THE CHAMPION.
Some time after his great feat of killing buffalo for the Kansas
Pacific, Buffalo Bill was challenged by Billy Comstock, another famous
buffalo-hunter, and a scout and Indian interpreter, to a match at
killing the shaggy wild animals.
Those who knew Comstock and had seen him among a herd of buffalo, and
had heard of Buffalo Bill's exploits, were most desirous of making a
match between the two to discover which was the best "killer."
On the other side, those who knew Buffalo Bill and had seen him at work
at the buffaloes, were willing to bet high that he would prove the
champion.
As the men were not only willing, but anxious to meet, it was not
difficult for them to do so, and all preliminaries were satisfactorily
arranged to all parties concerned.
The men were to, of course, hunt on horse-back, and to begin at a
certain hour in the morning and keep it up for eight hours, a large herd
having just been found and its locality marked for the day of the sport.
The stakes were made five hundred dollars a side, and there were
numbers, both ladies and gentlemen, out on horseback to see the sport.
The herd having been located early the next morning, the two hunters
left for the field, and the large crowd followed at a distance.
The counters, those chosen to follow each hunter and count his killed,
followed close behind Bill and Comstock, who rode side by side, chatting
in a most friendly way until the herd was sighted.
Buffalo Bill was mounted upon Brigham, a noted buffalo horse, and he was
armed with a breech-loading Springfield rifle, and a weapon which had
sent many a red-skin to the happy hunting-grounds.
Comstock was also splendidly mounted, and carried his favorite buffalo
repeating rifle, and both men felt confident of victory.
Reaching the herd, the two hunters, followed by their counters, well
mounted also, dashed into a herd, and it quickly divided, giving each
one an opportunity to show his skill, as though the buffaloes themselves
sympathized with the match and were willing to do all in their power to
forward it.
In his first run Buffalo Bill killed thirty-eight, while in the same
length of time Billy Comstock dropped twenty-three, which gave the
former the advantage thus far.
A rest was then called for both horses and men, and once more they
started out for the second run, a small herd appearing opportunely in
sight.
In this run Buffalo Bill's tally was eighteen to Comstock's fourteen,
and another halt was made for rest and refreshments.
When called to the scratch for the third run, Buffalo Bill, knowing he
had the best buffalo horse in the country, stripped him of saddle and
bridle and sprung upon his bare back.
A third herd was looked up, and the two killers began their work with a
will, and Buffalo Bill sailed to the front with thirteen, which gave him
a list of sixty-nine to Comstock's forty-six.
The third run closed the match, and Buffalo Bill was proclaimed the
winner and the champion buffalo-killer of the prairies.