Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-15
" WIPED QUIZ

the little grove of cottonweods toward a
buffalo calf gambolng around its mother.
Raise your eyes little more, and you
viii see that the prairie around is alive
with buffalo. Count them! You might
as well try to count the leaves on giant
maple! They are moving foot by foot
as they crop the juicy grass, and living
waves rise and fall as the herd slowly
sweeps on. Afar out to the right and
left-mere specks on the plain-are the
fiankers brave old buffaloes, which
catch bite of grass and then sniff the
air and scan the horizon for intimation
of danger. They are the sentinels of
the herd, and right we'll can they be
trusted.
The wolf creeps nearer J.
All the afternoon the great herd has
fed in peace, and, as it now slowly moves
toward the distant river, it is all uncon-
scious that danger is near. Look you
well and watch the wolf, for you are 60
ing to see such sight as not one man in
10000 has ever beheld.
Creep-crawl- skulk-nOw behind q
knon-now drawing himself over the
grass-now raising its head above d
thistle to mark the locality Of it's victim.
It o low, shambling, skulking wolf,
lame and spiteful and treacherous
Wounded Or ailing, he has been left to
get on as best he may, and his green
eyes light up with fercer blaze as he
draws nearer to his unconscious prey.
There No, he is yet too far away.
Creep reep-creep Now he Is
twenty feet away-now fifteen, now ten.
He hugs the earth, gathers his feet
under him, and ne bounds through the
air as if shot from @ gun. He is rolling
the calf over and over on the grass in
three secondsafter he springs.
Now watch d!
A cry of pain frrs.> tl.o GAIA fs.sie,-,
below from the mother as she wheels
and charges the VIOLA startled move
ment from dozen of the nearest ami
mails, and rush begins. The one wolf
Is magnified into hundred, the hun
bred into thousand. Short, sharp bel
lows-nOtes of alarm-a rush, and in
fifty seconds after the wolf has wet his
fangs with blood that living mass is in
motion to get away from an unknown
terror.
The waves rise higher and higher as
the confusion spreads. One instant it
seems as if 10000 solid acres of prairie
were moving bodily away-again waves
rise and fall as the towards behind rush
upon those in front who wait to sniff the
air and learn the danger. In one min
ute the alarm runs down the herd to the
leaders, further than the eye can see,
and the entire herd is going off at mad
ganop, heads down, eyes rolling, and no
thought but that Of escape. Ii Lake
Erie we're to dash itself against wall
the shock would be no greater than the
awful crash with which this mass of rat
Ting hoofs, sharp hons and hairy
bodies would meet it. The clatter of
hoofs and rattle of horns would drown
the noise of q brigade OF cavalry gal
looping over stone-paved road.
Ride out on their trail. Here where
the stampede began the ground is torn
and furrowed as if thousand cannon
had been firing solid shot at targets.
Here and there are calves which have
been gored or crushed-here and there
cider animals with broken legs and disa-
bling wounds. Here, where the herd
was fairly off, you might as well hunt
for gold dollar as blade of grass.
You look for three miles as you look
across it. It is a trail of dirt and dust,
and rats and burrows, where half an
hour ago was carpet of green grass
and smiling flowers. The most dread
full cyclone known to man could not
have left more horrible scars behind.
Miles away, on the bank Of winding.
growing river, are three white-topped
emigrant wagons. A campfire blazes
mp to boil the kettle-men, women and
children stand about, peering over the
setting sun at the distant mountains and
glad that their journey is almost done.
Butterflies come and go On lazy wing
the crickets chirp cheerily in the grass,
and the eagles sailing the blue evening
air have no warning to give.
Hank If that thunder?
Men and women Turn in their tracks
as they look in vain for a cloud IN the
sky. That rumble comes again as they
look into each others faces. It grows
louder as women turn pale and men
reach for their trusty rifles. The ground
trembles, and afar off comes a din
which strikes terror to the heart. elm
dams p they whisper. No! a thou
sand times better for them if savage
Pawnee dared ride down where these
those long barreled rifles could speak in
defense of the peaceful camp.
GA STAMPEDE of b,lfaloes - gases