37

sterling qualities they afterward used to such effect. Notably, Henry M. Stanley, who (in 1866) saw the rising sun of the young empire that stretches to the Rockies; Gen. Greely, of Arctic fame (now of Signal Service), and the equally scientific explorer, Lieut. Schwatka, passed their early career in the same school, and often followed "the trail" led by "BUFFALO BILL,": Finnerty (of the "Chicago Times"): "Modoc" Fox and O'Kelly (of the "New York Herald"), 1876; while later on new blood among the scribblers was initiated to their baptism of fire by Harries (of "Washington Star"), McDonough ("New York World"), Baily (of "Inter-Ocean"), brave young Kelly (of the "Lincoln Journal"), Cressy (of the "Omaha Bee"), Seymour ("Chicago Herald"), and Allen (of the "New York Herald"), present in the battle, who were honoured by three cheers from "Old White Top," Forsythe's gallant Seventh Cavalry, the day after the battle of "Wounded Knee," as they went charging over Wolf Creek to what came near being a crimson day, to the fight "down at the Mission."

Image Caption:
UNITED STATES CAVALRY PRACTICE EXERCISE.

HIS MILITARY RANK AND REFERENCES.
GENERAL CODY holds his commission in the NATIONAL GUARD of the United States (State of Nebraska), an honourable position, and as high as he can possibly attain. His connection with the Regular Unites States Army has covered a continuous period of fifteen years, and desultory connection of thirty years, in the most troublous era of Western history, as Guide, Scout, and Chief of Scouts-a position unknown in any other service, and for the confidential nature of its services in the past, may be more fully appreciated when it is understood that it commanded, besides horses, subsistence and quarters, [British pound] 2 per day ([British pound] 730 per year), all expenses, and for special service, or "life and death" volunteer missions, special rewards of from [British pound] 20 to [British pound] 100 for carrying a single dispatch, and brought its holder the confidence of Commanding Generals, the fraternal friendship of the Commissioned Officers, the idolization of the ranks, and the universe respect and consideration of the hardy pioneers and settlers of the West. "Billy." CODY's children can point with pride to recorded services under the following officers of world-wide and national flame:
General Sherman General Smith General Royall
" Miles " King " Penrose
" Crook " Van Vlietn " Brisbin
" Carr " Anson Mills " Sandy Forsythe
" Auger " Reynolds " Palmer
" Bankhead " Harney " Dudley
" Fry " Greeley " Gibbon
" Crittenden " Sheridan " Canby
" Merritt " Terry " Blunt
" Switzer " Emory " Hayes
" Tony Forsythe " Custer " Guy Henry
" Duncan " Ord " Hazen
" Rucker " Hancock And others

The extracts on the following pages speak for themselves, and will form interesting reading as authenticated references.

FROM GEN. "PHIL" SHERIDAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

GENERAL SHERIDAN refers to his meeting "BUFFALO BILL," "He undertakes a dangerous task," chapter xii., pp. 281-289, in his autobiography, published in 1888. The world-renowned cavalry commander maintained continuous friendly relations with his old scout, even to social correspondence, friendly assistance, and recognition in his present enterprise up to the year of his death. After relating his conception of the first winter campaign against Indians, on the then uninhabited and bleak plains, in the winter of 1868, he says. "The difficulties and hardships to be encountered had led several experienced officers of the army and some frontiersmen like old Jim Bridger even went so far as to come out from St. Louis to discourage the attempt. I decided to go in person, bent on showing the Indians that they were not secusre from unishment because of inclement weather-an ally on which they had hitherto relied with much assurance. We started, and the very first night a blizzard struck us and carried away our tents. The gale was so violent that they coudl not be put up again; the rain and snow drenched us to the skin. Shivering from wet and cold I took refuge under a wagon, and there spent such a miserable night that, when morning came, the gloomy predictions of old man Bridger and others rose up before me with greatly increased force. The difficulties were now fully realized, the blinding snow mixed with sleet, the piercing wind, thermometer below zero-with green bushes only for fuel-occasioning intense suffering. Our numbers and companionship alone prevented us from being lost or perishing, a fate that stared in the face of the frontiersmen, guides and scouts on their solitary missions.

"An important matter had been to secure competent guides for the different columns of troops, for, as I have said, the section of country to be operated in was comparatively unknown.

"In those days the railroad town of Hays City was filled with so-called 'Indian Scouts,' whose common boast was of having slain scores of redskins, but the real scout-that is, a guide and traler knowing the habits of the Indians- was very scarce, and it was hard to find anybody familiar with the country south of Arkansas, where the campaign was to be made. Still, about the various military posts there was some good material to select from, and we managed to emply several men, who, from their experience on the plains in various capacities, or from natural instinct and aptitude soon become excellent guides and courageous and valuable scouts, some of them, indeed, gaining much distinction. Mr. William F. Cody ('Buffalo Bill'), whose renown has since become world-wide, was one of the men thus selected. He received his sobriquet from his marked success in killing buffaloes to supply fresh meat to the construction parties on the Kansas Pacific Railway. He had lived from boyhodd on the plains and passed every experience; herder, hunter, pony-express rider, stage driver, wagon master in the quartermaster's department, and scout of the army, and was first brought to my notice by distinguishing himself in bringing me an important dispatch from Fort Larned to Fort Hays, a distance of sixty-five miles, through a section interested with Indians. The dispatch informed me that the Indians near Larned were preparing to decamp, and this intelligence required that certain orders should be carried to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south of Hays. This too being a particularly dangerous route-several couriers having been killed on it-it was impossible to get one of the various 'Petes,' 'Jacks,' or 'Jims' hanging around Hays City to take my communication. Cody, learning of the strait I was

