The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-07-14
AThrilling Incident Of the Prairfee.

AThrflling Incident oftne Prairfel
> What is that?
Look closer and you will see that
Is a gaunt, grim wolf, creeping out Z
tue little grove of cottonwoods t.
ward q buffalo calf gamb0lin
around its mother.
u Raise your eyes q little more an
4 you will see that the prairie beyon'
e it is alive with buffalo. Count them
= You might Is well try to count tn
J. leaves on q great maple! They ar
moving foot by foot u they crop tn,
= juicy grass, and living waves rise an(
fall a. the herd slowly sweep on
2 Afar out to the right and left-mer.
: specks on the plain, are the tanker!
: brave old buffalOs, which catch 8
+ bite Of grass and then sniff the all
l and scan the horizon for intlmati0n
of danger. They are the sentinels Of
? the herd, and right well they can be
trusted.
: The wolf creeps nearer.
. All the afternoon the great herd
> has fed in peace, and as it slowly
: moves towards 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 a sight
as lot one man in ten thousand has
ever beheld.
Creep-crawl-skulk-nOw behind
q kncll-now drawing himself over
the grass-now raising his head
above q thistle to mark the locality
of its victim. It is a lone, shambling,
skulkful wolf, lame and spiteful and
t~reacherous. Wounded or ailing, he
has been left alone to get o. rs best
he may; and his green eyes light up
with fercer blaze as he draws ear
to his unconscious prey.
There! No. he is yet too far away.
Creep-creep-creep! Now he is
twenty feet away-now fifteen, now
ten. He hugs the earth, gathers his
feet under HIM, and he bounds
through the air if shot from a gun.
| He is rolling the calf we and over
or the grass in three seconds after he
springs.
Now watch!
A cry of pain from the calf-a fari-
Gus below from the mother as she
wheels and charges the wolf q
startled movement from q dozen of
the nearest animals, and q rush be-
gins. The one Welt is magnified
into q hundred, the hundred into q
thousand. Sharp, short bellows
notes of alarm-a rush. and in fifty
seconds after the wolf has wet his
fangs with blood, that living mass is
in melton to get away from an un-
known terror.
The waves rise higher and higher
as the confusion spreads. One in
slant it seems Is if 10000 solid acres
of prairie were moving bodily away;
again waves rise and fall As the cow
ards behind rush upon those in front,
who wait to snif the air and learn
the danger. In one minute the
alarm runs down the herd to the
leaders, and further than the eye can
see the entire herd is going off at a
mad gallop, heads down, eyes roll
ing, and no thought but that of
escape. If Lake Erie to dash
itself against a wall, the shock would
be no greater than the awful crash
with which this mass of rafting
hoofs, sharp horns, and hairy bodies
would meet it. The clatter of hoofs
and rattle of horns would drown the
noise of a brigade of cavalry gallop-
ing over a stone-paved road.
Ride out on their trail. Here
where the stampede began the
ground is torn and furrowed as if a
thousand cannon had been firing
solid shot at targets. Here and there
are calves which have been gored or
crushed; here and there older ami
mails with broken legs and disabling
wounds. Here, where the herd was
fairly off, you might as well hunt for
q gold dollar rs a blade of grass. You
look for three miles as you look across
it. 1t is a trail of dirt and dust, and
ruts and burrows, where half an hour
age was a carpet of green grass and
smiling flowers. The most dreadful
cyclone known to man could not
nave left more horrible scars behind.
Miles away, on the bank of q wind
Dg, growing river. are three white
ire blaZes up to boil the kettles; men, i,
and children standing about, :
over the setting sur at the
Instant mOunts ms, and glad that
heir journey is almost done. Butter
lies come and 90 on lazy wing !; the
chirp cheerily in the grass,
md the eagles sailing in the blue
vening air have no warning to give.
Hark! IL that thunder?
Men and women turn in their
racks as they look in vain for a
loud in the sky. That rumble :
ONES again as they look into each 4
theirs faces. It grows louder as |
turn pale and men reach for
heir trusty rifles. The ground y
rembles, and afar off comes a din
7hich strikes terror to the heart.
Indians!" they whisper. No! A /.
thousand times better for them if 4
avage PawHees dared ride down =
here those long barrelled rifles {
ould speak in defence of the peace
camp.
"A stampede of buffalos!!" gasps
ne of the men as he catches sight of
he advance guard under the awful
oud of dust. Rifles are held ready -
r a shot, and the children climb up
4 the heavy wagon wheels to see
lie strange procession gallep past.
Here they come! Crack! crack!
ack! from three rifles, and a shout
each bullet tells. Next instant a
laggy head, followed by a dust
owned body rushes through the
mp. Then another and another.
he men shout and wave their arms,
e women and children turn paler Fe,
t. sal,
The car and din shut out everv bin
her sound, and the wagons Jar and
with the conclusion. Now
lother shaggy head! another!
other! half q dozen! . score! a VIII
inbred! d great living wave which Be,
'eeps along with the power of q slit
made, followed by others more
rec and strong, and the camp is r,
off the face of the earth more -
implicitly than by any power of
aven. Nothing to be seen: no vii
cut to be heard. Wave followed st
we across the spot, over the bank.
% the stream and across, and
the last of the herd has passed.
keenest hunter can find nothing
fhof epof If mood ~ :.o- " -