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2. j_pecos1.txt File Contents

j_pecos1.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2.zip)

Name: <  >
Class: <  >
Date: <  >



Pecos Bill, Part 1

As Paul Bunyan was the folk hero of the farmers and the lumberjacks who worked so hard to clear trees from the forests, so Pecos Bill was the hero of the cowboys. There never lived a stronger, faster, tougher, braver, smarter, or more natural cowboy than Pecos Bill. Every trick of the cowboy was invented by this wild Texan. To learn more about him, you can read the book Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg.

Below are the beginnings of famous stories about Pecos Bill. Use your imagination to complete the passages, typing between the angle brackets.

Some Famous "Facts" about Pecos Bill

When Pecos Bill was just a baby, he was so strong that <  >.

One day, when his parents were moving west in a covered wagon, they crossed the Pecos River. Little Bill threw a fishing line into the water and was yanked right out of the wagon by a Texas trout that towed him downstream. Baby Billy wouldn't let go of the fishing line, and the fish pulled him two miles under water before they both went over a <  > waterfall.

Finally, baby Billy pulled that fish in, built a fire, and cooked it just right. When the nearby coyotes smelled the fresh fish sizzling, they came to have a closer look. When Billy saw the coyotes he said, "Nice doggies! Nice doggies!" He offered them some fish.

After dinner, Billy wrestled with the coyotes. There were about six coyotes, and Billy wore them all out. They stretched out by the warm blazing fire and fell asleep with their new friend.

In the morning, Pecos Bill left with the coyotes. He had a new family. Soon he could run as fast as <  >, he could hunt like <  >, and he could howl as <  > as any of the coyotes.

When Pecos Bill wasn't playing with the coyotes, he loved to play with the mountain goats. Soon he could jump from <  > to <  > as quickly as <  >. He could jump across rivers that were <  >. Pecos Bill was as fast and sure-footed as <  >.

One day when Pecos Bill was napping, a cowhand named Chuck spotted him. Chuck asked Bill why he was sleeping naked in the desert. Bill explained that he was a coyote and that coyotes are always naked. Chuck explained that Bill wasn't a coyote; he was a natural man just like himself. Then Chuck gave Bill some clothes and showed him how to get dressed.

Bill and Chuck started off together. Chuck had to gallop his horse as fast as <  > just to keep up with Pecos Bill, who ran like <  >.

As they were going through a canyon that was as full of twists and turns as <  >, a <  > rattlesnake suddenly leaped out at Bill. Bill rushed forward and <  >. Before the snake knew what had hit it, Bill <  >. By then, the snake was so tired and confused, Bill just turned that snake into a lasso, and that's how the first lasso was invented.

When Pecos Bill and Chuck got to Hell's Gulch, Pecos Bill challenged the outlaws to a rodeo. He took out his lasso made of one tame, giant rattlesnake and bet them he could tie up any bull they chose. One of the outlaws waved his red shirt in front of the <  > bull you've ever seen. That bull <  > and ran right at Pecos Bill. As that bull ran, the earth <  >, but Pecos Bill just spun his lasso and threw it around the bull's legs. Then he pulled and pulled. As the bull hit the ground, a mountain sprang up behind him. From then on, all the outlaws in Texas wanted to be cowboys and work with Pecos Bill.

Perhaps the lassoing trick Pecos Bill is most famous for is the time he lassoed a tornado. This wasn't just any ordinary tornado. It was an extraordinary tornado. It was so large that <  >. Its winds were so wild that <  >. When Pecos Bill saw that tornado, he decided to have some fun. He lassoed the tornado and went for a ride. He rode that tornado all the way to <  > before it blew itself out.

You can print your tall tale now and refer to it as you work on the second Tall Tale activity that talks Pecos Bill.


Name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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