Washington telegraph., 1845-12-10
INDIANS HUNTING THE BUFFALO
DY PuAzNA.

"a sa ie~l lr.1 500
eu atr By PiAzAA'
Silence, beneath the noon-day sun, IS keeping
Watch DER the uutrod prairies OF The West,
Where myriads of Buffalo are sleeping,
Or -vrazing on earth's green aud fiowery breast;
And their low believing dJth stiffness break.
AS zephyr moves the lake.
Ike the low srirging of the distant sea,
Or ike the murmur OF storm retiring,
THE so.iud the creatures utter seems TO be:
Nor roar, nor below. but short respring,
Which, made by millions, low yet awful, seems
Like thunder heard in dreams
Count in the milky way each little star,
Then number the wild monarchs oi the scene;
Around the land, to the horizon far,
The wilderness is black in stead Of green:
Millions aud myriad', unseen, unknown,
Rove the wild waste they own
Bu; besrken, Listen. Other sounds are near;
Sec. far away, eommoton speeds along,
Like darklmq waves; some wild and sudden fear
Moves like u storm-lashed sea the mighty
throng;
And law bulls rising in sudden fright,
Stretch their huge limbs in flight!
Ali tl.ai was still and peaceful only now,
= Now in a scene Of terror, wild and strange;
TIE solid earth is moving. trembling-how
ADDalinC.
One black living mass, in headlong speed,
FLYING across tine mead.
The cause, The causei Look to the sky afar;
See there tho dust rising in sudden clouds;
list to the red mans piercing scream Of war;
: Marx the wild steeds mixed with the flying
crowd:
See the swift arrows, flashing on the sight,
Like truant stars of night.
A thousand hunters, on their fire-eyed steeos,
With barbed arrows, and with bended bow,
sb-;etipr, as each new victim falls and beeds,
Arc dealinr death among the Buffalo,
See the wild herds, swift crossing as they ny
The verge of land and SKY.
o,,lon, Now hitl,er. thither wildly speeding;
Their starting eyes in phrenzy giaring round
Bends the vast throng, some staggering and bleed
Corinr the air and tearing up the ground
Crossed. turned cut off and madcened by the Zoe;
I-fatcd Buffalo.
Sec the Camanches, with fiend-like case,
FIvinr OH half-wild steeds about the PLAIN;
Their long, dark scap-locks streaming IN the
breeze;
Red as the sunbeam with vermiilon stain;
Now distant far then instant flashing nigher,
Like mounted flames Of fire.
And see the phrenzed Buffalo at bay.
After his savage hunter madly rushing;
yainlv he fights, or seeks 10 'scape away,
FHWith the red stream from his nostrils gushing;
He pauses, staggers pants and gla es around,
Then headong seeks the ground.
Goring the earth. grasping feeble breath.
And spouting blood, he falls upon his side;
And soon the quiveTing agony Of death
Leaves his limbs stiff and eyebals staring wide;
But e'er he Yields his parting breath of life,
He feels the butchers knife.
Now mark the magic changing OF the scene;
Gone are the hunted myriads from the PLAIN;
The earth again displays its carpet green;
And some poor Lundred buifaloes remain;
Some fighting still, some struggling, grasPtng'
--f. dying,
Around the prairie lying.
Around them see the red Camanches crosi,
To the hinge victims horns their wild steeds
tied;
With flashing knives and yells Of triumph Iouo'
Tearing the warm skin from E's reeAing side
See the red devils, with the b-utes own hoof
knocking his humP-ribs OF.
'rtrS fall the untamed monarch of the waste;
Bnt centuries shall seek eternal rest,
Fer the last, lonely Buffalo is chased
From the wild, grassy gardens oil the west;
Then. like the mastadon, rpped-up bone
Shall be his funeral stone.
R9sin Hill, Dog RireT,
.. r. .Julg 2Oth, 1910.