Buffalo Girls Read Online Free Page A

wood around here.”
    No Ears ignored this order, as he did most orders. This was another instance of how a handicap could be useful. He could actually hear fairly well but was careful to leave the impression that his hearing was hopelessly damaged. Pretending not to hearalways worked better with men than with women. When women gave an order they didn’t care if you could hear it or not, they just wanted it obeyed.
    â€œI wish you’d brought the bush,” Bartle said, when No Ears walked up. “Cranes are tasty, but not if you’re eating them raw.”
    â€œI saw some wood yesterday,” No Ears remarked. “It is not too far from here. We could take the bird where the wood is and cook it there. I would have brought the wood with me but I didn’t know anyone was in Wyoming.”
    â€œHow far is the wood?” Jim asked. “How far and which direction? We ain’t very interested in traveling south.”
    â€œThat wood is north of here,” No Ears said. “It would not take long to get there if we were riding horses.”
    â€œI don’t notice any horses,” Bartle said.
    â€œNo, I don’t either,” No Ears said. “I don’t think there are any around in this part of the country. If there were we could smell them.”
    â€œHow far’s the wood if we walk?” Jim Ragg asked, anxious to know whether the wood was within a feasible distance. Once Bartle and No Ears got a conversation started, securing practical information became extremely hard.
    No Ears began to have doubts about when he had actually seen the wood. It seemed to him that he had seen it the day before, but he knew that his mind had begun to jump around, like a frog or a grasshopper. Perhaps he had seen the wood ten years ago, or even twenty. The wood had been part of a wagon that had fallen to pieces, and it lay in a little gully not far from Crazy Woman Creek.
    â€œIf we walk we will be there before we piss the next time,” No Ears said. “It is about that far, if it is there.”
    â€œOh, if it’s there,” Bartle said. “I’m not walking two hours on the strength of an if.”
    â€œMe neither,” Jim Ragg said, gutting the crane.
    â€œExcuse me, I’ll go cut off some of that bush,” No Ears said.

    Darling Jane—
    At this rate I’ll be a year older before I get south of the Bighorns, Satan is disgusted. If he could he’d take up with somebody who covers ground a little faster.
    What slowed me up today was three nervous soldiers, not one of them full-grown men. They didn’t used to let boys that young soldier out here, but now that they think they’ve got the Indians whipped it’s anything goes—I guess they’ll be signing up little girls next, so watch out Janey, don’t be tricked.
    The three boys were hauling some goods over to the Crow agency, they had never been there before and were afraid they’d get lost. I told them they might miss the agency but it would be hard to miss the Crow, they’re everywhere, they’ll be helping you unload the wagon before you can even get stopped.
    It’s not getting lost these boys had on their minds, Janey, it’s the Cheyenne. There’s only a few Cheyenne now but they have a big reputation, they’ve earned it too. These boys don’t know their Indians either, they seem to think old Crazy Horse might ride up and scalp them, I mentioned that he was a Sioux, but it did no good. I think some sergeant has been teasing them, telling them Crazy Horse is still alive. I don’t know why grown men think it is such fun to scare boys.
    The upshot was that I rode over to the Rosebud with them and pointed them on their way, they were sorry to see me go, they all miss their mothers I imagine. Since I had traveled that far out of my way I thought I might as well go visit my friend Mrs. Elkshoulders. She talked a blue streak, mostly in Cheyenne,