great joy at Oak Heart’s encampment.”
“And you fought with these savages?” cried Cody. ”

“ Boyd Bennett drove the canoe into the rocky ledge which masked the end of the island. Like paper the frail craft tore apart, and both he and the girl were flung into the stream.
Buffalo Bill’s bullet flew wide of its mark that time! White Antelope was in as much danger as the bandit—perhaps more—for the scout did not know whether the girl could swim or not, and the current was still quite swift and the water deep. ”

“ Buffalo Bill spurred on, and came to a place not many yards behind the Mad Hunter without the latter’s being aware of his presence, so intent was he in the work.
Leaving his horse and rifle, the scout, with soft tread and every sense alert, crept up behind the busy lunatic. He saw that the Mad Hunter had put aside [214] his own arms, the better to toil at his horrid trap. With a single shot from his revolver the scout might have dropped the maniac dead, and so relieved the world of a dangerous creature—a being neither man nor brute. But the scout did not wish to hurt the giant. ”

“ There are just so many medicines in the world, according to the Indian belief; there is one for each man. Having lost his medicine, it could not be replaced by the medicine chief or by any other ordinary means. He could not kill an enemy and take his medicine for his own; for as soon as a man is dead the virtue of his medicine accompanies him on the journey to the happy hunting-grounds.
No man would be so foolish as to sell his medicine at any price. With his last breath he will fight for that amulet. Red Knife was undone indeed as he sat there beside the bloody pool. ”

“ And at that thought the bandit chief started to life! Attacked, indeed! There was a relentless enemy on his trail. He, too, knew that it had come to the final trial of strength between he and the Border King. His death, or William F. Cody’s, must mark this island as a tragic spot forever.
The great scout, he knew, would never give up while life remained in his body. As for Bennett himself, he was pushed now to the last extremity. He was bereft of all his associates. He had seen them killed one by one, by fate, or by the relentless arm of Buffalo Bill. ”

“ This is the coolness born of long familiarity with peril; they could meet death itself without the quiver of a nerve.
They progressed but slowly, and the eyes of most of the red men were fixed upon them. It was plain that the savages did not understand just what was going forward when they saw he who appeared to be their king riding thus quietly, and armed and caparisoned, with Long Hair, the white scout. They could not understand why he was coming back to them in company with Pa-e-has-ka.
Soon they began to move forward in a body to meet the coming “chief” and his comrade. ”

“ The girl gave no sign of interest, nor did Cody speak to her. In truth, the scout had a bitter problem to consider.
What should he do with the girl? She was in his power. At least, he had separated her from her father and from her Indian friends. But was the time ripe for her to be introduced to white people—to those in Fort Advance, for instance?
It was a time when men’s passions were deeply stirred. There would be murder and hatred in the hearts of the whites as well as in that of the redskins. ”

“ Even the boldest man might shrink from that journey down Breakneck Hill!
“No, no, old man! You are mine this time. I tell you that you, the horses, and the old hearse, shall all go to the devil together. Here, boys! lead the horses to yonder fork of the roads and there turn them loose!”
The command was obeyed. Whether the other outlaws desired Buffalo Bill’s death as their leader did, he had such a hold upon them that not one objected to the mode of vengeance to be wreaked upon the scout. The horses were led to the brink of the steep hill. ”

“ The white horse sprang forward for the open gate of the fort, and Buffalo Bill’s mount kept abreast of him. The redskins dared not fire at the scout for fear of killing Oak Heart.
A volley from the soldiery sent the would-be rescuers of the chief back to cover. Only the beautiful girl, White Antelope, was left boldly in the open, shaking her befeathered spear and trying to rally her people to the charge. The white men honored Buffalo Bill’s request and did not shoot at her, or the Sioux would have lost their mascot as well as their great chieftain. ”

“ How seriously the man was wounded, Cody did not know; but his quarry did not seem to try to hide his trail. Straight along the ridge it led, then down into the little valley the scout had ridden across the night before, and so up the range of hills on the other side. Something about the walking of the big man puzzled the scout greatly, and suddenly Buffalo Bill spurred his horse to the summit of a high hill, that he might take a survey of the country over which it seemed the madman might pass. ”

“ However, Texas Jack saw the redskin force his pony nearer the thicket, and he heard its rider twitter like a bird disturbed at night in its nest.
“Old man, you’ve got the best of me!” thought the scout. “I can’t answer that signal, for I don’t know what the answer is. It’s a bad thing for you!”
There was no time for hesitation. Again the scout had to take life or be killed himself. The scout was a good shot with the bow and arrows as he was with rifle or pistol. And he must use a silent weapon to get rid of this foe. ”

“ The pain was very great for a moment, and the Indian fell to the ground, giving the bear a chance to almost overtake him.
Instantly, however, the red turned and struck at his bearship before the latter could seize him with its great, slobbering jaws. An attack always puts a bear on the defensive. He squatted back on his haunches, ready to either hug his enemy or to strike at him with his great forearms, which swung like flails!
Red Knife clambered to his feet, but he could not run. The bear would overtake him now in a short race. ”

“ There is no more romantic character in American history than William F. Cody, or as he was internationally known, Buffalo Bill. He, with Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, Wild Bill Hickok, General Custer, and a few other adventurous spirits, laid the foundation of our great West.
There is no more brilliant page in American history than the winning of the West. Never did pioneers live more thrilling lives, so rife with adventure and brave deeds as the old scouts and plainsmen. Foremost among these stands the imposing figure of Buffalo Bill. ”

