Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-06-28

paws, to shake his hands, and we have little
doubt it could be taught to leave its tub alto
gether, and to move up and down the room as
it were arm in arm with its master. Its eyes
are larger than those of an OK, its mouth is most
capacious, and it has two rows of teeth as sharp
and as strong as those of tiger. At night the
animal sleeps on damp boards with blanket OF
two. The fins or paws have each five fingers,
though the whole are covered with thick skin.
1t has two tails, which are constantly in motion
to guide its evolutions around the tub. 1t has
no visible ears, and yet it appears to understand
every order giYen.-Bells Life in London.
The Buffalo.
Mr.. Horace Greeley in his last letter to the N
Y. Tribune, gives an interesting account OF the
immense herds of Buffalo encountered in his o.
verland journey:
RIsINGER's CREEK, Station No. 1871
Pixies Peak Express Co., May 81, 1S59.]
would rather not bore the public with buff
falo. fully realize that the subject is not novel
that Irving and Cooper, and many others,
have written fully and admirably upon it; and
that the travellers enthusiastic recital falls cold
ly on the ear of the distant, critical, unsympa.
thizing reader. Yet insist on writing this once
more on Buffalo, promising then to drop the
subject, as we pass out of the range of the Buff
falo before night. All day yesterday, they dark
ened the earth around Us, often seeming to be
drawn up like an army in battle array on the
ridges and adown the slopes mile or 80 south
of us-often on the north as well. They are
rather shy of the little screens of struggling tim
Der on the creek bottoms-doubtless from their
sore experience of Indians lurking therein to
discharge arrows at them as they went down to
drink. If they feed in the grass of the narrow
valleys and ravnes, they are careful to have a
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.
This is what gives us such excellent opportu-
mites for regarding them to the best advantage.
They are moving northward and are still main
ly south of our track. Whenever alarmed they
set off 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 q
few rods in front US, even when they had start
ed mile away. Then herd will commence
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 off and cross
further ahead, or split into two lines but the
general impulse when alarmed is to follow blind.
ly and at full speed seeming not to inquire or to
consider from what quarter danger is to be ap-
pretended.
What strikes the stranger with most amaze
ment is their immense numbers. know mil
lion is a 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 we'll matted with their favorite
grass. Yet it is all Except very little on the
creek bottoms, near to timber) 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 Buf
fao have been constantly in sight, and that they
continue for some twenty-five miles further on
this being the breadth Of their present range,
which has length of perhaps thousand miles,
and you have some approach to an idea OF their
countless millions. doubt whether the domes.
ticated horned cattle Of the United States equa
the numbers, while they must fall considerably
short in weight of these wild ones.
l shall pass lightly over the hunting exploit:
of our party. A good many shots have beer
fired-of course not by me; even were in the
habit of making war on wild Natures children
1 would as soon think of shooting my neighbor'
oxen as these great, clumsy, harmless creatures
If they were scarce, | might comprehend the
idea of hunting them for sport; here, they ar'
so abundant that you nigh as well hunt you
neighbor's geese. And, while there have beer
several shots fired by our party at point-blanl
distances, l have reasons for my hope that NJ
Buffalo has experienced any personal inconve'
nience therefrom. For this impunity, the foul
ness of the rifle has had to answer in part; thu
preenness of the sportsmen is perhaps equal.
answerabe for it. But then we have had NJ
horse or mule out of our regular teams, and th
candid will admit that couch-and-four is no
precisely the fittest turn out for hunting party
write 10 the station tent (having been driver
| from our wagon by the operation of greasing it
wheels, which was found to interfere with tn
steadiness of my hastily y.improvised tabeD will
the buffalo visible on the ridges south and ever.
way but north of US. They were very clos
down to US at daylight, and so till the increasiD
light revealed distinctly our position, since whc
they have kept respectful distance. But
! party of our drivers, who went back seven mile
on mules last evening, to help get our rear wag
on out of gully in which it had mired and stuc
fast, from which expedition they returned
midnight, report that they found the road abso
lutely dangerous with the crowds of Butfal
feeding on either side and running across it
that, the night being quite dark, they were ofte
in great danger of being run over and run dow
by the headlong brutes. They were obliged t
stand still for minutes, and fire their revolver
right and left, to save their lives and their mules
The superintendent of this division, MIR. Full
or, had narrow escape day before yesterday
He was riding his mule along our road, utterl
unconscious of danger, when herd of Buffalo
north Of the road were stampeded by an emi
grant train and set off full gallop in south
westerly direction, as usual. A slight ridge hi'
them from Mr.. FPS sight till their leader CAM
full tilt against his mule, knocking him dow
and going over him at full speed. Mr.. +. o
course fell with the dying mule, and presum
lay very snug by his side while the Buffalo mad
clear sweep over the concern-he firing his re
volver rapidly, and thus inducing many OF tn
herd to shear off on one side or the other. ID
rose stunned and bruised, but still able to mak'
his way to the station with an increased respec
for Buffalo, fancy, and q disposition to glv'
them reasonably wide berth hereafter. Bu
be has gone out this morning in quest OF th'
mired coach, and our waiting for his return
gives me this chance to write without enroach-
--lz~