Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-03-30
A Terrible Fight.
BY GODFREY THUNDER.

| between eighty and ninety miles. |
was in the saddle betines, as nv bust
ness was of importance, aud had made
three or four miles before the first faint
streaks of the coming day became visi-
bic in the east. The air was cool and
! balmy, and laden with the perfume of
the flowers and herbage; whilst. as the
sun arose, the dew drops glittercd every
where upon the twigs and grass-blades
! like diamonds. The deer, as they left
their coverts to feed. grazed fearlessly
on Gather side Of the trail rs I passed
and every now aud then l disturbed a
bevy of quail, who, after a short flight,
dropped in the edge of the chapparel, or
into the wild oats. The country was
rolling and park-like, dotted here and
there with live oaks of immense size,
standing singly, or with smaller trees
in clumps.
After an hour or two's ride, Mount
7 Diabio became visible i'm the distance,
looming up cloud-liie in the thin air;
whilst upon my left, the coast range ran
along almost parallel to my route
1 Gradually the breeze ceased, and the
air became close and oppressive, and
continued so until | stopped for my
midday halt To allow my horse to feed.
Unusually sultry as the day had been,
[ Y,
not even the buaZing of an insect could
be heard, and the air felt as though IT
! had been heated i'm a furnace. Stretched
on my blankets, | had tried to smoke
my pipe, but even that lacked its usual
soothing effect. Presently low NUT
/ tering sound was audible which gradu-
/ ally increased it was the moaning Of
! the storm-wind, which came sweeping
gustily along. Then came fash of
! the most vivid lightning ever saw, in
stantly followed by Il tremendous peal
of thunder, the signal gun of the adj
vancing storm. which rent the air, and
made the earth tremb,e. A deep silence
| for brief interval, followed, which
seemed more terrible than the previous
uproar; then came the iurid flashes
! ndcrushing thunder, not in low, grum-
bling tones, but in deafening peals ::
whilst the wind roared, and the rain
descended in sheets of driving water
For two mortal houis did the tempest
rage, and the wild winds swept by,
whilst | covered under my blankets,
with bent head, and back to the blast.
At first, the thirsty and parched prair-
lie drank grccdily up the food OF water
poured upon it. but soon it became COM
pietely saturated, and could contain no
more, and the ovcrilowing waters col
lected IN great pools.
|. My horse, which had at first been ter
Iritied by the thunder-peals and light.
ming flashes, had strained upon the
picket-pcg, as he plunged suoring with
! terror, but had failed to either break
the tough rawhide kriat, or draw the
peg; and satisfied that he could not ret
loose, |. had devoted my attention solely
to shcltcring myself as much rs possible
from the down pour.
Upon looking around when the storm
had somewhat abatcd, what WAS my
CONSERVATION to find that my horse, as
soon As the ground had become thor
oughly saturated, had pulicd out the
peg and left me on the prairie. 1t was
of no Use to think Of pursuing my Jour
ney thus, and sorrowtully prepared to
retrace the long miles over which | had
! ridden in the morning. Rolling up my
saddle, bride, and tin cup, in which /
had made my coffee, in my saturated
blankets, and hiding them as well as /
could in some stunted shrubs, ! follow
ed in the direction my horse had start
ed, hoping to be able To trail him by his
hooi-marks in the softened ground, and
by the drag OF his long lariat and pick
et-pcg, which | hoped might cntangle
themselves around some bush or sapling
anu thus bring up my runaway To a
standstill.
II was not, however, without great
difficulty that could discern the trail,
for the driving rain had washed it out,
save here and there occasionally; but
still by keelilg the line, ! managed
now and then To come upon traces Of
the fugitive. More intent upon the
trail than on surrounding objects, had
PR c eded four or five miles when dis
.n I nd A q
curiosity to u large herd of cattle, who
We're closing in upon me with no very
friendly intentions. .-..,..
l had lived in Texas long enough to
know how hostile prairie cattle always
are to ioOtmen, though q horscnan
might ride close to them unregarded.- -
| also knew how helpless | was when
opposed To such a tremendous aggrega-
ten OF brute force as the three or four
hundred wild cattle possessed, who were
now rushing believing towards me-
The herd of cows and steers and year
lings was led by fierce old bull, who
occasionally stopped to tear up the
earth and shake his horns; then he
would advance, the mass crowding to-
gether, switching their taiis high in the
air, uttcfiHg fearful tbeiiowings. whilst
they tossed their horns wildly, in min
gled rage and wonder.
There was Ho time to hesitate: I had
only just perceived my enemies in time.
A herd of wild cattle rushing furiously
at a man upon an open plain soon assist
him in coming to a decision. -Four or
five hundred yards behind me was Il
tree which had lately passed, and Just
behind that again some bushes along
the margia al a little creek / deternl-
ined to make for the tree, and climb
that il possible; if not, If | was too
closely pressed by the laundering herd,
l would try and gain the bushes,
amongst which, or in some hole or
Granny in the creeks banks, | might
hope to conceal myself. Most pedestri-
an matches are timed, my race was not,
but have reason to believe that the
same distance was never covered quick
er by any mortal man. AS gained the
tree, ] looked back anh saw the fore
most of the herd about a lIandred yards
from me. | never was considered i'm
extraordinary climber when Il boy at
school, nor perhaps are pair of heavy
Mexican spurs an advantage in climb
ing but went up that tree like sq,iir-
rel, and had just gained a safe position
when my parsuers rushed underneath.
Although | had gained safety for the
moment, still there was something very
fearful in nay position, for could form
no idea how long the fierce beasts who
were tearing up the earth, and glaring
ut me with their wild fierce eyes, would
keep me . treed."
A most unlock ed-for adventure re-
lieyed me-. For some time most % tho
herd remained gazing at me; but at
length, as though feeling satisfied that
| could not escape. they became less
stationary. and moved abaut. spatching
pettishiy ut the grass. less from desire
Of grazing, than from restlessness, at
their disappointment i'm failing to catch
ME before / could Tree
Whilst thus sauntering aimlessly
about, my especial enemy, the bull,
strayed into the bushes that fringed the
ravine, and suddenly there arose fear
full aproar, and it WAS evident that taw-
ny lord of the herd had got into trouble.
A hoarse believing and confused
growing. internixed with a crashing
of the bushes whilst the taller saplings
swayed to and fro. showed that sonic
desperate struggle was taking place on
~ - n. IL.