Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-06-21
G0oreester Daily Spp.
GREELEYs OVERLAND JOURNEY.
LAST OF THE BUFFALO.

al uty ytSIefudY DuUdlOeS Qarkened the
earth around us, often seeming to be drawn up
like army in battle array on the ridges and
adown their slopes a mile or so south of US
often on the north as well. They are rather
shy OF the little screens of Struggling timber on
the creek bottoms-doubtless from their sore
experience of Indians lurking therein to dis
charge arrows at them as they went down to
drink. If they feed in the grass of the narrow
valleys and ravines, they are careful to have
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 off in the direction which
the leaders presume that of safety.
What strikes the stranger with most amaze
ment is their immense numbers. | know a
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 ia
vorite grass. Yet it is all Except a very lit
tie on the creek bottoms, near to timber,t eaten
down like an over-taxed sheep-pasture in
dry August. Consider that we have traversed
more than one hundred miles in width since
we first struck them, and that for most of this
distance the buffalo have been constantly in
sight, and that they continue for some twenty
nYe miles further on-this being the width of
their present range, which has a length of per-
haps thousand miles, aud you have some ap-
proach to an idea of their countless millions. |
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. Margaret Fuller long ago
observed that the Illinois prarieS seemed to re-
pei the idea of being new to civilized life and in
dustry-that they, with their borders of trees
and belts OF timber, reminded the traveller rath
er of the parks and spacious fields of an old
country like England-that you were constant
ly on the involuntary lookout for the chateaux
or at least the humble tarm-houses, which
should diversity such scene. True as this is
or was IN Illinois, the resemblance is far more
striking here, where the grass is all so closely
pastured and the cattle are seen in such vast
herds on every ridge The timber, too, aids
the resemblance, seeming to have been reduced
to the last degree consistent with the wants of
grazing country, and to have been left only
on the steep creek-banks where grass would
not grow. 1t is hard to realize that this is the
centre of region Of wilderness and solitude, so
far as the labors Of civilized man are concerned
that the first wagon passed through it some
two months ago. But the absence of houses
or buildings OF any kind, and our unbridged,
unworked road, winding on its way for hun
dreds Of miles without track, other than of
buffalo, intersecting Or leading away from it
on eithsf hand, brings us back to the reality.
shall 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
children, | would as soon think of shooting
my nelghbors oxen as these great, clumsy
harmless creatures. If they were scarce |
might comprehend the idea Of hunting them
for sport; here, they are so abundant that you
might as well hunt your neighbours geese
And, while there have been several shots fred
by our party at point-blanH distances | have
reason for my hope that no buffalo has expert
enced any personal Inconvenience therefrom
For this impunity, the foulness of the rifle has
had to answer in part the grecnness of the
sportsmen is perhaps equally answerable for
it. But then we have had no horse or mule
out OF our regular teams, and the candid will
admit that coachand-four is not precisely
the fttest turnout for hunting party.
write in the station tent (having been driv-
en- from our wagon by the operation of greas-
ing its wheels, which was found to interfere
with the steadiness OF my hastily -improvised
table, with the buffalo visible on the ridges
south and every way north of us. They were
very close down to us at daylight and so till
the increasing light revealed distinctly our po-
sition, since which they have kept respect
full distance. But party OF our drivers, who
went back seven miles ON mules last evening,
to help our rear wagon out of gully in which
it had mired and stuck fast, from which expe-
dition taey returned at midnight, report that
they found the road absolutely dangerous
with the crowds of bufialoes feeding on either
side and running across it--that, the night be-
ing quite dark they were often in great dam
ger of being run over and being run down by
the headlong brutes They were obliged to
stand still for minutes, and fire their revolvers
right and left, to save their lives and their
mules.
The superintendent of this DIVISION Mr..
Fuller, had narrow escape day before yes
terday. He was riding his mule along our
road, utterly unconscious of danger, when a
herd of buffalo north of the road were STAN
peded by an emigrant train and set off at full
gallop in a 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. +. of course fell with the dy-
ing mule, and presume lay very snug by his
side while the buffaloes made clear sweep
over the concern-he firing his revolver rapid
ly and thus inducing many of the herd to
shear off on one side or the other He rose
stunned and bruised, but still able to make his
way to the station-with an increased respect
for buffalo, | fancy, and 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 encroach-
ing on the hours due to sleep.
Two nights ago, an immense herd came
down upon a party of Pixies Peakers camped
just across the creek from this station, and tit
being dark were with difficulty prevented
from stampeding tents, cattle and people
Some fifty shots were fired into them before
they could be detured. And now, our station
master has just taken his gun to scare them
off so as to save our mules from stampede.
STATION 15 PRAIRIE DOC CREEK,
May 81, evening.
We are now just half way from Leaven-
worth to Denver, and our coach has been
week making this distance, 50 that with equal
good fortune we may expect to reach the Land
of Gold in another week. The coaches we
met here to night have been just week on
the way, having like u.s. lost a day, but not,
like us, by high water: their bother was with
wild Indians-Arapahoes mainly-whom they
report to be in great numbers on our route
not hostile to us, but intent on begging or
stealing, and stopping the wagons peremptor-
lily till their demands are complied with. They
are at war with the Pawnees, and most of their
men are now on the war-path +; their women
and children are largely camped around the
Express Company's Stations, living as they
best may. The Pawnees, l believe, are mainly
or entirely south of our road The Arapah-
oes boast Of triumphs and slaughters which,
il is TO be hoped, have been or will be recipro-
Gated. Indian wars with each other are in our
day cruel and cowardly plundering forays, fit
ted to excite only disgust
AS we left Station IA this morning and rose
from tho creek bOfiom IN tl,o h;cL ,,roir;a a