Yet on they plodded until at last the nature of the country was suchthat it was difficult for the train to travel, while, to add to theirdiscomfort and fears, a large band of Indians were hovering near them.
"Well, Velvet, where will you find a camping place to-night?" askedCaptain Denham, riding forward and joining the guide.
"Oh! I'll find a good place, and only a short distance ahead; after thatthe country will be all right for traveling," was the quiet answer.
"I don't believe it, for it has not that look."
"Then ask the assistant guide," was the stern reply.
"I would, but he is not with the train, and has not been seen since lastnight."
"Perhaps he got out of sight of the train and couldn't find his wayback," sneered the guide.
"Oh no! that boy knows what he is about, and I'll trust him for it."
"Well, yonder is the camp," and Roy Velvet pointed to a little meadownot far distant, through which ran a deep stream, and beyond andovershadowing it, was a range of bold hills.
"It's a pleasant spot indeed, and I guess we'll halt a day or two," saidthe captain, and he gave orders for the train to encamp.
But suddenly up dashed Billy Cody, mounted upon a large horse no one hadever seen him ride before, and it was evident that he had been ridinghard.
"Captain Denham, don't camp there, sir, for you place yourself at themercy of the renegades and Indians that are dogging your trail," he saidhastily.
"I am the guide, boy, and have selected the camp," sternly answered RoyVelvet.
"And you are my prisoner, Roy Velvet," and quicker than a flash therevolver of Buffalo Billy covered his heart.
Roy Velvet turned very pale, but said:
"Are you mad, boy?"
"No."
"Billy, what is the matter?" asked Captain Denham, while the teamstersand settlers gathered quickly around.
"Tie that man and I will tell you."
"But, Billy--"
"Tie him, captain, or I shall shoot him, for I know who and what he is,"cried Billy, and his manner, his charge against the chief guide, hismysterious absence from the train for eighteen hours, and his returnupon a strange horse, proved to all that he did know somethingdetrimental to Roy Velvet.
"Speak, Billy, and if you know aught against this man, tell us," saidthe captain.
"Disarm him then for he is a tricky devil."
"Captain Denham, will you permit that boy to cover me with his revolverand hurl insult upon me?" cried the guide.
"As you will not do as I ask I will do it myself," and Billy rode up tothe guide, still holding his cocked revolver upon him, and deliberatelytook from his belt his revolvers and knife.
"You are so sly, so soft in your cunning, Velvet, that I'll be on thesafe side," said Billy with a smile, as he felt over the man for anotherweapon.
"Ah! I'll take this Derringer from your breast pocket," and out he drewthe concealed weapon.
"Now, captain, I'll introduce to you Red Reid, the Renegade Chief."
All were astonished at this charge made by Billy against the guide, forRed Reid was one of the vilest road-agents that infested the overlandtrails to the West, and had robbed and murdered many a train ofemigrants, and of Government supplies.
He was known also to be in league with the red-skins, and had them forallies, when his own force of renegades was not large enough to make asuccessful attack.
"He lies! I am not that monster," shouted the guide as white as acorpse.
"I do not lie, sir; from the first I did not like you, and knowing thatyou were going off the regular trail west I watched you.
"I have seen you, at night, slip out of camp and meet Indians, and lastnight I followed the one you met.
"I overtook him on the prairies, after a hard chase, and he shot myhorse; but I shot him and found he was a white man in Indian disguise,and more, before he died he recognized me, for he was once my father'sfriend, but went to the bad.
"He told me who and what you were, and when he died to-day I mounted hishorse and came on after the train, for I knew you were going to leadthem here to attack this very night with your band that is not faraway."
The story of Billy made a deep impression upon the train people, andthe result was that Roy Velvet was seized, bound, and hanged to a treewithin fifteen minutes, and the boy who had saved them from death wasmade chief guide.
At once he led them out of the dangerous locality where they could beambushed and attacked, and the truth of the charge against Roy Velvetwas sustained by the attack of the supposed Indians upon their camp;for, when driven off and the dead examined, a number of white men werefound in the red paint and dress of Indian warriors.
Without difficulty Buffalo Billy led the train on to its destination,proving himself thereby a perfect guide, and after a short stop in thenew settlement, he returned with a Government train bound East, andagain was warmly welcomed "home again."
CHAPTER XV.
THE PONY EXPRESS RIDER.
One day when he had ridden into Leavenworth Buffalo Billy met his oldfriend, Wild Bill, who was fitting out a train with supplies for theOverland Stage Company, and he was at once persuaded to join him in thetrip West going as assistant wagon-master.
Putting a man on his mother's farm to take care of it, for as a farmerBilly was not a success, he bade his mother and sisters farewell andonce more was on his way toward the land of the setting sun.
Having been at home for several months, for his mother not being in theenjoyment of good health he hated to leave her, Billy had been attendingschool, and had been a hard student, while in the eyes of his fellowpupils, girls and boys alike, he was a hero of heroes.
On his trip West with Wild Bill he had carried his books, and often incamp he had whiled away the time in studying, until he was asked if hewas reading for a lawyer or a preacher.
