BillJoneshadbeenunconventionalinotherrelationsbesidesthatofsheriff。HeoncecasuallymentionedtomethathehadservedonthepoliceforceofBismarck，buthehadleftbecausehe“beattheMayorovertheheadwithhisgunoneday。”Headded：“TheMayor，hedidn’tmindit，buttheSuperintendentofPolicesaidheguessedI’dbetterresign。”Hisfeeling，obviously，wasthattheSuperintendentofPolicewasamartinet，unfittotakelargeviewsoflife。
ItwaswhilewithBillJonesthatIfirstmadeacquaintancewithSethBullock。SethwasatthattimesheriffintheBlackHillsdistrict，andamanhehadwanted——ahorsethief——Ifinallygot，Ibeingatthetimedeputysherifftwoorthreehundredmilestothenorth。ThemanwentbyanicknamewhichIwillcall“CrazySteve“；ayearortwoafterwardsIreceivedaletteraskingabouthimfromhisuncle，athoroughlyrespectablemaninaWesternState；andlaterthisuncleandImetatWashingtonwhenIwasPresidentandheaUnitedStatesSenator。Itwassometimeafter“Steve’s“capturethatIwentdowntoDeadwoodonbusiness，SylvaneFerrisandIonhorseback，whileBillJonesdrovethewagon。Atalittletown，Spearfish，Ithink，aftercrossingthelasteightyorninetymilesofgumboprairies，wemetSethBullock。Wehadhadratheraroughtrip，andhadlainoutforafortnight，soIsupposewelookedsomewhatunkempt。Sethreceiveduswithratherdistantcourtesyatfirst，butunbentwhenhefoundoutwhowewere，remarking，“Yousee，byyourlooksIthoughtyouweresomekindofatin-horngamblingoutfit，andthatImighthavetokeepaneyeonyou！”Hetheninquiredafterthecaptureof“Steve“——withalittleoftheairofonesportsmanwhenanotherhasshotaquailthateithermighthaveclaimed——“Mybird，Ibelieve？”LaterSethBullockbecame，andhaseversinceremained，oneofmystanchestandmostvaluedfriends。HeservedasMarshalforSouthDakotaundermeasPresident。When，afterthecloseofmyterm，IwenttoAfrica，ongettingbacktoEuropeIcabledSethBullocktobringoverMrs。
BullockandmeetmeinLondon，whichhedid；bythattimeIfeltthatIjusthadtomeetmyownpeople，whospokemyneighborhooddialect。
WhenservingasdeputysheriffIwasimpressedwiththeadvantagetheofficerofthelawhasoverordinarywrong-doers，providedhethoroughlyknowshisownmind。Thereareexceptionaloutlaws，menwithapriceontheirheadsandofremarkableprowess，whoareutterlyindifferenttotakinglife，andwhosewarfareagainstsocietyisasopenasthatofasavageonthewar-path。Thelawofficerhasnoadvantagewhateveroverthesemensavewhathisownprowessmay——ormaynot——givehim。SuchamanwasBillytheKid，thenotoriousman-
killeranddesperadoofNewMexico，whowashimselffinallyslainbyafriendofmine，PatGarrett，whom，whenIwasPresident，ImadecollectorofcustomsatElPaso。Buttheordinarycriminal，evenwhenmurderouslyinclined，feelsjustamoment’shesitationastowhetherhecarestokillanofficerofthelawengagedinhisduty。ItookinmorethanonemanwhowasprobablyabettermanthanIwaswithbothrifleandrevolver；butineachcaseIknewjustwhatIwantedtodo，and，likeDavidHarum，I“diditfirst。”whereasthefractionofasecondthattheothermanhesitatedputhiminapositionwhereitwasuselessforhimtoresist。