The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-18

AMBUsHIpe THE HERDS
Eagle Spring was our headquarters nearly
Two months. Inc country was ridged with |
sand hills covered with coarse grass affording
lair cover while crawling on the herds Largo |
hu , oi me animals were amhushed. We
hld ourselves under the banks Of the river, and |
shot them down rs they came for water This |
Was done SO often that they became suspicious.
Ihcy approached the bank. headed by an old
tul with the herd strung out behind him in
i6s bon me- on TEeaGehing the edge q
up and down The o liver LOGGED t6 GOO carei1y
coast was clear. II satisfied. he turned back to
the Me LEADERS,. intmating that It was all right
houthesitaton. II, however the bulls sus-
plrions were aroused he gazed at the suspicious
he turned his head toward the herd, IA though
disliking the outlook. Satisfied after another
inr alarm. he, Nieiously whskcd his little tail
The herd understood the signal There was an
instant stampede They scattered fan-lik
stopping at distance Of from two 10 three hun
dred yards. There they turned about. appar-
entity to see VI there was amy cause for running
NJ all. but Invariably continued the retreat until
miles away from the supposed danger
One day c2ntinued Graham, was lying
they were led 10y risky young calves. who broke
oyer the bank without stopping to reconnotrc.
Had retained by original position the whole
bunch would have tramped over me. l lay in
the long grass and saw what was coming As
the right andlcn Through the dust saw an old
cows head within three feet and let her have It
OnNtf tne iufe shoulder. Int Impetus with
which she Tns moving was SO great that she
pitched dead upon the sands at the brink OF tho
rivsr three rods away: A calf was the neyt
1t and followed the COW to grass. | next blazed
away at spike. three year-old bull. The
first shot was Intellectual: He ran up the river
about hundred yards. kept at his heels and
brought him down with the second bullet. by
this time the bunch was much scattered. Many
animals crossed the river. and others ran
down the stream and regaincd the bluns be-
/ skinned and the nplta afakpl Ia IN
ground.
AN INDIAN RAID.
At Eagle Springs" Graham said We took
AIS hides. The killing. SHINING stretch
| ing. and packing took up all our time. Aftcr
| the hides were summed they were sometimes Wet
preserve them we were forced to overhaul and
redry them. About Dec. 20 shaw Welsh.
| Frantz, and Potter loaded the wagons with
| dried hides and started for old Fort Bclknap.
| The fort was abandoned. but they meant TO pile
| the skins In ruined guard house. whore II was
| thought they would Toe safe and under cover.
| Davis and myseltwe left in camp with horse
y On the evening Of the 23d killed a deer.
| taking the hide and hindduarters. The next
day | saw the tracks Of wildcat around the
| carcass. l could sac that he had enjoyed his
| meal. Fancying that he might return on the
| following evening. | took cover and lay for
along the hank Of the river. but. unfortunately,
| he discovered mo at the same time. and did not
come within gunshot. on my return 10 camp
| was spotted by four Indians, who were hidden
behind the low sand hills. At all events, that
night the horse and mules were unhobbed and
stolen. The sands were covered with moccasin
| tracks. We traced them up. and found whore
the Indians had lain behind the sand hills and
| watched my wild cat venture. Our tent opened
toward the river add wagon covered the on
/ trance. This was fortunate for had the situa-
ton been different. tho sayages might have shot
their trail to the Wichita many miles away. but
never recovered the stock.
THREE INFuRIATED BULLS.
A funny incident occurred few days before
the mules were stolen. had been ont among
the sand hills, and had planted seven bullets in
an ed bull; H. was tough Old isll9w but was
would surely die. and wasted no more ammu-
milton, On returning to camp told Davis
would take his hide early In the morning. That
night the wolves scented the old follows blood.
and made an assault On him. He fought like q
tiger. and would haye gone under lad not two
| other bulls come TO the rescue, All night long
asy Kept Wish G wo aad DAVIS BAY went ost
to look Tor the wounded bull. |
WAS e59g Up the o 5ye s but ,0oP POpsi
would find him in little hollow near the sand
hills Welsh took his needle gun and went on
taking a swinele or whiniotree to drag the
green hide back 70 camp; on nearing tho
and said 10 Davis: Why mes wounded three
instead Of one and left Us, 20 finish them.
them. / don't think he's hur, any Of them. he
said, Johnny. Just try en-; Welsh crept to-
feet. aud stretched themselves. They gazed
at him in ast0nshment, and began To-
paw the ground and shake their heads;
Welsh dropped on one knee, and hldzet
away. He probably missed them. for. Infatuated
by the assaults Of the VOL yes. they raised their
tails, lowered their heads. and with boodshot
eyes charged upon him. He saw them com
ing, and after sharp race wont INTO buffalo
for Davis. He had scented danger. and headed
the mule toward camp, The beast, however,
was fat and lazy. and did not seem 20 take in
the situation. Davis, pounded him with the
whinletree until the blows resounded over the
prairie, but could get no head Of steam. shoot
NJ EN-. Johnny! he shouted. Shoot at 'em I!
but Johnny lay in the wallow. shaking with
merriment. and could not shoot Seeing that
Davis headed his mule for a mesquite tree,
inneying he could find shelter among It's
ihorns. The slow ope Of the mule brought the
maddened bulls nearer Davis finally jumped
from the saddle and ran for the tree. He went
up tho trunk Ike a squirrel, and had barely
pcrched himself on a top limb before the bulls
dashed underneath in pursuit Of the mule.
Like Davis, the mule took good care OF himself
and reached camp IN safety"
POISONING MATCH
A few days afterward the party returned from
Fort Belkpap. They were chagrined AZ the loss
Of the mules. Only two horses wsre left; shay
campei with Halves. Potter, Welsh. .Frantg
and Graham went across To the Big Wichita
success The country was scanned with canons
and dotted with cedars. Winter was az hand
and the weather was becoming cold. The most
interesting incident WAS poisoning match be;
tween Frantz and Graham. One day each killed
bunuO. dispute arose CONCERNING
their merits as prisoners. FranH held that II
the strychnine was placed in a certain part OF
the carcass il would be more ehectual. Graham
disagreed with him. Each agreed TO doctor a
carcass in his own way and pile OF wolf SIX ms
was staked on the result. Graham spread q
small bottle Of the poison upon those parts OF
the carcass first eaten by wolves. and Frant
carried out his peculiar theory. Both traps were
well bated In tho morning the bodies OF nine
gray wolves lay near Grahams trap and thr-
teen we're found by Frantz, and he took the pile
OF pelts.
immense herd OF buffalo on the divide between
that river and the Wichita. To use the words
Of one Of the party. II seemed as though all
the buffalo ON the plains had emigrated to
Texas" The paths were innumeraDe. Every
green thing had been devoured. and there was
no grazing Tor their oxen. They were forced tG
return 10 Mier's Creek. where they Joined
Shaw and Davis HAYES had taken over 800
| hides, and gone into camp five miles further NJ
the creek. The country was black with bison
The men hunted three weeks longer. and theI
| -four ran short and the weather became bad
They returned TO Jacksboro after nearly foui
months absence. over 200 buffaloes, SO deer
, % wolves and q coyotes had been killed and
skinned. and one wild horse captured
THE MARKET FoR BUFFALO MEAT
Graham SAWS that ne sold 100 buffalo hides nj