VOA慢速英语2012 PEOPLE IN AMERICA - “Buffalo Bill” Cody, 1846-1917: He Represented the Spirit and Tradition of the American West

 

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - “Buffalo¹ Bill” Cody, 1846-1917: He Represented the Spirit and Tradition of the American West

GWEN OUTEN: I’m Gwen Outen.

DOUG JOHNSON: And I’m Doug Johnson with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today, we tell the story of a man called “Buffalo Bill.” His real name was William F. Cody. He created “Wild West” shows that people around the world enjoyed for more than thirty years.

(MUSIC)

GWEN OUTEN: William Frederick Cody was born in eighteen-forty-six in the state of Iowa. He died in Colorado in nineteen-seventeen. Researchers disagree about other incidents in his life. That is because some stories about “Buffalo Bill” are a combination of factual events and make-believe. However, there is general agreement about the influence of “Buffalo Bill” Cody. People say he represented the spirit and tradition of the American West.

DOUG JOHNSON: William F. Cody grew up in the center of the United States. William’s family moved from Iowa to the territory of Kansas when he was still a child. His father died in eighteen-fifty-seven. A short time later, William started working at different jobs to help his family. He worked as a driver for a team of oxen. He guided the powerful animals as they moved goods from place to place. He also carried messages for a local company. 

Later, William joined a group of men seeking gold in the mountains of Colorado. They were not very successful. Then he got a job as a Pony² Express rider. The Pony Express used teams of men and horses to transport mail across the country. William was a skilled rider. Once he rode five-hundred-fifteen kilometers in a single trip. This was one of the longest rides for the Pony Express. At the time, he was just fifteen years old.

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GWEN OUTEN: Kansas became a state in eighteen-sixty-one. A few weeks later, the Civil War between the states started. Southern states fought to protect the rights of individual states. Northern states fought to keep the country united. During the war, Kansas joined with the North and provided men for the Union army.

William was too young to fight when the Civil War started. At first, he served the Union forces as a scout³, or explorer.

In eighteen-sixty-four, he joined the United States Army. Cody became a member of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry⁴. His force was sent to nearby southern states during the Civil War. Cody drove a team of horses. He remained there until the war ended.

DOUG JOHNSON: After the war, William Cody married Louisa Frederici in Saint⁵ Louis, Missouri. They were married for more than fifty years and had four children. When they were first married, Cody had many different jobs. For example, he operated a hotel in Kansas. Then he began hunting buffalo for work crews building the Kansas Pacific Railroad. The workers used the wild animals for meat. Cody got the name “Buffalo Bill” by winning a buffalo hunting competition. Reports say he shot and killed more than four-thousand buffalo in just eighteen months.

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GWEN OUTEN: Cody re-joined the Army in eighteen-sixty-eight. He served as a civilian⁶ scout for military forces fighting Indians in the West. His experience and skills made him an able fighter and guide for the Army.

Cody helped the Fifth Cavalry defeat a group of Cheyenne warriors⁸. He also served as a guide for individuals who wanted to hunt buffalo. Some hunters came from big cities in the eastern United States and from other countries. Once he guided a member of Russia’s ruling family, the Grand Duke Alexis, on a hunting trip. American newspapers reported on their activities.

DOUG JOHNSON: Cody’s exciting life provided the details for many stories. A number of writers began producing stories about famous people of the western United States. These stories became known as dime⁹ novels. Dime novels helped make heroes of people like Davy Crockett and Kit¹⁰ Carson.

A writer named Ned Buntline decided¹¹ to write a book about Buffalo Bill. Buntline’s book and newspaper reports helped make Cody famous. The book became popular and was later made into a play called “Scouts of the Prairie.” Buffalo Bill even appeared in the show. Critics said Cody was a bad actor, but the show was very successful.

The play led Cody to form his own traveling show. The group included another hero of the American West, Wild Bill Hickok. 

