The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-05

the most extrorny bumps behind his
ears A frennigist-"
"A phrenologist?" the rookie meekly
inquired.
THAT amt a foreign word" said the
old corporal, angrily. IT'S good United
States, and it goes, see? frennigist, amt
that right?"
The convalescent nodded and the re-
cruit was humbled
This here frennigist felt onct of Bills
head and drawed a paper OF 1T. Says
he to Bill, he says, Yo've the most amaz-
ing bump of vitality l ever seed he
says. Them was the bumps behind Buck
Bills ears he meant, see? Mine amt re-
markable but l guess yourn are"
The patient felt behind his ears and
opened his eyes wide.
by gee!' he said. You're right,
Corp, I've got EN- big"
Thought So" said the corporal, 'or
you'd never have pulled through this
rastle. Guess you'd give the yeller fever
itself hot time to down YOU"
The recruit felt at the back of his
ears with alarm.
81 fancy" he said thoughtfully, chat
it wouldn't pay me to have both legs
cut off"
well, SIR" said the corporal, Buck
Bill was a thing it was the hardest of
hard to kill. He got cut up by cowboy
in Cheyenne and lived. In the hospital
he broke out on bitter cold night, got
drunk caught cold, got eariesipples-
shut up, rookie, that's United States,
too and the doctors gave him up, but
he lived through. He was shot in the
stomach by a Piute and lived through.
His horse put its foot in a gopher hole
and rolled on him, and his saddle crushed
four ribs and a collar bone, and dislo-
Gated his liver, but he lived through.
He had mountain fever and pneumonia
and a touch of smallpox all in one year,
but he lived through. When We was
swimming horses across the Platte for
drill he was kicked by his horse and
was under water for ten minutes, but he
lived through. Says the colonel, he
says: OF all the buck soldiers in my
command says he, Bill is the toughest
buck, he says. He'd buck up against
the bubonic plague he says, and live
through So we called him Buck Bill
well, we was down On the Washita,
as l was a-sayin an old Phil Sheridan
an Custer was there, an things was
merry-very, very merry. ThinlIin'
back, them here Spaniards amt in it
with Injuns for putin up hot fight
not the 1njuns of the old days. No, sor-
rec, Buck Bill was enjoyin' of himself to
beat poker, so he was, an in the thick
of it every time. The old troop was out
by itself under orders from Phil to scout
along the border Daddy liked that.
Daddy was happiest when he hadn't no
reports to turn in every mornin', but
was free to do as he liked. The CO.
manches was thick about us, fghtin'
foot an fightin' horse, and I'm burned
if the squaws an papooses weren't put
tin in good ticks, too, SO they was There
was the night charge on a village with
snow foot deep an freezin' hard. Twas
before our time. / got an arrow from
papoose that night myself right in the
shoulder. There's devils and devils, but
them was devils.
ut was one day the old troop was
caught slick when we never thought
there was Comanche or a Kiowa with
in 10 miles of us. 'Twasnt an ambush,
.'zactIy, for Daddy saw it in time, but
it gave us the chills for an hour or two
There was creek, see? an we was
going to camp near the headquarters of
that creek we was. 1t was getting to-
wards shutdown, and we was tired. Where
the beggars came from don't ask me,
but all at once it looked as if the troop
was surrounded. Gee, they came. We
fought and we fought, skirmish line,
mount and charge, dismount, skirmish
line, commence firing, rally by company,
to the rear, gallop-O, say, it was hot,
and by gum we retreated, we did. Twas
a fine moonlight night and the moon was
up when the sun went down. We was
dead tired after q long march and no
time for chuck, and by O'Clock we was
nigh beat. Curious for Injuns, they kept
on fighting after dark, for it was fine
moonlight night, see? There was bit
of hill with scrub bushes on it back of
the creek and Daddy-he did it fine, too,
retreated to that hill, where we might
hold the red devils off until Phil could
come up.
I'VE couldn't get there at onct, though.
The Injuns saw what Daddy was after,
and they got there before we did. Well
we was fighting down on the creek side
and Buck Bill he went and got killed,
and worse'n that-hed dropped off his
horse, bein wounded-he got scalped.