As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
A once upon a friend in time, sent me a fridge magnet long ago of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in it's positive end......at least in Bill in the saddle, it said. I like the thing for some reason and as I have read Col. William F. Cody's memoirs, he was a most interesting man in being shrewd, intelligent, gifted and thoroughly enjoyed life.
I found this in the original Boy Scout's handbook as a comment and as I have a great admiration for General Nelson Appleton Miles, I include it here.
General Miles once told the author that the handsomest man he had ever seen came dashing into their camp in a cloud of alkali dust; having ridden right through bands of hostile Indians which surrounded the camp, he dismounted, took off his saddle and threw it on the ground, put the bridle bit, girth, etc., inside the saddle, put the saddle-cloth over it, then he calmly stretched himself out in front of the campfire.
"That man," said General Miles, "was Bill Cody, Buffalo Bill!" When Cody put the saddle on the ground he placed it on its side; in placing the saddle in this position it preserves the curve of the skirts, and thus the form of the saddle is not destroyed and the reins and the stirrup straps are protected; at the same time the saddle makes a good pillow, and if it should rain at night the saddle blanket is the only thing, besides the rider, which gets a ducking, unless the latter has a good waterproof sleeping bag.
Daniel Carter Beard. The Book of Camp-Lore and Woodcraft
Daniel Beard in the founder of the Boy Scouts was of the Kentucky Beards, who were quite notable in the founding of America. I do not know what a Carter was, except probably his Mum.
There was a Israelite look back in the 19th century which you never behold any more. Three famous men in Buffalo Bill Cody, James Butler Wild Bill Hickok and General George Armstrong Custer all had this look to them with same nose, piercing eyes and high cheek bones.
As General Miles said that Buffalo Bill was the most handsome, I defer to him, but many thought Wild Bill was the most handsome man in the world, and General Custer was in my view, someone who had that same look to him.
All of these people were that Germanic type which became the English, and seemed of that Norse type with Saxon, even if George Washington was the prototype of Norman English, as everyone from King George to General Knox had that same build and expression.
I always enjoy the anecdotes of famous people in observing other famous people. The William Cody story was classic Buffalo Bill. His running a gauntlet was his type of fun, and he thoroughly would relish the stage of an camp of boys in blue, looking wide eyed with terror at the Indians, and Bill dropping down in the midst like he had just rode home from Church through a group of little girls scattering flowers.
Buffalo Bill got into alot of tight situations, but that was his job and he got out of them, because he kept his head. He also knew in being a Westerner, that if you made a scratch shot you never bragged about it, but let others do the story telling for you and when asked, you made out like it was nothing at all.
In the above, I am surprised that even General Miles was not telling the entire story on the dash into camp through Indian terrorists, because he should have known, but perhaps he too was unaware even in fighting Indians.
In studying Indians, I have learned that the people who kept their heads, never lost them to the scalping pole. There was a bit more in this too and I would bet that Buffalo Bill did not ride into General Miles camp unawares in the least, but planned that run.
The secret to savages was stampeding them. If you gave them time like most groups of people did or individuals, you ended up dead. If though you could surprise an Indian, just like the Indians surprised and rattled most white people, the advantage was with the person doing the surprising.
Buffalo Bill in knowing a Westerner, most likely surveyed the situation either on the fly or from a vantage point. He assessed where the Indians were, and the gaps in their lines stationary and moving. He knew their attention was on the camp in looking at that camp.
Bill would have known that being discovered would have meant a day long ride on Bringham or that Indian horse he shot the chief off of, and he concluded it was better to chance it on his terms than jarring his kidneys all day in a running fight.
It takes longer to explain this than what it took Buffalo Bill to perform it. A scratch shot could have got him coming in, but it could have popped him by the fire too. Odds were in his favor and with keeping his head, he road through the Indians before they figured out that buckskin clad, sun tanned brave on an Indian horse, was not an Indian.
Buffalo Bill was an Iowa boy raised in Kansas. He was as no school as most, but he had his wits about him and a load of common sense. He knew like General Patton if you played big, you cut a big wake, and he backed it up with his shooting, riding and knowing how to deal with Indians and whites.
That carried big with the uneducated and it carried big with the college educated officers in keeping them all in line.
If I had been at that fire, I would have just grinned and shook my head knowingly over what he just pulled. Bill as a Westerner would have appreciated another intelligent mind knowing he had just "greened" the boys in blue and their college educated leader, along with my not saying a thing to reveal the secrets behind the magic act.
There once was a time when handsome men were gallant and amounted to something. Was that way in Europe too, but most of them got killed off in wars and all that was left was the bed pan emptyers bossed around by a bunch of shrewish women mad all they had about them was sissy boys.
Those saddles were not those 16 inch monster western things or those worthless English saddles which Bill was using as a pillow. They were something of saddles sores for horses and men. So do not try and fold up a hard tree western saddle as all you will get with that is propped up all night.
For the western saddle you set it upright with the horn down, the girth and cinch placed on the back of the saddle, with the pad on top. This dries everything out as you have a flour sack that you stuff with dry grass for your pillow.
Am sure Bill would have been pleased to be the handsomest man General Miles ever saw, but I would have said, "Geez Bill most men would prefer to be the handsomest man a woman ever saw".
Before it got to that though, Bill would have said right away, "My horse prefers Wild Bill, but then Bringham sees me in the morning before I comb my hair."
agtG
