Off To See The Wild West Show Part 1, Chapter 12 (4/7) By Frank Beill 1886: Hull, Yorkshire

(1/7), (2/7), (3/7), (4/7), (5/7), (6/7), (7/7). Part 1 Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Part 2 Prologue, Chapter 1, 2, 3.

Mercifully our part was to come late in the performance. Laughing Waters took me to a spot where I could see all the other acts without getting in the way until we were needed. Her commentary was better than the programmes I intended selling. What really impressed me was the massive effort behind the scenes to get all the performers in and out of the arena speedily. Perhaps the most amazing sight in the football ground was the size of the crowd watching the show. I'd never seen so many people in one place at one time and they were all paying to be there - except for a small group of orphans, of course.

Their number dwarfed even the masses waiting at the station the day before. My surprise wasn't confined to the audience's numbers. What made me stare open mouthed was that they were all smiling, eagerly anticipating the entertainment to come. Seeing so many Hull people looking happy at one time was as unexpected as seeing the Sioux braves laughing. The band fell silent and the crowd hushed to hear what must have been the loudest voice in the world. It filled the entire amphitheatre. Laughing Waters told me this was Mr Frank Richmond who was known as 'The Orator' in the show. His task was to keep the audience informed about what was happening. I craned my neck, trying to see the source of the loud words but he was out of my line of sight. How Jolly Rodgers and the Master must be envying the loudness of the man's voice.

He announced that Mr Levy, the cornet player, would play 'The Star Spangled Banner.' There was a rumble like thunder and the crowd got to its feet to honour the national anthem of their American visitors. When the music ended the Orator made the announcement everyone was waiting for. 'Ladies and gentlemen, Buffalo Bill and Nate Salsbury proudly present America's National Entertainment ... the one and only ... genuine and authentic ... unique and original ... Wild West!' The band struck up again and the full mounted company swept past us in a cloud of dust to erupt as a rainbow of colour in the arena.

I could only see part of what was happening. The riders galloped around and around, all the time whooping and screaming out war cries. Never before had I seen such brilliant colours and I doubted whether anyone else in my grey hometown had either. There were Indian braves - my new people - in their war bonnets with faces smeared in brilliant war paint ... Mexicans in wide brimmed sombreros that offered no shade to the audience from their bright silk and velvet clothes ... laughing cowgirls in jackets and hats in such vivid colours they shouted at all who saw them ... and the cowboys in large Stetsons and leather chaps, their double-fronted shirts wrapped in coloured sashes.

The crowd roared its appreciation. An unbelievable spectacle but the best ... the very best was yet to come. The whole mounted cast wheeled around and around until a lone figure dressed in a tan buckskin suit and mounted on a shimmering white horse cantered into the centre of the stadium. This was the man everyone had come to see: the hero of my dreams. The rest of the company stopped circling and joined him to form a tight bunch at the centre of the arena. Without warning the whole entourage broke free to race at full speed towards the audience.

The galloping horde stopped short as though a single brake was being applied to them all. The crowd gasped and I exhaled with relief too. All hats, sombreros and war bonnets were raised in salute before being waved at their patrons. The audience went wild with delight. The Wild West Show had begun. A huge magic carpet transported the dour townsfolk of Hull on a journey of thousands of miles to the brilliance and warmth of an irresistible continent. Here exciting stories would unfold before their eyes.

Continued... Next Page (5/7)

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