Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1853-07-20

rather brush, which hid the bualoes from our sight
as we gained the level ground; but from the great
tram we could hear on the other side, we Judged
that the whole herd were all foot and rolling of
towards the praries. - -.-.-..., ........
We were mistaken; for just as we reined in. our
horses on the edge of the belt of brushwood
which we found to be impossible, quick cry OF
alarm. from one of our party called our attention
towards the river bank not three hundred yards
distant, there-stretching from the wood to the
base of the ridge, solid wall of curly pates,
vast humps, and brawny shoulders of at least two
thousand animals which had been concealed by
the bank, so that we had not seen them from the
ridge. .ase. -a-...--. a..--,SL
/ E On they came-that avalanche of monsters,
with smoking nostrils, cleaning eyeballs, and
their short stumpy horns forming serried hedge
more formidable than ever did the bayonets of
even Napoleon's favorites-the invincible. cold
Guards @ea@ z@- IT = easgssra
"Back! back to the ridge before they come up
on us!'' yelled two or three of our number; and
very calmly, old Jude commenced to reply
"Back to the ridge, eh? Fools which of YOU
ever seen horse that had been ridden fifteen
miles keep pace with buffalo bull! 1t is full
three hundred rods from here to the foot of the
hill, while these fellows are less than as many
yards from us. You see we must ii "
"Ha-by the heart of John Jacob Astor, we're
in tight place now, my lads,'' he yelled out, as
he was interrupted by the dull, lazy whiz of at
least dozen rifle bullets, some Of which come
most sociable near our persons, as myself judged
from sharp tap on my metal canteen slung'under
my left and rather clean cut apparture
through the lapel of my hunting frock.
"Now ye see, lads, we must work our horses
into this thicket if we can, so far that none of
them rollin devils will get foul of us, and when
they all past, we must steer for the river, for
von fellows are Crows, and we had better take
our chance among the horns and hoffs of these
critters, than to get in range of them red niggers
rifles. Come, come, lads! in wild ye."
But the old hunters advice had occupied seve-
raj moments of our time that should have been de-
voted to digging into the branches, and ere sim
gle horse had made break into the dense wall of
briers, the buffaloes, with plunge, roar and
crash were upon US.
In moment we were separated; one here,
another there, in among hedge of thorns, and
a'continous roar of buffalo bull thunder, we were
borne on, helpless and impotent in the centre of
the vast herd, while at short intervals, l could
hear the sharp ringing report of the Crow rifles,
followed by the whistle of their bullets; and if
by very miracle for full twenty minutes, during
belt of brushwood and the ridge, we were hurried
along with them, without any one of our number
receiving the slightest injury either from the butfa-
loes or our friends, the Crows.
At last when the head of the belt of timber was
gained and the herd began to spread out and
sweep to the westward by some singular chance
the old hunter and myself were flung together,
and at the same time, out clear of the buffalo
stream on the left.
For single instant we reined in our horses,
and as we did so, pointed to the Indians-some
fifty in all, should think-who had ridden along
the summit of the ridge, keeping just about the
same distance from us they had been at first.
eyes, see the red thieves.'' said my compan-
ion very calmly, his eyes followed the direction
of my finger 81 see them, Leftenant, and can
tell you they all carry the Cincinnati rifle Too
light to kill hard shelled old fellow like me, this
distance. But our boys are all off west with the
buffaloes; and we are left here to play hop and
dodge with there thieven' Crows. .sss III
.'Well we must back towards the river, and
ford it somewhere; for you see them skunks ar e
dividing-about forty of 'em are coming down to
follow the buffaloes and our fellers,' and them
other sneaks-ten of 'em-will hang round until
they wing us; unless we play the Indian better
than thew cam Come, Leftenant, - and the next
breath we were dashing away towards the river
We were within perhaps two hundred yards OF
the bank when the heads of at least thirty Indians
thrust up above the feathery scarf of fern that
grew along the very edge of the bank. -:
ssThis won't do Leftenant,'' said the old hunter
appearantly not the least moved as far as l could
discover. cit won't do, sir, - and he caught my
left hand bride rein, whirling my horses heat
away from the river along with his own; and al
both animals dashed off over the ground just trav
ssIt's no use Leftenant to try for the river now
There's five hundred of the thieving crows on th'
other side, and our only chance is now to distance
them devils on the hill there, and get far enougl
ahead of them to cross the ridge and pull out TO
the steamer And now, Leftenant, don't worr,
1 down your animal in the start, nor above every
thing else don't waste single bullet. We shal
, want 'em every one before we get clear
Fl At the moment we turned to retrace our steps
the savages, whose heads we had only seen aboy
the fern, DOW rose fully in view, horses and all
as they rushed up the bank; and in less than thir
tv seconds ffty of the red fiends were thunderin