GWEN OUTEN: During this period, Cody often returned to the West to find other work. He assisted the Army in its operations against Indian tribes¹². In eighteen-seventy-six, Indian warriors defeated General George Custer and his forces in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana. A few weeks later, Cody and other soldiers clashed¹³ with a group of Cheyenne Indians. During the fighting, Cody reportedly killed a Cheyenne warrior⁷ named Yellow Hair. This event added yet another incident to Buffalo Bill’s collection of stories.

Cody liked the idea of being a showman and telling people about the American West. In eighteen-seventy-nine, he wrote his own life story and began publishing his own dime novels. He also continued to produce plays.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: Cody organized his first Wild West show in eighteen-eighty-two in the state of Nebraska. The show was performed outside. It was designed to entertain and educate crowds of people. There were cowboys, Indians, buffalo and other kinds of animals. People were not sure exactly what the show was, but they liked it.

The following year, Cody and his business partners formed a traveling show called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.” It brought cowboys and Indians to people in parts of the United States who might never have seen them. The show was a major success for the next thirty years. People liked it for many reasons. One was a desire to return to earlier, simpler times. The American West of the dime novels was fast disappearing. The area was starting to develop. 

GWEN OUTEN: “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show included cowboys hunting buffalo. It had riders for the Pony Express. It re-created an Indian attack on a carriage transporting goods. The show also re-created the attack against General Custer and his forces. It included Indians who were involved in the real attack. It also included the famous Sioux chief Sitting Bull¹⁴, who had killed General Custer. Sitting Bull traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show for several months.

In later years, a cowgirl named Annie Oakley performed with the show. She was one of the best gun shooters in the country. Annie Oakley could ride a horse standing¹⁵ up while shooting at a target. She could shoot a piece of money out of someone’s hand. Once, she became famous for shooting a cigarette held in the mouth of German Crown Prince Wilhelm.

“Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” performed in cities and towns across the United States and in Europe. In eighteen-eighty-seven, the show performed in England in honor of Queen Victoria’s fiftieth anniversary in power. Six years later, the show was popular at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois.

DOUG JOHNSON: Buffalo Bill Cody was said to be the most famous American in the world by the beginning of the twentieth century. American presidents met with him to discuss issues important to the West. He had many modern ideas. For example, he supported fair treatment for American Indians. And he supported equal pay and equal voting rights for women. He was also a businessman who looked toward the future. He invested in projects that he hoped would bring economic growth to the West.

Cody made a lot of money from his show business success. However, he lost his wealth because of bad investments and failure to watch how the money was used.

In nineteen-oh-eight, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” combined with another traveling show. But this show failed. A short time later, Cody got a loan from a Colorado company to keep his show operating. But his financial situation got worse over the next few years.

GWEN OUTEN: Buffalo Bill Cody died in nineteen-seventeen while visiting his sister in Denver, Colorado. He was buried near the city, at the top of Lookout¹⁶ Mountain. His funeral was a major event. Twenty-thousand people traveled there to attend the ceremony.

Today, thousands of people visit Lookout Mountain every year. They see Cody’s burial place and a museum built in his honor. And, they hear stories about people who experienced the excitement of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: This program was written by George Grow. Lawan Davis was our producer. I’m Doug Johnson.

GWEN OUTEN: And I’m Gwen Outen. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

2 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

3 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

4 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

5 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

8 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

9 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

10 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 clashed   

发出撞击声（clash的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The color of the curtains clashed with the color of the carpet. 窗帘的颜色与地毯的颜色不协调。
• Her wedding clashed with my examination, so I couldn't go. 她的婚礼与我的考试冲突，因此我无法参加。

14 bull   

n.公牛，买进证券投机图利者，看涨的人

参考例句：

• It's only a hair off a bull's back to them.这对他们来说，不过九牛一毛。
• Many dogs closed around the bull.很多狗渐渐地把那只牛围了起来。

15 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

16 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。