The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-11-13

onset of that kind leaves one in NO doubt
as to why the short, strong horna of the
buffaloes have splintered appearance at
the apices. Then there was q long,
steady push, in which every tendon of the
huge bodies was strained to the uttermost.
Then there was strategic easing of, then
sudden, gladiatorial thrust which
pressed the huge heads to the ground in
an even balance Of strength. Neither
beast dared relax . muscle or retreat an
inch, for fear of that fatal charge upon
the Hank or that dangerous twist of
the neck, which means defeat.
And now the cows returned and looked
complacently on, and the very calves be-
gan to shake their heads in the first vague
instinct of combativeness inspired
by the battle of the bulls. And the
young lordlings of the herd distended
their nostrils and elevated their tails, but
fOrbore any Interference. 1t was . duel q
Poutrance. A momentary relaxation of
the tremendous strain only resulted in
the shaggy heads coming together again
with dull thump, and renewal of the
logged pushing which might have moved
freight train. 1t was . matter of lungs
and endurance, and the white froth began
to drop in long, tenacious strings from
their lips, and the red eyes to glare dimly
through what seemed clots Of blood. I
could hear the labored breathing where I
lay, and see the tendons stand out across
the thighs and along the thick necks
But this dead set of strength could not
last always. Every moment of time was
telling disastrously upon the shorter wind
and decaying strength of the old crusader,
who still fought for the loves of his
youth. His foot slipped, and the intelli.
gence Of this slight disaster seemed to
reach his antagonist quicker than . flash
Of light. No gladiator ever urged his ad-
vantage more suddenly. There was .
huge lunge, . sound Of horns slipping
upon each other, plunge forward,
and the horn of the younger bull had
made araking upward stroke through his
antagonists flank. The fight now be-
came brisk. Again and again the old one
turned and tried to make the old stand of
head to head, and as often his more active
antagonist caught him behind the shoul-
der. With the red agony of defeat in his
eye, and the blood trickling from the long
wounds in his TANKS, he still refused to
be conquered. With failing strength
and limbs which refused any longer
to serve him, he finally stood
at bay, with open mouth and
hanging tongue, unable to fight and
disdaining to retreat. 81. His antagonist
pushed him, and he yielded doggediy. He
made no attempt to shield his flank, and
pitifully endured all that came. The
original plan of non-interference was
abandoned, and the young lords gathered
around him, and snorted and shook their
heads, and gave him an occasional dig in
the ribs by way of expressing their con-
tempt for him. The cows came and
snuffed at him, and INDUCED in spiteful
feminine butts, and walked away. Their
manner implied that they had always re-
garded him as disagreeable old muff,
and they were glad he finally understood
their heartfelt sentiments in regard to
him.
Through all this the old fellow stood
unresisting, whipped, but still obstinate.
Gradually they all left him to himself,
and the herd wandered further away. He
did not even look around; he was proba-
bly, forced at last to accept his sentence Of
Punishment, and 60 and live as long as he
could alone, and fight his last fight with
the coyotes, and die.
But that calf came out to see him again.
say that calf, because it seemed to me
the same that had brought ON this last un-
pleasantness, though for that matter they
are all alike. The calf came and arched
its back and paved, and elevated its nine
inch tail in front of him, and gave him to
understand by the plainest kind of Ian
guage that it held itself in readiness to
give him most terrible drubbing, if he
had not already had enough. twas COM
ical to see him initiate the actions of his
seniors, while the poor old bull did not so
much as look at him. But his calfship
was inclined to push matters, and finally
made a pass which placed his foolish
head with a considerable thump against
the soft part of the old mans nose. Then
he stood moment with the air of having
hurt himself little, and toddled off to his
mother. .-.s,-aa
The old man did not move an inch, and
seemed hardly to notice this babyish per-
secution. But suspect 1t broke his heart.
He wandered, limping and slowly, down
toward the sedge, and lay there forget
full of the long army musket beside me,
regretting that there had been no one else
there to bet with during the battle, or to
stand up like man and confirm this
story afterward. The sun rose high over
the prairie, the wind veered, there was
sudden panic, and the herd vanished be-
yond the hills, leaving me to plod back to
camp.-Kansas Magazine. .-..