But when well away from civilization his books were cast aside for hisrifle, and he was constantly in the saddle supplying the train withgame.
Without any particular adventures the train arrived in due season atAtchison, and there so much was said about Pony Riding on the Overlandthat Buffalo Billy decided to volunteer as a rider.
Resigning his position with the train, Mr. Russell gave him a warmletter to Alf Slade, a noted personage on the frontier, and to him Billywent.
Slade was then stage agent for the Julesberg and Rocky Ridge Division,with his head-quarters at Horseshoe, nearly forty miles west of FortLaramie, and there Billy found him and presented his letter.
Slade read the letter, looked Billy carefully over, and said:
"I would like to oblige you, my boy, but you are too young, the workkills strong men in a short time."
"Give me a trial, sir, please, for I think I can pull through," saidBilly.
"But are you used to hard riding and a life of danger?"
"Yes, sir, I've seen hard work, young as I am."
"I see now that Russell says you are Buffalo Billy," and Slade glancedagain at the letter.
"Yes, sir, that's what my pards call me."
"I have heard of you, and you can become a pony rider; if you break downyou can give it up."
The very next day Billy was set to work on the trail from Red Buttes onthe North Platte, to Three Crossings on the Sweet Water, a distance ofseventy-six miles.
It was a very long piece of road, but Billy did not weaken, and ere longbecame known as the Boss Pony Rider.
One day he arrived at the end of his road to find that the rider whoshould have gone out on the trip with his mail, had been killed in afight, so he at once volunteered for the run to Rocky Ridge, a distanceof eighty-five miles, and arrived at the station even ahead of time.
Without rest he turned back and reached Red Buttes on time, making theextraordinary run of _three hundred and twenty-two_ miles withoutrest, and at an average speed of fifteen miles an hour.
This remarkable feat won for him a presentation of a purse of gold fromthe company, and a fame for pluck a
nd endurance that placed him as thechief of the Pony Riders.
CHAPTER XVI.
A RIDE FOR LIFE.
One day, after Buffalo Billy had been a few months Pony Riding, a partyof Indians ambushed him near Horse Creek.
He however, as did his horse, miraculously escaped their foes, dashedthrough them and went on like the wind.
But the red-skins gave hot chase, firing as they ran, yet still withouteffect.
Billy was well mounted and had not felt fear of them until he saw two ofthe Indians rapidly drawing ahead of the other, and gaining upon him.
He urged his horse on at full speed with lash and spur, but still thered-skins gained.
Then he saw that they too were splendidly mounted, not on ponies, butlarge American horses which they had doubtlessly captured from thecavalry.
Nearer and nearer came the Indians, and on Billy pressed at full speed.
Throwing a glance over his shoulder he saw that one of the red-skins,whose feathers proved him to be a chief, was gaining on his comrade, andyet seemed not to be urging the large roan he rode.
"I want that horse, and I want that Injun," muttered Billy, and hequietly took his revolver from his belt.
Nearer and nearer came the chief, and Billy felt his own horse wavering,and knew he was forced beyond his powers of endurance, and fearing hemight fall with him, determined to act at once.
Dragging the animal he rode to a sudden halt, and reining him back uponhis haunches, he suddenly wheeled in his saddle and fired.
The Indian saw his sudden and unexpected movement, and was taken sowholly off his guard that he had no time to fire, and ere he could raisehis pistol, a bullet went crashing through his brain.
He fell back on his horse, that dashed straight on, and was then thrownto the ground, while the rein of the animal was seized by Billy with aforce that checked his mad flight.
It was an easy thing for the Pony Rider to spring upon the back of theroan and get away; but he would not give up his own saddle and the mailbags which were attached to it, and, dismounting, he was hastily makingthe transfer from his own to the red skin's horse when up dashed thesecond Indian, and firing as he came, sent a bullet through the cap ofthe youth, knocking it from his head.
The two horses he held began to both pull back in alarm, and for aninstant things looked very dismal for the brave Pony Rider; but a secondshot from the warrior missed the boy and killed his horse, and thisrelieved him of that trouble, and instantly he drew his revolver andfired.
Down from his horse fell the red skin, but only wounded, and as he stillclutched his pistol, Billy was forced to give him another shot, whichquieted him forever, just as the band of Indians came in sight.
But the presence of mind for which he was noted did not desert the PonyRider, and he quickly cut loose his saddle from his dead horse, sprungwith it in his hand upon the back of the roan and dashed away once morejust as the shots of his foes began to patter around him.
The Indians, however, kept the chase up, and Billy dashed up to thestation to find that the stock-tender lay dead and scalped in front ofhis cabin and the stock had been driven off.
But without an instant's delay the Pony Rider urged the splendid roan hehad captured on once more and arrived in safety at Plontz Station_ahead of time_, and made known what had happened back on theoverland trail, and added new laurels to his name.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE BOY STAGE DRIVER OF THE OVERLAND.
