h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry, spell that metallic, with an extra thanks for the great text provided.

I spent a few hours in the library today, and the thing he's holding is consistent with pictures I saw of cowboys' watch fobs from the 1800's. The watch is attached to a short piece with a charm attached to it -- sometimes the backing is leather -- and then a small loop for attaching it to something else.

If Billy was proud of it, he might have wanted to hold it, to show it off.

I was also able to confirm about the wearing of sashes by vacqueros. They had a way of tieing it so that two short bits hung over each butt cheek and then two long bits hung down in front. And a vacquero apparently couldn't have enough studs.

Back to the watch, accounts say that Billy didn't hang on to possessions for long; he was constantly using them for gambling stakes.

Perhaps this picture was taken *before* he went gambling that day. Possibly he was planning to use it as a good luck charm?

G7