The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-11-29

A Buffalo Fight.

Appearances Indicated that this shaggy
old fellow had been making very good
| fight Of it for several days. | dare say
that in the maintenance Of his social status
he had gone back into the herd aud started
at his descendants, and pawned and
groaned AS much rs fifty times. The long
hair upan his huge neck was tangled and
| pulled until tufts of it hung loose and I'M
kempt. The outer hbres of his huge black
| horns hung in hlaments and splinters.
| His wicked little eyes had a reddish glare,
aud his beard was limp and froth-wet be-
meath his chin Nor was this all. sun
dry long, oblique, hairless lines appeared
on his flank, and he put his left forefoot
down tenderly. very likely remembering,
at the same time, a square Jounce he had
got yesterday on the shoulder from some
strong necked youngster that had taken it
upon himself to whip his father.
He stood little upon the outskirts nov /,
his mead toward me, pretending to eat
grass II was as nice an heritage rs bull.
whose teeth we're probably none of the
very best, could wish the first tender
! growth of the early spring. But still he
| dld not seem to ENJOY II. At intervals OF
a minute or So he would look around quick
| " over his shoulder and yroan, and stand
thinking, and then pretend Ia eat again
To this distressful pantumimc the ten
| Thousand shaggy grazers paid not the least
attention. They were busy | could hear
them cropping the grass, as ! lay there.
with a continuous raspIng sound. Ii was
only too evident that all those cows whom
he had So often combed into curhness with
his long tongue, ii sunny mornings and
led, and herded, and fought for 81 al
the little, stupid, hump-bached. stump
tailed calves. his own offspring. there l.
not one who did not wish HIM disposed "
according 70 buffalo destiny. or no cared
how soon ms last fight with the coyotes
was over, and his monumental skull left
standing upon its Jagged base on the bleak
hilltop, with scarce So much as a thigh
bone or tuft Of brown HAIR hy way "
obituary
Aut this old one was still a buffalo and
bull, and he kept surreputiously nearer
and nearer 20 the ragged border If the
herd
Presently a calf came toward HIM slowly
and in an investigatory sort Of way. Its lit
tie black nose wet and wrinkled. its little
tanks distended with fullness. and the
white milk-frot depending in long threads
from It's mouth Gradually and slowly he
went up to his father, and the two had
Just touched noses amicably when the
mother also took it into her h, ad tn be
friendly, and came too Then came an
other COW, and other, and presently quite
a little wing of the herd had gathered
there, and the La,-ered old warrior looked
around complacently. This kind OF thing
had doubtless happaned 50 often that |
wonder he did not seem to think Of the re-
suit, but he did not He might have known
that he had arrived at that age when the
young bloods If the herd would not look
complacently upon his hoary .allautries.
IL was simply laying the plans for an
other tight, and the trouble began in the
very midst Of his content
A fellow as big as the old one must have
seen this social gathering from distance.
and threw out certain limitations Of his
approach b. little putfs Of dust which flew
high in the air above the crowd. and by
omInous snortings and lugubrious groans.
The old one stopped chewing, with a green
mouthful between his lips, and listened.
The cows looked round with the compla-
cent expression which seemed to saw that
the fight was none of theirs, and crowded
off upon either side, and very soon the an
tagonists stood facing each other. The old
boy Strengthened out his wisp of tail 10 a
line with his back, gathered his four black
hoofs together, aIched his spine, and
placed his nose close to the sod, shaking
his huge head as though he wished to sat
isfy himself finally Of its freedom from
any ENHANCEMENT which would hinder him
from lust tossing that ambitious youngster
over his back and breaking hun in two.
The other came slowly, twisting his tail
from side to side i'll semi-circles. which
were very deliberate and grand for ~ small
an organ. He took pains to make it dis
tlnctly appear that every hair Ne wore was
angry. His eyes rolled in constantly-in-
creasing redness. His black sharp horns
were incrusted with earth, gathered while
he had been tearing the sod III ecstacy of
valor. His nOstrils were distended. and
he halted in his slow advance to toss the
broken sod high over his shoulders with
his paving He was, in natural way,
tacticlan. He made flank movements and
turned his shaggy sides, first one and then
the other toward his huge antagonist.
But this by-play IF battle only hiudered
the final onset.-they by no means inten-
ded to take it out in vaporing. The chal-
lenger advanced 70 within some four feet.
getting angrier and angrier as he came
Suddenly there was rush, which had
in 1t something Homeric. One rafting
onset o. that kind leaves one in no doubt
as to why the short, strong horns of the
buttaloes have a splintered appearance at
the apices. Then there was q long steady
push, IN which every tendon of the huge
bodies was strained 60 the uttermost.
Then there was a strategic easing off. then
a sudden gladiatorial thrust, which pressed
the huge heads to the ground in An even
balance Of strength. Neither beast dared
to relax muscle or retreat an inch, for
fear OF that fatal charge upon the flank, or
that dangerous twist If the neck, which
means defeat
And now the cows returned and looked
complacently on, and the very calves ~
gan to shake their heads in the first vague
instinct Of combativeness inspired by the
battle Of the bulls And the young lord
lings Of the herd distended their nostrils
and elevated their tails, but forbore any
II was duel routraacc.
A momentary relaxation Of the tremen-
dous strain only resulted in the shaggy
heads coming together again with dull
thump, and the renewal of the logged
which might have moved a freight
train. 1t was matter Of lungs and Gu
durance, and the white froth began to
drop in long, tenacious strings from their
lips, and the red eyes 10 glare dimly
through what seemed clots Of blood. /
could hear the labored breathing where
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 intelligence of