Journal of a Cowboy
The two cowboys meet a living legend
Jean-Luc and Jacques Duvalier were very glad to hear that the hermit was already on his way, following the Santa Fe Trail. They thought that they, too, might follow in the footsteps of the hermit to get a more clear idea as to what the Wild West was really like. On the way, they paused to visit an area that used to belong to Mexico. In fact, the conquistadors had passed through there in 1542 in their quest to find the Seven Cities of Gold of Gran Quivira. The place had come to be known as Fort Mann.
It had fallen apart after a Native attack in 1848, but the area remained vacant around what would become Dodge City until after the end of the Civil War. The early settlers in Dodge City traded in buffalo bones and hides and provided a civilian community for the growing populace. However, with the arrival of the railroad, Dodge City soon became involved in the cattle trade.
When Jean-Luc and Jacques Duvalier arrived, they found that another Frenchman was already there. He had been born to a working-class family in Quebec, in 1853. He had acquired a reputation as a professional gunfighter and a gentleman, muchloved by the locals. He could defend himself against outlaws as easily and he could play games with children. “My name is Bartholomew William Barclay,” he said, shaking hands with Jean-Luc and Jacques. They were surprised to see that, instead of a Mexican sombrero or a widebrimmed cowboy hat, Barclay wore a smaller, black derby hat, which made him look very distinguished. His charismatic demeanor and bearing attracted many people to him, though he didn’t seek their approval. He would often regale them, telling them tales and stories of his siblings: Edward-John, James, Patrick, Nellie, Thomas, George Henry and Emma Anna.
“What fascinates me most about that man,” Jean-Luc confided to Jacques Duvalier, “is the cane that he carries, despite the fact that he doesn’t even limp. It gives him a regal appearance. It is almost like a scepter of the Wild West.”
“I saw him playing with some local children yesterday,” Jacques Duvalier added. “They all got a in circle and danced, while singing, ‘Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse. Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse tous en rond. Les beaux garçons font comme ci et puis encore comme ça…’ Jacques turned his head suddenly and found that Jean-Luc was smiling as if reliving an ancient memory from his own past. He whispered: ‘On the bridge of Avignon, there, one dances, there, one dances. On the bridge of Avignon, there, one dances as a group. The handsome boys go this way, and then again, that way…”
Jean-Luc and Jacques were fascinated by this mysterious Frenchman. They found out from the people of Dodge City that Barclay had spent much of his youth living on various farms in the Midwest. He only had a basic education from a series of one-room schools. When he was in his late teens, he became a buffalo hunter. Owing to his familiarity with the territory, the U.S. Army took him on as a scout, combating the Kiowa and Comanche Indian. He even had quite a run in with Chief Quanah Parker. In his first gunfight in Sweetwater, Texas, he killed his opponent, Corporal Melvin A. King.
They learned that the silver star Barclay wore on his chest was not merely a decoration. He was so admired by the citizens of Dodge City that they quickly elected him town sheriff when he had only been in that area but a few days. He made friends very fast, including some of the other famous men of the Wild West. Among them, he associated with
Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp and politician Billy Tilghman. When they pressed him to tell them more about himself, he merely smiled and replied: “Just call me ‘Bat Masterson.’”
The two cowboys stared at each other. They had never met a living legend before.