Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1882-06-16

oVuot parry maui lHcir HuDltdtiOH III anu
about this city, in view of whose mum.
ber and odious character, the appcllation
Of City of Brotherly Love-" would as
lily apply as to the city of Chicago, with
its citizenship of burglars, murlorers.
&c. have reference to the rattlesnake.
Our guide book warned us as to the
superabundancc Of these reptiles in this
particular locality, and we found tho pre-
caution aproper one, for our boys found
and killed several, some of them occu-
plying the nests of tho prairie dogs, and
some among the grass outside. 1t was
asserted that they did not disturb the
dogs Or their young, and that they dwelt
together in unity, but | do not recollect
that we saw this verified In regard TO
snakes. our guide-book precautioned us
alwayS to sleep on a buffalo robe, hair
Pside up, or to encircle our beds with
hair larit, Casso, } as it said snakes of no
kind would come near or crawl over hair
of any kind. Indians and Moxicaus are
known TO use this precaution.
| intimated some paragraphs back
that we had not yet encountered any
buffalo, but had passed over ground
where they had lately been and were
pressing close upon their heels. | well
remember my first sight of wild buff
falo on the plains and my first essay at
hunting them. Our party were driving
along leisurely one bright morning when
suddenly we espied one of these animals
some half mile south of US running
alone along tho edge of high bluff aud
trying to find place to get of the same
and como in the direction we were. At
first sight Of him some of our party
armed themselves and made after him on
horse or mule back, the rest of us re-
manned with the train. After while
we lost sight of both the buffalo and our
doughty huntsmen. Not very long,
however, before we heard gun and pistol
shooting at great rate upon the bluff
aforesaid above us. could not resist
taking gun (doubo-barrel shot gun
charged with wire cartridge) and max
ing up one of said ravines in tho direc-
ton Of the firing. When had climbed
nearly half way up the ravine, looked
and saw the buffalo jump from the edge
of the bluff down into the very ravnc |
was ascending. Several men we're hard
after him and firing at him necessarily.
The animal was some distance from me
to be sure, but as was certain he saw
me and was making directly towards
me, | was awfully frightened and wished
| had stayed with the train. AS quick
as possible scampered out of this ravine
and tried to reach the next nearest and
get out Of sight, but before could DO
this the old fellow was quite opposite to,
though smartly below, where | was, |
could distinctly see his large green, glis-
tening eyes as he came on, head close to
the ground, and although in a kind of
rolling or wabbliDg gait, making pretty
good time. | had good shot at him MS
he passed, but somehow forgot to take
advantage of it until after he had gotten
too far off. do not attribute this fail
ure to fire SO much to the chuck fever"
as to the fact that about the time should
have fired my attention was attracted to
two Indians coming aeetly after the
buffalo and just a head Of the white pur-
suers, they had neither brides nor sad
dies on their ponies, and were armed
only with bows and arrows. Both of
them road close up to the buffalo and |
suppose both plunged an arrow into him.
| did not see this on account Of n rise in
the ground just then between us, but
when catching sight Of them again the
buffalo had turned and was in chase of
them. BY this time one Of the whites
coming up fred telling shot into the
buffalo, which made him turn again in
the direction of the trail, he was crippled
badly saw, for he now hobbled along
very slowly, presently one of the Indians
was close by his side and plunged an
other arrow into him The animal nj
tempted to make another turn in chase
of this Indian, whose poney seemingly
aware of this, had already wheeled and
was getting ont Of the bufalo's way,
when the old fellow literally shot through
and through, dropped in his tracks and
after having his throat cut by the In
dams, with their tonahawks, expired.
It was an old bull buffalo, and such as
the whites did not care 10 cat, 80 they
were content when the Indians gave
them the liver for their share. The In
dams skinned and cut up the animal in
few minutes, using their tomahawks al
together and not their knives, though
they had them. While skinning the
beast they pulled out several of their
arrows which had penetrated several
inches deep into the meat and one OF
them through the skin under the left
fore leg into the heart Of the old fellow
AT the same time some twenty bullets,
principally pistol bullet, were found in
and under the hide, and when found by
the Indians were laughed at as good for
nothing as compared with their arrow
shots. The two Indians after cutting
up the meat and taking almost all the
bones from il rolled il up in the hide
and let il lie there.
That very day two other buffaloes
came down from the bluffs or plateaus on
our loft, or south Of the trail and Platte
and crossed the trail not very far ahead
Of our train. The Boss and one Of our
men made chase and fired at them, but
they were not stopped until after cross
ing TO the north bank Of the Platte, when
group Of emigrants on that trail met and
dispatched them.
That evening when encamping for the
! night and one Of our boys named Shumy
or Sbumie, from Carroll county, Md. +,
was preparing supper and had made up
! a large tin pan Of slap-jack batter and
set it under one Of the wagons, the bot
tom Of which had been considerably
;. worn out aud aud in which our guns
usually lay ready loaded, fine antelope
was seen coming in the direction Of the
camp, or rather making sort Of circuit
| around it, very much frightened evil
! IDENTITY. Two or three Of the men ran
to the wngon for their guns and made