sterling qualities they afterward used to such effect. Notably, Henry M. Stanley, who (in 1866) saw the rising sun of the young empire that stretches to the Rockies; Gen. Greely, of Arctic fame (now of Signal Service), and the equally scientific explorer, Lieut. Schwatka, passed their early career in the same school, and often followed "the trail" led by "BUFFALO BILL,": Finnerty (of the "Chicago Times"): "Modoc" Fox and O'Kelly (of the "New York Herald"), 1876; while later on new blood among the scribblers was initiated to their baptism of fire by Harries (of "Washington Star"), McDonough ("New York World"), Baily (of "Inter-Ocean"), brave young Kelly (of the "Lincoln Journal"), Cressy (of the "Omaha Bee"), Seymour ("Chicago Herald"), and Allen (of the "New York Herald"), present in the battle, who were honoured by three cheers from "Old White Top," Forsythe's gallant Seventh Cavalry, the day after the battle of "Wounded Knee," as they went charging over Wolf Creek to what came near being a crimson day, to the fight "down at the Mission."

Image Caption:
UNITED STATES CAVALRY PRACTICE EXERCISE.

HIS MILITARY RANK AND REFERENCES.
GENERAL CODY holds his commission in the NATIONAL GUARD of the United States (State of Nebraska), an honourable position, and as high as he can possibly attain. His connection with the Regular Unites States Army has covered a continuous period of fifteen years, and desultory connection of thirty years, in the most troublous era of Western history, as Guide, Scout, and Chief of Scouts-a position unknown in any other service, and for the confidential nature of its services in the past, may be more fully appreciated when it is understood that it commanded, besides horses, subsistence and quarters, [British pound] 2 per day ([British pound] 730 per year), all expenses, and for special service, or "life and death" volunteer missions, special rewards of from [British pound] 20 to [British pound] 100 for carrying a single dispatch, and brought its holder the confidence of Commanding Generals, the fraternal friendship of the Commissioned Officers, the idolization of the ranks, and the universe respect and consideration of the hardy pioneers and settlers of the West. "Billy." CODY's children can point with pride to recorded services under the following officers of world-wide and national flame:
General Sherman General Smith General Royall
" Miles " King " Penrose
" Crook " Van Vlietn " Brisbin
" Carr " Anson Mills " Sandy Forsythe
" Auger " Reynolds " Palmer
" Bankhead " Harney " Dudley
" Fry " Greeley " Gibbon
" Crittenden " Sheridan " Canby
" Merritt " Terry " Blunt
" Switzer " Emory " Hayes
" Tony Forsythe " Custer " Guy Henry
" Duncan " Ord " Hazen
" Rucker " Hancock And others

The extracts on the following pages speak for themselves, and will form interesting reading as authenticated references.

FROM GEN. "PHIL" SHERIDAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

GENERAL SHERIDAN refers to his meeting "BUFFALO BILL," "He undertakes a dangerous task," chapter xii., pp. 281-289, in his autobiography, published in 1888. The world-renowned cavalry commander maintained continuous friendly relations with his old scout, even to social correspondence, friendly assistance, and recognition in his present enterprise up to the year of his death. After relating his conception of the first winter campaign against Indians, on the then uninhabited and bleak plains, in the winter of 1868, he says. "The difficulties and hardships to be encountered had led several experienced officers of the army and some frontiersmen like old Jim Bridger even went so far as to come out from St. Louis to discourage the attempt. I decided to go in person, bent on showing the Indians that they were not secusre from unishment because of inclement weather-an ally on which they had hitherto relied with much assurance. We started, and the very first night a blizzard struck us and carried away our tents. The gale was so violent that they coudl not be put up again; the rain and snow drenched us to the skin. Shivering from wet and cold I took refuge under a wagon, and there spent such a miserable night that, when morning came, the gloomy predictions of old man Bridger and others rose up before me with greatly increased force. The difficulties were now fully realized, the blinding snow mixed with sleet, the piercing wind, thermometer below zero-with green bushes only for fuel-occasioning intense suffering. Our numbers and companionship alone prevented us from being lost or perishing, a fate that stared in the face of the frontiersmen, guides and scouts on their solitary missions.

"An important matter had been to secure competent guides for the different columns of troops, for, as I have said, the section of country to be operated in was comparatively unknown.

"In those days the railroad town of Hays City was filled with so-called 'Indian Scouts,' whose common boast was of having slain scores of redskins, but the real scout-that is, a guide and traler knowing the habits of the Indians- was very scarce, and it was hard to find anybody familiar with the country south of Arkansas, where the campaign was to be made. Still, about the various military posts there was some good material to select from, and we managed to emply several men, who, from their experience on the plains in various capacities, or from natural instinct and aptitude soon become excellent guides and courageous and valuable scouts, some of them, indeed, gaining much distinction. Mr. William F. Cody ('Buffalo Bill'), whose renown has since become world-wide, was one of the men thus selected. He received his sobriquet from his marked success in killing buffaloes to supply fresh meat to the construction parties on the Kansas Pacific Railway. He had lived from boyhodd on the plains and passed every experience; herder, hunter, pony-express rider, stage driver, wagon master in the quartermaster's department, and scout of the army, and was first brought to my notice by distinguishing himself in bringing me an important dispatch from Fort Larned to Fort Hays, a distance of sixty-five miles, through a section interested with Indians. The dispatch informed me that the Indians near Larned were preparing to decamp, and this intelligence required that certain orders should be carried to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south of Hays. This too being a particularly dangerous route-several couriers having been killed on it-it was impossible to get one of the various 'Petes,' 'Jacks,' or 'Jims' hanging around Hays City to take my communication. Cody, learning of the strait I was