The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-24

shall quote fully from Cody's own version,
as published ia ais excellent autoJ.ogra-
phy X was commenced on the day on
which Cody had his funny, YET rather
tragic, experience with Cantata the war
chief OF the Klowas, when Cody pulled
/ the WOO over the eyes" OF the wicked old
savage regarding some cattle which had
no existence in fact, creatures of Cody s
fertile imagination, yet the necessary lie
was the means Of saving the famous
scouts scalp. The story will be found in
IuA in the chapter of Famous Men of the
TraiL in my The Old Santa Fe Trail"
Cody says: The commanding officer
al tort Dodge was anxious TO send some
dispatches 20 Fort Larned, but the scouts,
IKE those al Fort Hays, were rather back
ward In volunteering, as ii was considered
very dangerous undertaking 10 make the
trip. As Fort Larned was my post, and
as wanted 10 80 there anyhow, l. said to
AUSTIN that l would carry the dispatches,
ana If any Of the boys wished TO so along,
would like to have hem for company.
Austin reported my offer to the command
ing officer, who sent for me, and sad he
would be happy to have me take the dis
/ patches, If l could stand the trip on top
OF ali that l had already done. All 1 want
Is a good fresh horse, sir, / said.
am sorry to say that we haven't a
decent horse here; but we have a reliable
and honest government mule, if that will
mule, said l, that's good enough for me.
l N ready at any time, sir
'Ihe mule was forthcoming and at dark
l pulled out for Fort Larned, and pro-
cecded uniuterruptedly to Coon creek 80
miles out from Fort Dodge. 1 had left
the main wagon road some distance to the
south and had Travelled parallel with it,
1 thinking this 10 be a safer course, as the
Indians might be lying in wait on the main
tlali Tor dispatch bearers and scouts
AZ Coon creek [ dismounted and led the
mule by the bride down to the water,
Wnere J took drink, using my hat for a
dipper. While l was engaged in getting
the water the mule jerlied loose and struck
down the road. l followed him in hope
that he would catch his foot in the bride
rem and stop, but this he seemed to have no
idea of doing. RE was making straight for
the wagon road, and did not know what
minute he might run into a band of In
dams. lie finally got on the road, but in
stead OF going back to Fort Dodge, as 1
naturally expected he would, he turned
eastward toward Fort Larned, and kept a
little dog trOt just ahead of me, but would
! NOT let me come up to him, although l
/ tried again and again. l had my gun in my
hand, and several times I was strongly
tempted 10 shoot MIN, and would have
probably done SO had it not been for fear
OF bringing Indians down on me. and be-
sides he was carryig my saddle for me. So
1 trudged on after the obstinate 'critter,
/ and II ever there was a government mule
that deserved ana received a good round
cursing, it was that one. l had neglected
the precaution of tying aene end Of my la
rIat to his Bit and the other to my belt,
as had done a few nights before, and 1
blamed myself for my negligence.
Mile after mile 1 kept on following
that mule, and every once in a while I in
duIged in strong ian guage respec ting the
" frnf afsrlirN
to Fort Larned 1t was thirty-fve miles and
l finally concluded that my prospects were
very good for 'hoohng' 1t the whole dis
lance. We-that is TO say, the confound-
ed mule and myself-were making pretty
good time. There was nothing to hold the
mule, and I was all the while trying to
catch him, which urged me on. 1 made
/ every step count. for 1 wanted to reach
/ Fort I4arned before daylight, in order, If
possible, to avoid the Indians, to whom 1t
would have been pie to have caught me
/ there on foot.
on for Fort Larned, and did the same
! thing. Just as day was beginning to
I break, we, thar~is, the mule and myself,
found ourselves on hill looking down into
the valley of the Pawnee Fork, in which
the fort was situated only four miles
away; when the morning gun belched
forth We were within half mile of the
/ post.
Now, I said to myself, Mr. Mule it is
my turn, and, raising my gun to my
/ shoulder in dead earnest this time, 1
blazed away, hitting the animal in the
hip. Throwing another cartridge into the
! gun, l let him have another shot and I
! continued to pour lead into him until had
/ lad him completely out.
Like the great majority of Government
/ mules, he was a tough one to kill, and he
/ chung to life with all the tenaciousness of
/ his obstinate nature. He was, without
/ doubt, the TOUGHEST and meanest mule I
ever saw, and he died hard.
THE troops hearing the reports of the
/ gun, came rushing out to see what was
/ the matter. They found that the mule
/ had passed in his chips, and when they
/ learned the cause they all agreed that 1
/ had served him just right. Taking the
/ saddle and bride from the dead body, I
/ proceeded into the post and delivered the
/ dispatches 10 Capt. Parker. then went
/ over to Dick Curtis house, which was
headquarters for The scouts, and there put
! in sevral hours of solid sleep.
During the day, Gen. Hazen returned
/ from Fort HaIker, and he also had some
| important dispatches to send TO Gen. Sher-
/ idan. l was feeling elated over my big
/ ride, and seeing that l was getting the
! better of the other scouts in regard to
/ making a record, l volunteered to carry
/ Gen. Hazen's dispatches to Fort HAYS.
/ The general accepted my services, although
he thought il was unnecessary to kill my
self. l told him that l had private bus
/ mess at Fort Hays, and wished to go any,
way, and 1t would make no difference to
the other scouts, for none of them appear
! ed willing to undertake the trip.
! Accordingly, that night l left Fort Lar
ned on an excellent horse. and next morn
ing found myself once more in Gen. Sher-
| idan's headquarters at Fort Hays The
| general was surprised to see me. and still
more so when | told him of the time
/ had In riding from Fort Dodge to Fort
/ Larned. And when, in addition to this. ]
mentioned my journey of the night pre-
vious, the general thought my ride from
post to post, taken as a whole, was a
remarkable one. he said that he did not
| know of It's equal. can safely say that
have never heard Of Its being beaten In a
country infested with hostile Indians.
TO recapitulate: had ridden from Fort
Larned to Fort Zarah, a distance of sixty-
| five miles-there and back-in twelve hours
! fr1pln1ad O 7 folt