“ Then shall you have content and your bellies be filled, and your young men shall grow up and be great hunters and your young squaws live to bear children.
“Long Hair has spoken. If the Sioux kill me, it is but one white man dead. But how many will strike the trail of the Sioux to avenge my death? The Sioux have already lost many braves. Let them be content; blood enough has been spilled. Is it not so?
“Remember, too, oh, Oak Heart, how Long Hair has sat in your lodge and talked with you and the Wise Woman before the Great Spirit took her. ”

“ And already the thunder of the squadron of cavalry on the plateau above reached their ears. Their leader having disappeared in such a hurry, the cavalrymen had come up rapidly, and now heard the firing of the guns below.
“Hold, men! fly for your lives!” shouted the voice of Boyd Bennett.
He wheeled and larruped his horse up the hill. Before the troopers reached the brink of the bluff above the coach, the robbers were out of sight.
“You’re all right, old man!” yelled Danforth, in huge delight, smiting Cody on the back. ”

“ That might apprise the redskins that some desperate venture was about to be made.
“Good-by, Bill, and may God guard you!” cried Major Baldwin. “And you, too, Texas Jack! I hope to see you both again.”
Cody turned and waved his hand to him; but Jack, in the character of the captured chief, looked straight ahead over his horse’s ears, and he made no gesture.
“We’ll bear toward the left, Jack, for our best plan is to strike for the cañon,” said Buffalo Bill.
“Right you are, pard. But don’t let’s make a dash till we hafter. We’ll gain everything by keeping them red devils guessing.” ”

“ He glanced at the pistol to see that all was right. Straight along the level the maddened horses came, the coach swaying behind them like a ship in a heavy sea. And behind it came Chief as though he hoped to do something for his imperiled master.
Dick Danforth was above the road, and, as he had pulled back his horse, the creature was fairly sliding down the steep incline, laying back on its haunches and bracing its forefeet to retard its progress.
Buffalo Bill could do nothing to help himself. ”

“ All Indians must harden their hearts against a being so [227] cursed of the Great Spirit that he had lost his medicine!
He could enter no council of his tribe; he had no voice in the general affairs; he could join in none of the sports. All that he had done before was forgotten. Even that he had brought low the white chief who had led the pony soldiers to the battle in the coulée counted nothing for Red Knife now. He was outcast.
Red Knife could not stand for this long. An Indian does not make way with himself. A suicide wanders forever between this life and that to come, and is never at rest. ”

“ Buffalo Bill and Captain Taylor rode some distance ahead of the troops. The cavalry could go only as fast as the guns and ambulances could keep up, so the band moved necessarily slow.
They came at last almost within sight of Fort Advance. A low ridge shut out their view of the valley. Suddenly the cool morning breeze brought to them a great shouting and hullabaloo, intermingled with rifle-shots and the intermittent discharge of heavy guns.
“An attack!” exclaimed the captain and the scout together, and they spurred their horses to the top of the ridge. ”

“ I have long had two medicines,” said Buffalo Bill, drawing slightly on his imagination. “They are good medicines. They have brought me good luck and made me successful in the chase, and in war. The Red Knife has no medicine. What would he do for the possession of this?” and the scout held out the compass temptingly.
Red Knife could barely restrain himself now. His cheeks actually flushed, and his eyes glistened.
“The Red Knife is a man!” he cried. “He will fight the Long Hair for the good medicine.” ”

“ But the renegade was not desirous of meeting Buffalo Bill with any weapon he might name! He knew the scout’s prowess too well. His desire was to see the scout writhing in the embrace of the flames, or standing bound as a target for the hatchet-marksmen of the Indian tribe with which he was affiliated.
He dared not seem to refuse the challenge, however, for he would then lose completely his influence with Oak Heart’s braves. But suddenly he caught sight of the Indian maiden’s face, and that he read like an open book!
“The enemy of the Sioux has spoken well. We will fight!” ”

“ It was almost as steep as the side of a house in places, and the roadway was full of boulders and stumps, while the gulleys made by heavy rains cut through it in many spots. A careful pack-animal might pick its way from top to bottom safely; but no vehicle could exist in a passage down Breakneck Hill.
The hill was not a continuous decline. It pitched sharply at first; then there was nearly a quarter of a mile of easy going along a plateau until there came the final and impassable descent into the valley.
“Now, Buffalo Bill, your life ends here!” cried Bennett savagely. ”

“ This spurt of speed brought the scout beside the Indian girl and her mount so quickly that White Antelope had no time to cast herself to the ground as she had intended. Even as she screamed and would have leaped to certain death, the white horse came neck and neck with her mount, Cody leaned over and seized her around the waist with his right arm, and, drawing his pistol this time with his left hand, shot the Indian pony through the head! ”

“ He had been found and cared for after the massacre by Buffalo Bill.
The white squaw’s brain had been turned by the horror of that time. She wandered about the encampment in a dazed state. The Indians have a great awe of those who are insane, believing that the finger of the Great Spirit has touched them. She was cared for tenderly and brought north with the tribe.
She was a skilful woman with herbs and simples. She nursed the wounded warriors; she helped the women in travail; she cared for the children and the young squaws. ”