After six months longer of Pony Riding over the dangerous trail ofseventy-six miles, ridden by day and night in all kinds of weather,Buffalo Billy met with an adventure that was the cause of his againfinding another occupation.
The Indians had become very troublesome as fall came on and a number ofpony riders had been killed and stations burned along the route untilthere were few who cared to take the risks.
The stage coaches also were often attacked, and on one occasion thedriver and two passengers were killed and several others were wounded.
But Billy did not flinch from his long, lonely and desperate rides, andseemed to even take pleasure in taking the fearful chances against deathwhich he was forced to do on every ride out and in.
One day as he sped along like the wind he saw ahead of him the stagecoach going at full speed and no one on the box.
At once he knew there was trouble, and as he drew nearer he discoveredsome Indians dash out of a ravine and give chase.
As he heard the clatter of hoofs behind him he looked around and saw adozen red-skins coming in pursuit, and felt confident that he must havedashed by an ambush they were preparing for him, by suddenly changinghis course and riding _around_ instead of _through_ a canyon.
The stage coach was now in the open prairie, and dashing along the trailas fast as the horses could go, while the Indians in close pursuitnumbered but three.
Billy was well mounted upon a sorrel mare, and urging her with the spurhe soon came in range of the red-skin furthest in the rear and hastilyfired.
Down went the pony, and the Indian was thrown with such violence that hewas evidently stunned, as he lay where he had fallen.
Another shot wounded one of the remaining Indians, and they hastily spedaway to the right oblique in flight, while Billy dashed on to the sideof the coach.
There were five passengers within, and two of them were women, and allwere terribly frightened, though evidently not knowing that their driverlay dead upon the box, the reins still grasped in his nerveless hands.
Riding near, Billy seized his mail bags and dextrously got from hissaddle to the stage, and the next instant he held the reins in his firmgripe.
He knew well that Ted Remus, the driver, had carried out a box of gold,and was determined to save it for the company if in his power.
His horse, relieved of his weight and trained to run the trail, keptright on ahead, and he, skillfully handling the reins, for he was a finedriver, drove on at the topmost speed of the six animals drawing thecoach.
Behind him came the Indians, steadily gaining; but Billy plied the silkin a style that made his team fairly fly, and they soon reached thehills.
Here the red-skins again gained, for the road was not good and in manyplaces very dangerous.
But once over the ridge, and just as the Indians were near enough tofill the back of the coach with arrows, Billy made his team jump aheadonce more, and at breakneck speed they rushed down the steep road, thevehicle swaying wildly, and the passengers within not knowing whetherthey would be dashed to pieces, or scalped by the Indians, or whichdeath would be the most to be desired.
But Billy, in spite of his lightning driving, managed his team well, andafter a fierce run of half an hour rolled up to the door of the stationin a style that made the agent and the lookers on stare.
But he saved the box and the lives of the passengers, and several daysafter was transferred from the Pony Rider line to stage driving on theOverland, a position he seemed to like.
CHAPTER XVIII.
A CLEVER DISGUISE.
While riding Pony Express the road on Buffalo Billy's run becameinfested with road-agents, who were wont to halt every rider they couldcatch, and also rob the stages.
The chief of these outlaws was noted as a man of gallantry, for he neverrobbed a woman, no matter what the value of her personal effects mightbe.
Ladies with valuable diamonds in their ears, and rings that were worth asmall fortune, were always spared by this man, who became known by hisforbearance to the fair sex as the "Cavalier."
Poor men were also exempt from being robbed by the Cavalier; that is ifhe really thought a man was poor and not "playing possum," to get offfrom paying the toll demanded.
In halting a stage the driver was never robbed, but Government and theCompany's moneys were always taken, and well-to-do travelers had to payliberally.
Pony Express Riders were never robbed of their pocket money, but themail was invariably searched for money.
Once only had Buffalo Billy been halted by
the Cavalier, though theother riders had frequently been brought to a halt and made to pony up.
That once Billy had shown fight, had tried to run by, and his horse hadbeen shot; but he slightly wounded the Cavalier in the arm, and for ithe was told if he ever attempted resistance again he would be promptlykilled.
This did not trouble the young Rider in the least, but he made up hismind that he would not be caught; and after that the road-agents foundit impossible to bring him to a halt, and his mails always went throughin perfect safety.
At last it became rumored that Buffalo Billy had been removed to anotherpart of the road, and that as no riders could be found to take his longnight rides, a daughter of one of the stock-tenders had volunteered forit, and the company, knowing her ability as a rider, accepted herservices until another could be found.
The first night on the run she arrived at the other end on time, thoughshe reported that she had been halted by the Cavalier and four of hismen.
The road-agent seemed greatly surprised that a woman, in fact a youngand very pretty girl, should be riding the road, but she made known thecircumstances, and he told her she should always go through unmolestedby him and his men.
But he made the mails, carried by the other riders, and the stage-coachpassengers, suffer for his leniency to the Girl Rider, and theGovernment and both the express and stage companies offered a largereward for the capture of himself and men alive.
Beadle's Boy's Library of Sport, Story and Adventure, Vol. I, No. 1. Page 5
