The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-09-08
ALMOST SLAIN BY BUFFALoEs.
Two HuntersSuddeniy Confronted by n Herd
They stampede the Beasts and Escape
Death--A Montana Adventure.


In the sunmer of 1879, while stationed
at II of the fl ontier forts in the Yellow
stone Valley, Spotted Eagles band of
hostlles, n fragment OF Sitting Bulls
great camp, were brought in as prison
ers of war. Orders were received to
send them to Standing Rock Agency,
and it fell to my lot, writes Il lieutenant
in the regular army to the Philadelphia
Times, to escort them across the
try. My detachment numbered thirty
men, mounted on Cayuso ponies and
well armed aud equipped. The next
morning, with our prisoners under
guard, we struck out boldly across the
country, in the direction of Standing
Rock. 1t took us sixteen days to make
the journey, which was full of interest
ing incidents and adventures, for the
country was a wild and, SO to speak, un-
explored region as yet, with hostile
Sioux and Chcyennes scattered all
through it. The plains Of Montana were
pretty full of buffalo at the time j write,
and 1T is of an adventure with them l am
going to speak. About the third day
out we were in the midst of thousands of
bison, and as it was no fun to kill them
with a rifle or to still hunt, by reason of
numbers, | proposed to have the rare
sport of hunting u few with the revolver
and from horseback. Next morning I
was up before break of day, and telling
my orderly to accompany me we started
ahead of the command to hunt our
game, each with II brace of Colts "forty-
five" revolvers and 200 rounds of ammu-
milton apiece strapped across our per-
sons.
We came in sight of one herd as day
was breaking, and Immediately gave
chase. The bison fed b,.orc us, we
tearing after them like mad; but i'll n
few minutes the herd scattered, and so
we selected n certain bunch, which we
followed up. had gotten pretty close
upon my quarry, when, whisk, out of
sight they went, and in IA moment | had
followed them. They had gone Over a
observing it, | followed close upon their
heels; and there we were, bufaloes,
pony and myself, uninjurcd, but found
ering and swimming about in deep
water. BY the time | got to the oppo-
site bank and secured my pony the
butfaloes were gone out OF sight, scamp
ering across the prairie to join the main
herd, and my orderly stood on the bluff
behind where we had just tumbled from,
laughing at my predicament. He had
luckily checked himself and stecd Just in
time to save both from following us. In
half an hour matters were Strengthened
out and We rode to the top OF a neigh
boring knoll to get q view of the sur
~roundings. Our original herd was dim
In the distance, n cloud Of lust on the
horizon telling where they were still
going at full speed. While rcgretfully
watching them my orderly suddenly ox-
claimed:
Look, Lieutenant, here comes anoth-
or herd across the country, and making
straight for u.s."
Casting my eyes III the direction indi-
Gated, sure enough another tremendous
herd was pointing in the direction of our
knoll and coming directly Mt us like n
thunder cloud. No use to fly, for there
was no place to fly to. One solid black
mass was sweeping toward us like a
whirlwind, and it became necessary for
us to do something, and do it quickly,
too, or have the life tramplcd out Of us
in a few minutes.
"Dismount!' 1 cried; "sling the bride
over your arm, and, when / give the
word, fire as rapidly as you can.'
We both ~dismounted and, drawing our
four revolvcrs, opened fire on the solid
phalanx ut long range. The great drove
of animals were plunging wildly forward
with their heads down, almost sweeping
the ground, and consequently did not
see us. Om hope was to attract their
attention, and by so doing to brighten
them II endeayor to throw them out Of
Intercourse. Had they seen us in the
first, place they would probably have
halted OF turned their course to one
side. as it happened they kept madly
on until our bullets began to sting them,
1phnr, f,n laolar, 1nn1-,I -, ,,1 ,,..,-
the strange sight in front of them,
actually paused, or attempted to do so,
but it was at their peril, for the foremost
were Immediately tramplcd beneath the
feet of the rushing, crushing multitude
behind. The pile of bodies was our
salvation, for it served as IN impeachment
to those in the rear, and together with
our rapid fire sort of stampedcd the
whole outfit. The pile became higher
Gid higher as buffalo after buffalo came
rolling on to the heap, and this blockade
actually caused the tremendous mass to
split and divide, a moicty going each
side of it. The centre had been checked,
but the wings were still sweeping by mt
railroad speed. We hurried down to the
pile of carcasses as being orr safest
point, and stood there watching the sea
of animals raging and tearing by like the
b1low OF an angry sea. \ hundred
yards OF SO further on the wings came
together again, and there We were, in
the midst of that living mass, safe and
free from harm.
1t was n strange, remarkable sight
n which [ never expect to see on earth
again. Ny head turned dizzy with so
much motion all about me, bat both
myself and the orderly had sense enough
to blaze away necessarily directly III
front of us, which had the effect to
throw the successive leaders in still more
confusion, and no doubt was the means
OF saving us from being trampled to
death. After this tremendous herd of
bison, going ut about twelve miles an
hour, had passed, which consumed some
forty minutes Of time, we found our
selves among the scattered tail end of
the herd. Here was our chance. Quick
ly singing out an animal, L was soon