The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-08-07

tue most eGtrOrny bumps behind his
ears. A frennigist-'
"A phrenologist?" the rookie meek!y
inquired.
hi 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 humbied.
This here ~frennigist felt onct Of BilI's
head and drawed q paper of it. Says
he TO Bill, he says, Yo've the most amaz-
ing bump Of vitality | ever seed" he
says. Them was the bumps behind Buck
Biiis ears he meant, see? Mine amt re
markable, but 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 'em big"
Thought So" said the corporal, cor
you'd never nave pulled through this
fastle. Guess you'd give the yeller fever
itself q hot time to down you"
The recruit felt at the back of his
ears with alarm.
Il fancy" he said thOughtfully, chat
it wouldn't pay me to have both legs
cut off"
Wen, sir" said the corporal, Buck
Bill was a thing it was the hardest of
hard to kill. He got cut up by a c0wboy
in Cheyenne and lived. In the hospital
he broke out On a bitter cold night, got
drunk, caught cold, got e~ariesippIes-
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 Pluto and lived through.
His horse put its foot in I gopher hole
and rolled on him, and his saddle crushed
FA,-,- IL -.--l III V.-l
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. lie was kicked by his horse and
was under water for ten minutes, but he
lived through. Says the colonel, he
says: '0f all the buck soldiers in my
commando says he. Bill is the toughest
buci,.' lie 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 / was a~-sayin' an old Phil Sheridan
an Custer was there, an things was
m~crry-Eery, very merry. Thinkin
| back, them here Spaniards amt in it
win i1juns for putin up a hot fight
not the Injuns of the old days. No, sor-
tSt- oQNN III Ndo tuJOs HI " iHAHNi -
beat poker. 50 he was, an in the thick
Of it every time. The old troop was GU
by itself under orders from Phil to scout
along tn border. Daddy liked that
Daddy was happiest when he hadn't nc
reports 10 turn in every mornin', hQt
was free to DO rs he liked. The Co
manches was thick about us, tightin
foot an fghtin' horse, and I'm burned
ii the squaw5 an papooses weren't put
tin in good licks. too, so they was. There
was the night charge on a village Will
snow q foot deep an freezin' hard. iva:
before our time. l got an arrow from
papoose that night myself right in th'
shoulder. There's devils and devils, bu
them Was devils.
1T was one day the old troop wa;
caught slick when we never though
there was a Comanche or a kiOWa with
in 10 miles Of US. 'Twasn't an ambush
'zactIy. for Daddy saw it in time, bu
it gave us TIE chills for an hour or tive
There was 4 creek, see? an We wa
going to camp near the headquarters o
that creek. we was. 1t was getting to
wards shutdown, and we was tired. Wher
the bcggarS came from don't ask me
but all at once it looked as if the troo
was surrounded. Gee, they came. W
fought and we fought, skirmish line
mount and charge, dismount, skirmis
line, commence firing, rally by comp&n!
to the rear, gallop-o, say, it was hot
ana by gum, we retreated, we did. iva
a fire moonlight night, and the moon wa
I'D when the sun went down. We wa
dead tired after q long march and n
time for chuck, ard by s O'Clock we wa
nigh beat. Curious for Injuns, they keI
ON fighting after dark, for it was a fin
moonlight night, see? There was a ID
of a hill with scrub bushes on it back {
the creek. and Daddy-he did it fine, TOT
reiterated 10 that I'LL, where we mgr
hold the red devils off until Phil coul
come up.
I eve couldn't get there at onct, thougl
The Injuns saw what Daddy was aftel
and they got there before we did. Wei
= we was fighting down Oh the creek sid
, and Buck Bill he went and got kliiet
, ard worse'n that-he'd dropped Off n
! horse. bein' wounGed-he got scalpe'