Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-23
THE GAZETTE.
THURSDAY MORNING. JUNE es. 1853
TIE BUFFALO.


on ms overland journey.
RlsI>orR's GREEN, STATION No. II,
P,kr's Pax EXPRESS Co, May 81, 1859.
| would rather not bore the public with
Buffalo. | fully realise that the subject is
not noyel--that Irving and Cooper, and many
others. have written fully and admirably
upon it; and that the travellers enthusiastic
recital falls coldiy on the ear of the distant,
critical, unsympathizing reader. Yet in
sist on writing once more On Buffalo.
promising then to drop the subject, We
pass out Of the range of the Buffalo before
night. All day yesterday, they darkened
the earth around US, often seeming 10 be-
drawn up like an army in battle array on
the ridges and adown the slopes mile or
40 south Of uS-Often ON the north as WE'LL
They are rather shy of the little screeus of
struggling timber on the creek bottoms
doubtless from their sore experience of In
dams lurking therein to discharge arrows ut
them as they went down to drink. Ii they
feed in the grass Of the narrow valleys and
ravines. they are careful to have u part Of the
herd on the ridges which overlook them, and
with them the surrounding country for miles.
And when an alarm is given, they all rush
furiously of in the direction which the lea
ders presume that of safety.
This is what gives US such excellent oppor-
tunities for regarding them to the BEST ad-
vantage. They are moving northward and
are still mainly south Of our track. When
ever alarmed they set of on their awkward
but stiff canter to the herds still south, or to
haunts with which they are comparatively
familiar, and wherein they have hitherto
found safety. Of course this sends those
north of Us across our way, often but u few
rods in front of US, even when they had star
ted q mile away. Then herd will CON
mence running across hundred rods ahead
OF US, and the whole blindly following their
leader, We will be close upon them before the
last will have cleared the track. Of course
they sometimes stop and tack, or seeing US,
sheer of and cross further ahead, OF split
into two lines, but the general impulse when
alarmed is to follow blindly aud at full
speed, seeming not to inquire or to consid-
er from what quarter danger is to be appre-
hended.
What strikes the stranger with most amaze
ment is their immense numbers l know II
million is great many, but | am confident
we saw that number yesterday. Certainly,
all we saw could not have stood on ten square
miles of ground. Often, the country for
miles on either hand, seemed quite black with
them. The soil is rich, and well matted with
their favorite grass. Yet it is all lexcepta
very little on the creek bottoms, near to tim
berl eaten down like overtaxed sheep-pas-
ture in a dry August Consider that we have
traversed more than one hundred miles ID
width since we first struck them, and that
for most of this distance tho Buffalo have been
constantly in sight; and that they continue
for some twenty five miles further on--this
being the breadth other present range, which
has a length of perhaps thousand miles,
and you have some approach to an idea Of
their countless millions. l doubt whether
the domesticated horned cattle of the United
States equal the numbers, while they must
fall considerably short in weight of these
wild ones
lshall pass lightly over the hunting exploits
Of our party A good many shots have been
fired of course not by me; even were in the
habit of making war on wild Natures child
dren / would rs soon think of shooting my
neighbours oxen as these great. clumsy. harm
less creatures Ii they were scarce, might
comprehend the idea of hunting them tor
sport; here, they are so abundant that you
might as well hunt your neighbors geese.
And, while there have been several shots mr.
ed by our party at point blank distances,
have reason for my hope that no Buffalo has
experienced any personal inconvenience
therefrum. For this IMMUNITY, the toulness
of the rifle has had to answer in part; the
greenness of the sportsInen ia perhaps equal
" answerable for it, But then We have had
no horse or mule out of our regular teams,
and the candid will admit that II coach and
four is not precisely the tittest turnout Tor
hunting party.
write in the station tent (having been
driven from our wagon by the operation ui
greaslng its wheels, which wss found to inter
fore with the steadiness ofmy hastily -improv-
ised table with the buffalo visible on the
ridges south and every way but north OF US.
They were very close down to us at daylight
and so till the increasing light revealed di--
tnctly our position. since which they have
kept respectful distance But party OF
our drivers, who went back seven miles on
mules last evening, to help our rear wagon
out of a gully in which it had mred and stuck
fast, from which expedition they returned at
midnight, report that they found the road
absolutely dangerous with the crowds OF But
falo feeding ON either side and running across
it-that the night being quite dark, they were
often in great danger Of being run over and
run down by the headong brutes. They
were obliged to stand still for minutes. and
fire their revolvers rightand lett, to save their
lives and their mules.
The superintendent of this division. MIR.
Fuller, had narrow escape day before yes
terday He was riding his mule along our
road. utterly unconscious of danger, when
herd of Buffalo north Of the road were stampe-
ded by an emigrant train and set of full gal
lop in south westerly direction, as usual.
A slight ridge hid them from Mr.. F.'s sight
till their leader came full tilt against his
mule, knocking him down and going
over him at full speed. Mr. F. OF course fell
with the dying mule. aud presume lay very
snug by his side while the bufsloes made
clear sweep over the concern--he firing his
revolver rapidly, and thus inducing many OF
the herd to sheer of on one side OF the other.
He rose stunned and bruised, but still able
to make his way to the station with an in
creased respect for buffalo, | fancy, and a
disposition to give them a reasonably wide
berth hereafter. But he has gone out this
morning in quest of the mired coach, and our
waiting for his return gives me this chance TO
write Without encroaching on the hours due
to sleep.