It was on June 12, 1872, that the boat, the Far West, started on its twelve-hundred-mile trip up the Missouri River carrying the missionary to his new work. This proved to be a notable run, the quickest made by any boat to Fort Benton. The reason for the unusual speed was the fact that a rival boat, the Nellie Peck, had left Sioux City two days before, and the captain was eager to pass her. In spite of insufficient fuel, hostile Indians, and difficult channels, the Far West came to Fort Benton one hour before the Nellie Peck.
On the second day out from Sioux City the tenderfoot missionary on the boat saw a battle between hostile Indians on the banks of the river, and the question came to him, “If we arein hostile country so soon, what will it be when we get to Montana?”
Coming to the Upper Missouri, they found that the woodchoppers had been either killed or driven away. No coal was used on the river boats in those days; so whenever fresh supplies of cut wood were not ready at the usual supply points, the boat roustabouts would rush into the cottonwood groves near the bank, chop down trees and carry the logs on deck to be cut into lengths as the steamer proceeded. The pilot-house and other parts of the Far West showed that the aim of the Indians was far from perfect as they pursued the frantic workers, for the men escaped unhurt, while the boat was frequently struck by the shots of the attacking party.
At one time when the boat was nearly out of wood a landing was made close to a large cottonwood flat. The plank had scarcely touched the shore when from all directions there advanced parties of Sioux warriors in full war-regalia. Two braves with a great following came on board. One of them was a splendid specimen of Indian manhood. He stood oversix feet high and wore a brilliant bead war-bonnet, decorated with many eagle feathers; each feather represented a scalp taken in the terrible warfare which these tribes practised. In one hand he held a tomahawk, and with the other grasped the folds of his gorgeous robe. It was a critical moment. If these chiefs should be angered, the boat would be at the mercy of the band. The captain made gifts of pipes, beads, and jewelry, and without showing too much anxiety, tactfully persuaded them to depart.
When the Indians had taken their leave, the boat proceeded as far as it could go with its scanty supply of wood. Again a stop was made for fuel, and as the roustabouts were loading it, a remarkable personage suddenly appeared. He was a tall, athletic, white man, with long black hair flung back on his shoulders from beneath a wide-brimmed hat. His suit was of buckskin and he wore a cartridge belt, while on his arm there rested a fine rifle. As he came on board the vessel, the missionary watched him wonderingly. It was his first meeting with a man who was to become worldfamous for his exploits in the far West, William F. Cody, known more commonly as Buffalo Bill.
These are not the only names by which this interesting man was called in the course of his long and thrilling career among cowboys and Indians. First he was little Billy Cody, the western messenger; then Wild Bill, the pony express rider, and as a grown man he was known as Bill Cody, the wagon master. Finally, to the heart’s delight of boys and girls the world over, he became Buffalo Bill. For many years before his death in 1917, he was generally spoken of as Colonel William F. Cody; but to the Indians he will always be their beloved “Pa-has-ka,” or “Long Hair.”
When Cody was told about the braves having boarded the boat dressed in full war-regalia, he marveled. “That was the band of Sitting Bull and Rain-in-the-Face, two Sioux Indian chiefs,” he exclaimed. “They have five hundred men with them and are out for a lark. It is miraculous that you escaped, for you have in the boat just what they most want—food and ammunition.”
Courtesy of the American Bureau of Ethnology.
SITTING BULL WAS DRESSED IN FULL WAR REGALIA