Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-08-10
CHASED BY BUFFALOES; OR HOW THE
PONEY RAN HIS LEGS OFF.

CHASED BY BUFFALOES; OR HOW THE
PONEY RAN HIS LEGS OFF.
The Cincinnati Signal has the credit Of
telling the following interesting story:
A queer little animal was Joe Dunkin's
poney-one of those freaks which some
times happen even the wel-regula,ed fami-
ly of old dame Nature. And yet he was any
thing bu, monster. You could contemplate
him, in fact, with feelings of pleasure, for
more benevolent good-natured looking qua
druped never ambled upon legs-zegs-ay,
there's the rub. Por Dicks were his only
weakness. To his otherwise faulless SYM
metry these appendages formed most s,ri-
king and ludicrous contrast, there not being
more than six inches of legs from each of
The four joints TO the hoofs; and when he
was in motion, heaven protect you from
weak blood vessels or appoplexy.
On one occasion, when Joe and Dick
were in town, a crowd collected to con-
template this marvel in horse flesh. While
a. It's thlckest Joe emerged from neighbour
ing bar-room, where he had just been bury
ing his nose in a julep, and elbowing his
way TO the centre of attraction, addressing
himself TO the nearest locker on
"WeII, stranger what do you think of
The crltler? he's one of 'em, amt he ?
have seen the Siamese twins and the two
legged bear-besdes any quantity of insects,
from bed-bug 10 boa-constrctor but !
never saw one that run himself into tha,
predcamen. yet!''
you dom. pretend to say that horse run
his legs off," said the individual, incredu-
Iously
81 don't pretend to say any thing else,''
responded Joe, looking The stranger full in
the eye, and I'll tell you how it was"
With this Joe mounted hogshead, and,
addressing the crowd, began
Zone day-no matter when-I was riding
Dick slowly across one of those internal
ly broad prairies, that seem to have neither
ends nor sides, dying between Fort Leaven-
worth and The Rocky Mountains, and think
ing about the probable chance of losing nv
traps and seal in case met with the Pawnees,
when low, rumbling noise fell upon my
ear like the muttering of distant thunder. !
looked up, but there wasn't cloud, the sky
was just as blue and quiet as my wife Pol
ly's eye. So i. couldn't be the thunder. It
nigh. be an earthquake. This wasn'ta We
ry pleasant reflection, for, as had lived in
New Madrid, and seen the ground cape some
] expected every minute to find myself and
Dick beautifully buried, without the assist
ance of undertaken or sexton. The sound
by this time had increased to pretty chun-
Ky roar, and as there was no chance of being
swallowed up, | though. it only reasonable
10 take all observation, for things began to
look as if they wouldn't last long. Turn
ing IN my saddle saw one of the most m
teresting spectacles, to man situated as ]
was, that ever expect TO look upon again.
About halfa mile behind me, roaring, snort
ing, blowing, and running as if fiends were
after them, was one ofthe mos, unrghteous
piles Of buffalo ever congrega,ed together.
And they put i. down as if each fellow was
striving to be first to get dig a me. |
tried to appear cool, but it was no use, nv
hair kept rising till i. got SO stiff tina. each
bris'le would have balanced plate. Hea-
vens! how fierce they looked, with their
eyes flaming like 6recoals, and their shaggy
names streaming in the wind!"
didn't you feel awful ," asked SYM
pathetic spectator, appealing to Joe.
"Feel - responded our hero-''l felt like
a stray pig on railroad track, with an ex-
press locomotive behind, and high fence
on both sides OF the road. There was no
such thing as running around them, for thew
were spread across the praries as far as the
eye could reach, and came down upon me
like great black wave. Time was grow
ing precious: every second counted. The
only chance was slraig hit race-Dick and
| against the field. 10 the ,winkIing of an
eye stripped Dick to the saddle and my
self TO the spurs! The buffaIoes were now
we'll up, and doing their nastest-the pony
all of tremble to be off, 1t was a sin to
hold him, and to tell the truth, wasn', very
anxious do so. A yell didihe business, and
away we went, like scared dog. On! on!
on prairles, woods and rivers were passed
with perfect rush. Sill The buf1aIoes were
humping themselves just at my heels Il
knew by the slackenIng thunder of their
tramp, however, that the herd was growing
thinner-this | couldn't account for till al-
forwards. Justabout.h This time one of Dicks
hoois came off: He limped little, bu,
wouldn't give in an inch. When the second
slipped the pace became more even. Then
the third went, and in half minute more
his last hoof pulled off in quagmire. But
when he got off his s.umps-snails and ter
rapins how he tore along! Looking back,
for ] felt just as easy as hungry hog in
potato pa'ch,) there lay one of The pretliest
strings of buffalo, for about five miles, tina,
you ever did see. Gentlemen, we had run
every one of them to death, with the ex-
ceplIon of the old bull, who seemed deter
mined to win; or perish in the attempt He
couldn't quite come it, thong hive beat
him just length. Dick fell a, last, and so
did the venerable eclipse of the prairies. inst