In Business explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Masculinity and the Frontier Hero

  Wild Bill Hickok is portrayed as the ideal frontier hero: physically powerful, courageous, skilled with weapons, yet calm and gentlemanly. His protection of young Cody exemplifies the code of loyalty and strength.

• Violence and Survival

  The chapter includes threats of violence from Indians, the bullying teamster's assault on Cody, and Wild Bill's readiness to use force. Survival on the plains requires constant vigilance and the ability to defend oneself.

• The American West as a Land of Opportunity

  Cody sees the high wages ($40 per month in gold) and the chance to work as an extra hand as a great opportunity, despite the risks. The freighting business offers a path to independence and adventure.

Characters to notice

• Buffalo Bill

  Young Billy Cody, determined to follow the plains as an occupation, joins Simpson's train as an extra hand.

• Wild Bill Hickok

  Defends Cody from a bullying teamster, becoming his protector and intimate friend. Described in detail through General Custer's portrait.

• Lew Simpson

  Wagon master of the train; a reliable but desperate character who promises Cody's mother to take care of him.

• Mr. William Russell

  Partner in Russell, Majors & Waddell; reassures Cody's mother about Simpson's reliability.

• General Custer

  Quoted for his detailed and admiring description of Wild Bill Hickok's appearance and character.

• Waddell

  Partner in Russell, Majors & Waddell, the freight company employing the train.

Key passages

• “I’ll whip any man who tries it on,” said Wild Bill; “and if you ever again lay a hand on that boy⁠—little Billy there⁠—I’ll give you such a pounding that you won’t get over it for a month of Sundays.”

  Wild Bill threatened to beat anyone who bullied young Billy, declaring he would protect the boy from abuse.

  This marks the beginning of Wild Bill's protective friendship with Cody.

• “The country was alive with buffaloes. Vast herds of these monarchs of the plains were roaming all around us, and we laid over one day for a grand hunt.”

  The area was teeming with buffalo, so the train stopped for a day to hunt them.

  Describes the abundance of buffalo and the practice of hunting for sport and food.

• “About five hundred of them rushed through our train pell-mell, frightening both men and oxen. Some of the wagons were turned clear round, and many of the terrified oxen attempted to run to the hills, with the heavy wagons attached to them.”

  A stampeding herd of about five hundred buffalo charged through the wagon train, causing chaos and damage.

  Illustrates the danger and disruption caused by buffalo stampedes on the plains.

• “He was a plainsman in every sense of the word, yet unlike any other of his class. In person he was about six feet and one inch in height, straight as the straightest of the warriors whose implacable foe he was.”

  Wild Bill was a quintessential plainsman, tall and straight, but unique in his appearance and demeanor.

  General Custer's description of Wild Bill's physical and moral qualities.

• “His skill in the use of the pistol and rifle was unerring; while his deportment was exactly the opposite of what might be expected from a man of his surroundings. It was entirely free from all bluster or bravado.”

  Wild Bill was an expert marksman but behaved calmly and without arrogance, unlike typical frontiersmen.

  Highlights the contrast between Wild Bill's deadly skill and his gentle manner.