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Updated: May 14, 2025
Fortunately for me I knew the wagon-master, John Willis, and as soon as I recovered my breath I told him what had happened. "Served him right, Billy," said he, "and what's more, we'll go over and clean out the teacher." "Oh, no; don't do that," said I, for I was afraid that I might fall into the hands of the wounded boy's friends, who I knew would soon be looking for me.
This was the last hanging we had that winter and spring. In the latter days of April Messrs. Boone and Bivian employed me to cross the mountains and take letters to the wagon-master, and also to assist him in crossing the Rockies, so taking one pair of blankets, ten days provisions and a pair of snow shoes on my back I started afoot and alone across the mountains.
Thus began my service for the firm of Russell & Majors, afterwards Russell, Majors & Waddell, with whom I spent seven years of my life in different capacities such as cavallard-driver, wagon-master, pony express rider and driver. I continued to work for Mr. Russell during the rest of the summer of 1855, and in the winter of 1855-56 I attended school.
The wagon-master informed me that he had lost about one-third of the oxen, which had stampeded and ran off in a storm; also my two saddle horses, and his one and only saddle horse had gone with the cattle. He said they had been gone about six weeks, so I struck out to Fort Hall to try and buy a horse to ride to hunt up the lost stock.
"Put me down as wagon-master to the military outfit that's going to White River." "What is your residence?" "Well, I reside in the section that lies between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean." "A pleasant neighborhood," said the judge, who knew Cutler perfectly, and precisely how well he could deal poker hands. "It's not a pleasant neighborhood for some." And Cutler looked at Toussaint.
"Being after you and gittin' you are two different things," said the wagon-master. "Lie low, and I'll settle the men." Mr. Gobel and his party rode up with the information that they had come to arrest Will; but they got no satisfaction from Willis. He would not allow them to search the wagons, and they finally rode away.
The wagon-master, in the language of the plains, was called the "bull-wagon boss"; the teamsters were known as "bull-whackers"; and the whole train was denominated a "bull-outfit." Everything at that time was called an "outfit."
"Run down, slide down, fall down any way to get down," I told him. "We never can do it," said another wagon-master. "It's too steep. The wagons will run over the mules." "Oh, no," I said. "The mules will have to keep out of the way." I instructed Wilson, the chief wagon-master, to bring up his mess-wagon. He drove the wagon to the brink of the bluff.
Such a man, she thought, was not a fit master or companion for her son, and she was very anxious to have me go with some other wagon-master; but I still insisted on remaining with Simpson. "Madam, I can assure you that Lew Simpson is one of the most reliable wagon-masters on the plains," said Mr. Russell, "and he has taken a great fancy to Billy.
He was, however, so earnest in his assertions that he could not be mistaken, that McCook, in whose brigade he was, sent out an officer with some men, guided by the wagon-master, to verify the report. The story was confirmed, and the matter was brought to me for action.
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