# Fast Driving explained — The Life of Buffalo Bill

> Chapter companion for The Life of Buffalo Bill by William F. Cody.

## What happens

In the spring of 1861, driver Bob Scott, provoked by English passengers complaining about slow staging, deliberately drives a half-broken team of pony express horses at breakneck speed down a mountain grade, firing his revolver and throwing lamps at the horses. The runaway coach crashes into a stable, tearing off the top and breaking a passenger's arm. The terrified Englishmen refuse to continue with Scott, but he drives on alone, making his usual time to Fort Laramie.

## Themes in this chapter

### Masculinity and the Frontier Hero

Bob Scott's reckless, defiant driving embodies the frontier ideal of masculine bravado and skill, as he proves his superiority over the complaining Englishmen.

### Violence and Survival

The chapter's climax involves a violent crash that destroys the coach and injures a passenger, yet Scott and the messenger survive, highlighting the thin line between thrill and danger.

## Character check-ins

### Bob Scott

Expert reinsman and driver on the Overland stage line, known for reckless daredevilry; deliberately stages a wild ride to impress English passengers, resulting in a crash.

### Captain Cricket

Messenger of the coach who rides on the box with Bob Scott; ducks into the boot to avoid injury during the crash.

## Key lines

> “These blarsted ’eathens don’t know hanything habout staging, hany-’ow,” remarked one of them.

One of the English passengers complained that the local drivers were ignorant of proper stagecoach driving.

_The Englishmen's condescending remarks provoke Bob Scott's reckless response._

> Bob put on the big California brakes and brought them down to a walk.

Scott applied the heavy brakes to slow the eager team to a walking pace.

_Scott deliberately restrains the horses until reaching the hilltop, building tension for the wild ride._

> The coach bouncing over the loose stones and small obstacles, and surging from side to side, as an eggshell would in the rapids of Niagara.

The coach lurched violently over rocks and bumps, swaying like a fragile eggshell in a powerful waterfall.

_Vivid simile emphasizing the extreme danger and lack of control during the runaway._

> The top of the coach was completely torn off, and one of the passenger’s arms was broken.

The impact ripped off the coach's roof and broke a passenger's arm.

_The crash causes significant damage and injury, yet Scott remains unfazed._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se/chapters/ix-fast-driving
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se/chapters