Champion Buffalo Killer explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Violence and Survival

  The buffalo hunting match is a contest of skill and endurance, reflecting the harsh survival demands of the frontier.

• Self-Invention and Celebrity

  Cody's victory in the match and his subsequent fame as 'champion buffalo hunter' illustrate his self-made celebrity status.

• Transformation of the Landscape

  The mass killing of buffalo for sport and railroad advertising symbolizes the dramatic alteration of the Great Plains ecosystem.

Characters to notice

• Buffalo Bill

  Narrator and protagonist; wins the buffalo hunting match against Billy Comstock, earning the title of champion buffalo hunter.

• Billy Comstock

  Noted scout, guide, and interpreter; Cody's competitor in the buffalo hunting match.

• Brigham Young

  Cody's faithful buffalo-hunting horse, later raffled off and eventually owned by Mr. Wilcox.

• General Philip H. Sheridan

  Takes headquarters at Fort Hayes to superintend the Indian war campaign; Cody reports for scouting duty.

• Captain Dangerfield Parker

  Commanding officer at Fort Larned to whom Cody reports for duty as a scout and guide.

• Mr. Wilcox

  Former superintendent of construction for the Kansas Pacific Railroad; becomes the owner of Brigham and keeps him on his farm near Memphis.

Key passages

• “Shortly after the adventures mentioned in the preceding chapter, I had my celebrated buffalo hunt with Billy Comstock, a noted scout, guide and interpreter, who was then chief of scouts at Fort Wallace, Kansas.”

  Not long after the events of the last chapter, I took part in a famous buffalo hunt against Billy Comstock, a well-known scout and interpreter who served as chief of scouts at Fort Wallace, Kansas.

  Introduces the buffalo hunting match and Comstock's role.

• “I felt confident that I had the advantage of Comstock in two things⁠—first, I had the best buffalo horse that ever made a track; and second, I was using what was known at that time as the needle-gun, a breech-loading Springfield rifle⁠—calibre .50⁠—it was my favorite old 'Lucretia'.”

  I believed I had two advantages over Comstock: my horse Brigham was unmatched, and I used a powerful .50-caliber Springfield breech-loading rifle I called 'Lucretia'.

  Cody explains his tactical advantages in the match.

• “I had 'nursed' my buffaloes, as a billiard-player does the balls when he makes a big run.”

  I carefully managed the herd's movement, much like a billiard player controlling the balls for a high-scoring run.

  Metaphor for Cody's strategic buffalo hunting technique.

• “The referees declared me the winner of the match, as well as the champion buffalo-hunter of the plains.”

  The officials announced me as the winner and named me the champion buffalo hunter of the plains.

  Cody officially earns the title of champion buffalo hunter.

• “They had them mounted in the best possible manner, and sent them to all the principal cities and railroad centers in the country, having them placed in prominent positions at the leading hotels, depots, and other public buildings, as a sort of trademark, or advertisement, of the Kansas Pacific Railroad.”

  The railroad company had the buffalo heads expertly mounted and displayed them in major cities and rail hubs as advertising trademarks for the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

  Describes the use of buffalo heads as marketing tools.

• “I finally lost track of Brigham, and for several years I did not know what had become of him.”

  I eventually lost contact with Brigham and for many years had no idea where he was.

  Cody recounts losing track of his horse Brigham.