Читать книгу Buffalo Bill, the Border King; Or, Redskin and Cowboy онлайн

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“No man, I believe, sir, stands a better chance of getting through than myself.”

“That is so; yet, while many good men might be spared to make the attempt, you are the one who cannot be replaced.”

“Thank you, sir; but my life is no more to me than another man’s is to him. If I’d been thinking of the chances of getting shot up all these years, I reckon I’d turned up my toes long ago. I never think of death if I can help it.”

“It’s true, Cody!” exclaimed the major. “You act as though the bullet wasn’t molded that could kill you.”

“So the redskins say, I believe,” responded the scout grimly.

“Yet your place cannot easily be filled,” the major said again. “If you can get some other volunteer I wish you would. I don’t want to lose you, Bill.”

“Captain Keyes is anxious to go, sir, but——”

“Oh, yes; Keyes is a daredevil whom nothing will daunt; but I refused his request and those of my few other officers.”

“Then I must go, sir.”

“First, tell me about your mission,” said the major abruptly.

“I delivered your despatches, sir,” said Cody, “and here are others for you. On coming within a few miles of the fort I saw that several large parties of Indians had passed, all seemingly making in this direction. I knew what was up at once. I suspected that unless you had been lucky enough to get a supply of ammunition before the reds closed in on you, you’d run short; but there was that horse load we had to bury last year when I was on the expedition with Captain Ames. So I went over there and found it all in good shape.