Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado

Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado

Pecos Bill was the greatest cowboy who ever lived. He was as wild as a tumbleweed in a whirlwind. But how did he get that way? Bill was a mighty tyke who was only four years old when his family decided to move out West. Some boys would have dreaded such a long trip, but not Bill. " Yee-haw! " he shouted when he heard the news. Though he was young, Bill was as tough as any pioneer.

Bill helped his family get ready for their journey by tossing heavy furniture into the wagon. " He's as strong as a bull! " said his mother. “ No, he's as strong as three bulls! " said his father.

Soon, Bill's family was ready to leave. The covered wagon rumbled and tumbled west on dusty roads. After many weeks of hard traveling, they came to the Pecos River in Texas. While the wagon was crossing the river, Bill tossed out his fishing line. A fish just about as big as all of New England pulled Bill right into the water!

That fish dragged Bill far downriver from his family. Bill thought he would surely drown, but an old coyote saw him struggling and ran to save him. That coyote mother must've felt sorry for Bill because she pulled him from the water. Her pack adopted Bill and taught him the ways of the wild.

Bill grew up faster than weeds in a cornfield. First his shirt popped off and then his trousers. He romped with the coyotes by day and howled with them at night. Bill lived with the coyotes for fifteen years. Then one day, a cowboy riding along the Pecos River caught sight of Bill.