The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-09-07
WIPED OUT"
A Story Of the Plains.
Detroit Free rrcss.


What is that?
Look closer and you will see that
Ii is a gaunt. grim wolf, creeping out
Of the little grove Of cottonwoods to.
wards a buffalo calf sninboling around
its mother.
Raise your eyes little more, and
you will wee that the prairie beyond
is alive with buffalo. Count them.
you might as well count the leaves
on a giant maplel They are moving
foot by foot Ak they crop the juicy
grass, and living waves rise aud fall
az the herd slowly sweep ON. Aiar
out to right and left mere specks on
the plain-are the flankers; brave old
bufialoes, which catch a bite Of grass
and then snuff the air and scan the
horizon for intimation of danger.
They are the sentinels Of the herd.
and right well can be trusted,
The wolf crceps near!
All the afternon the great herd has
fed in peace, and as it now slowly
moves toward the distant river it is
all unconscious that danger is near.
Look you well and watch the wolf
for you are going to see such sight
as not one man in ten thousand has
ever beheld.
| Creep- crawl -skulk-- now be-
| hind knoll--now drawing himself
4 over the grass-now raising its head
above thistle to mark the locality Of
It's victim. It's a lone, shambling,
skulking wolf. lame, and spitcful and
treacherous. Wounded or ailing, he
4 has been left alone to geton as best hc
NAV, and his greeu' eyes light up
with fiercer blaze as he draws nearer
10 his unconscious prey. $ fe
There! No, he is yet too far away.
Creep, creep, creep. Now he is twen-
" feet away, now fifteen, now ten.
He hugs the earth, gathers his feet
under him, and bounds through the
air as if shot irom gun. He is roll
. ing the calf over and over on the
grass IN three seconds after he springs.
Now watch!
; A cry Of pain from the Gala fn-
rions below from.the mother as she
wheels and charges the VOLTA star
tied movement from dozen OF the
nearest animals, and rush begins
/ Thelone wolf is magnified into a
t hundred, the hundred into thousand
. Short, sharp bellows, snorts Of alarm,
/, a rush. and in fifty seconds after the
Z. wolf has wet his iangs with blood
2 ,ha. living mass is in motion to get
away from an unknown terror. The
/, waves rise higher and higher as the
confusion spreads. Ono instant i
!. seems as II 10000 solid acres Of prai
K rie were moving bodily away agaiI
,s waves rise and fall as the towards be
e hind rush upon those in front VIII
y wait to sniff the air and learn the dan
q ger. In one minute tho alarm run
q down the leaders further than th
! eve can sec, and the entire herd !
! going of at mad gallop, heads dow
il ewes rolling. and no thought but tina
10 Of escape. If Lake Erie were to-dasl
v. itself against wall the shock woul
r, be no greater than the awful crasl
In with which this mass Of rattle hooi'
'g sharp horns, and hairy bodies woul
y meet il. The clatter Of hoois an
y y rattle Of horns would drown the nois
!" y Of a brigade Of cavalry galloping owe
lc a stonc-paved road.
Ride ont on their trail. Hel
r. where the stampede began the gronn
IN is torn and furrowcd as If a thousan
"a cannon had been firing solid shot |
tn targets. Here and there are caly'
e: which have been gored or crushed
81 here and there Older ANIMALS wit
H. broken legs and disabling wound
70 Here, here tho herd was fairly Q
a. you might as well hunt for a gold dc
,i- iar as a blade Of grass. You loo
lie for three miles as You look across
IN ~ 'sAs'",. = ,ss ~ 49, ,rh.rs baif an ibo
m. RUS any 'u.,ums' . u arsen grass I,
al. ago wac : eap'' TSa ~, d,e,di
se, smil'hs ."Ms,' nan m sonla not bs
y" no left more horrible scars behiud.
NJ;les awav. ON the banks OF I
Alies 1;. away .o,,,;nc % 'Dr river, are thr
'of Winning, sSS j 'ar.S;orsn,. n,.w,gons. :
wn..O M es,Pp,saas soP nm 'toI tho kettles
cas,P.ne ~, =, S IA cb;,drsn stani abo
men wo'nvn a .hs sss,.;rs sun A. /
peer'ns oss, ,a;n. ~; s1a dad Il
als:a:s ,w nva y ! almost aoneo' Butt,
at sns.' a; .,,"a JU".Asy syd 90 on law wing. /
nles o.n.S .S;sn an' asSssr,lv :. on tha o era
5h- cr'sNs' q o",p Ia. s";l;nS n the blue ey,
ana 'ne vas'.s y. - ars;nc ID Give
ted ing a,l aasu =. ~ ~. ,hnnaerq
ess m, iara. ..s,., - .'S, .nr, IN their tracks
meh nv Io;,'" = ',.;n ' sor a cloud in
|,g .soy 'Vh tn, ,rmbls comes again
U. ny. IN. 49, '"J ".oh o,her.s faces.
'ncy 'oun ,.sus INV 3 s.s w,"msn tnrn nale ;
OF S nan ro.ch 'for the;r rusty rifles. ]
ear men re'.n ! ..n.,,,ss ~ a and sisr ofT cor
s'9a"u sn;ah s,c' s,r;sss terror 10
has u ~ ..paa;.,sio ,hsv wb;snsr ]
% nj lctrt. 'lItlidubi thOJ "H"t~'e