OLD NEGOTIATE’S WARNING.
The next day, when Old Negotiate entered the hotel--which had been
named the Cody Hotel in honor of Buffalo Bill--he found there a motley
crowd.
There were tradesmen of the town, miners from the camps, cowboys from
the surrounding ranches, sports, idlers, and a few strangers who had
just arrived in Border City.
They were miners, they said, from up the country farther, and having
dug out a rich harvest of golden metal, they had come to Border City to
spend a little of it in having a good time.
There were five of them present, and they were evidently having a “good
time,” according to their ideas, for they were drinking heavily. One of
their number, dressed in corduroy, the same man who had made the bet
with Buffalo Bill the day before, was “standing treat” continually for
the thirsty souls in Border City, whose thirst seemed to increase after
every drink they took.
“Come, Old Negotiate, let me interdoose yer ter my pertickler friend,
Cap’n Corduroy, o’ Calamity City, up ther mountains,” cried a tipsy
idler, whose friendship with the “captain” had begun but half an hour
before and increased according to the treats he had received at his
hands.
Old Negotiate accepted the outstretched hand of the man in corduroys,
who then presented him to his four pards from Calamity City.
Captain Corduroy, it was evident, wanted to win the favor of the
denizens of Border City, and he sought the hearts of the masses by
filling their stomachs with liquor at his own expense.
“I understand this is called the Cody Hotel, in honor of that
desperado, Buffalo Bill?” said Captain Corduroy, addressing Old
Negotiate.
The latter turned and laid his hand upon the captain’s shoulders and
said, with solemnity:
“Stranger, this house were named in honor o’ Buffalo Bill; but don’t
you whistle out no such word as desperado whar that clean-grit white
man are concerned, or thar’ll be trouble.”
“You don’t mean thet he will cause me trouble?”
“I does mean that, and more.”
“What more?”
“Thar be friends o’ his heur as won’t hear a word said agin’ him.”
“Bah! I have heard that he is hated here by all who know him.”
“You hes heerd a darned lie, ef yer mother told it to yer.”
“What?”
“I say it are a lie, fer Buffalo Bill hev done more fer this town than
any other man, an’ thar ain’t no one in trouble as he don’t help out,
while he sometimes are on hand ter clean out them as come heur fer a
fight. I wants ter be friendly with yer, stranger pard, but don’t yer
say nothin’ agin’ Buffalo Bill, fer he are my friend.”
“Well, I don’t wish trouble with you, or any other man in Border City,
for we came here to have a good time, and are not quarrelsome. We’ll
spend our money free, and do the square thing all around; but I have
met Buffalo Bill, and I owe him a grudge I hope one day to settle.”
“Pard, yer talks squar’; but onless yer keeps yer tongue atween yer
teeth, ther fust thing yer know, up will go yer toes to ther moonlight,
an’ Buffalo Bill will be payin’ ther expenses o’ buryin’ yer.”
“I do not fear him!”
It was evident that the potations he had indulged in were making
Captain Corduroy very reckless of consequences.
“I don’t say yer is skeert; but onless yer wants deadly trouble, don’t
say nothin’ as will bring yer ter drawin’ agin’ Buffalo Bill.”
Having given this advice to Captain Corduroy, Old Negotiate called
for drinks, and when they had been disposed of, he slipped out of the
crowd. Going to Buffalo Bill’s room he failed to find him, and then he
strolled down to the store where the scout always traded.
There he found him laying in a supply of provisions for a trip, and
also filling his cartridge boxes with ammunition.
“Waal, Bill, yer is fixin’ fer ther trail, it seems?” he said.
“Yes, for I start soon.”
“Bill, I’d oughter let yer go without tellin’ yer suthin’; but somehow
I cannot.”
“What is it, Negotiate?”
“Waal, fust and foremost, there are five galoots in ther hotel who says
that they have come down from Calamity City ter hev a good time.”
“Well, can’t they be accommodated here?”
“Yas, fer as fer thet, their graveyard are not full, an’ there are room
fer more.”
“Ah! They want a row?”
“Thet seems ter be thar way o’ thinkin’, Bill.”
“Well, you keep out of it, Negotiate. There are five of them, you say,
and you are too good a man to be killed.”
“Bill, I is jist a leetle afeared thet it are a better man than I be
they is lookin’ fer.”
“Who?”
“You!”
“No!”
“I means it.”
“Who are they?”
“Ther cap’n calls hisself Cap’n Corduroy, an’ ther handles o’ ther
others I didn’t fasten ter.”
“I know no such man, at least by that name.”
“Names is slip’ry out heur, Bill.”
“Yes, but what makes you think they want a row with me?”
“I was interdooced to ther cap’n, who interducted me to his pards, and
he told me he had a grudge agin’ you, an’ calt you a desperado.”
“Well, I am often called pet names, Negotiate.”
“Yas, and thar are many who holds ill feelin’ agin’ yer, too; but I
thinks these fellers mean biz.”
“We can soon find out,” said the scout calmly.
“I knows it, an’ after that thar’ll be shootin’. But I wants ter tell
you thet after I left this Cap’n Corduroy and his men, the Chinee at
the hotel come ter me and said that Panther Kate wanted ter see yer.
She seems ter be afeared that thar’s trouble in the air, jest the same
as I am.”
Buffalo Bill seemed undisturbed.
“Negotiate,” he said, “will you do me a favor?”
“I’ll do it, ef it’s ter git drunk, Bill.”
“I have an idea that I know who this Captain Corduroy is. If I am
right, he is after my hair. Therefore, I want you to go back to the
hotel and take a seat on the piazza, where you can watch them.”
“I’ll do it, Bill.”
“I’m going up there to see what they want. When you see me coming up
the street, call out:
“‘Here comes Buffalo Bill!’”
“But that’ll give ’em warnin’, and they’ll be ready for ye, an’ lay ye
out a cold corpus.”
“I’ll be ready for them quite as soon as they can get ready for me. If
they show signs to prove that I am their game, you wave your hat to me,
and I’ll set the circus going. Now describe them to me.”
This Old Negotiate did. Then, while Buffalo Bill went after his
splendid black horse Midnight, Old Negotiate returned to the hotel.