Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-09-16

ing to brighten them and endeavor TO
throw them Out of their course. Had
they seen us in the first place they
would probably have halted or
turned their course to one side. As it
happened. they kept madly on until
our bullets began TO sting them. when
the leaders looked up and, Seeing 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 trampled ben cath the feet
of the rushing, crushing multitude be-
hind. The pile of bodies was our sal
walton, for it served as an impeachment
to those in the rear, and together with
our rapid Tire sort of stampeded the
whole outfit The pile became higher
and higher as buffalo after buffalo
came rolling OH to the heap, and this
blockade actually caused TIE tremen.
dous mass to split and divide, a moiety
going each side Of it. The center had
been checked, but the wings were still
sweeping by at railroad speed. We
hurried down TO the pile of earcasses
as being our safest point and stood
there watching the sea of animals
raging and tearing by like the pillows
of an angry sea. A hundred wards 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 strange, remarkable sight
one which | never expect to SEE on
earth again, My head turned dizzy
with SO much motion all about me, but
both myself and the orderly had sense
enough to blaze away necessarily d.
rectly in front of us, which had tho eff
feet to throw the successive leaders in
still more confusion, and no doubt was
the means of saving us from being
tramplcd to death. After this tremon-
dous herd of bison. going at about
twelve miles an hour, had passed,
which consumed some forty minutes of
time, we found ourselves among the
scattered tail end of the herd. Here
was our chance. Quickly singing out
an animal | was soon dashing along
side of him and pumping cold lead
INTO his bosom from my revolver. My
pony, wei! trained to such sport, never
left his side until the poor brute stag
gercd IN his tracks. When he rolled
over on the prairie in the last throes of
death singled out another big fellow
and was soon pouring leaden pills into
his shaggy hide also | had dropped
an even dozen before my little Cayuse
or l became winded. Then looked |
around for my orderly, but he was no.
where to be seen. One old bull took no |
less than twenty cartridges before he |
yielded up the ghost, which compelled |
me- to reload both rcvolvcrs from
horseback while going at tearing
pace. The buffalo dies very hard |
Even though MORALLY wounded, an in
dividual unacquainted with its nature,
though never SO good a marksman, is
much surprised not to see him fall at
once. One would suppose that shot
about the head or central part of the
body would prove fatal, but such is
not the case. To kill bison the bali |
must either divide his spine or enter
his body behind the shoulder a few
inches above the brisket, this being the i
only point through which the heart |
or lungs can be reached. Even with a |
forty-fye ball through the most vital
part, have known bull to run for
half a mile before falling, although
shot to the death
l observed curious thing in con-
nccticn with that days hunt, and
something which believe is not gen
orally known. / saw antelope mixed
promiscuously with The bison herd.
Until that time il had always been my
opinion that antelope, of all animals,
"fcre nature, . herded by themselves.
but here was case where they were
scattered all through the bison, and in
considerable numbers, too. All plains
men will agree that antelope are the
most difficult of game animals to bag.
for the simple reason that it is hard
matter to get within range of them
Most of my antelope have been
dropped at five hundred and six hum
dred yards, and none less than three
hundred yards.
On this day found could approach
antelope within pistol shot with the
greatest ease. Riding up close to one
he would make few jumps, and then
turn around and gaze at me in aston
ishment, seemingly bcwildered and
puzzled. TO see how close it was pos
sible for me to approach l rode up to
within fifty yards of fine buck and
gradually reduced the distance to
twenty-five yards, all the while on
horseback. There he stood gazing at
me and making jump now and then,
but never going more than step or
two in any direction. / pointed my
revolver at his heart, pulled the trig-
ger. when, making one bound and a
few whirls, he spun around for a min
ute and then fell dead on the prairie.
But it was late in the afternoon and
time to think of looking up the detach-
ment. Again l anxiously scanned the
horizon to catch glimpse of my Or
derby, but he was nowhere to be seen.
l rode back over my trail until sunset
in hopes of finding some trace of him.
but saw no sign or indication of his
presence. and so regretfully had to
give up the search for time. Taking
my landmarks l struck out for camp.
which l reached about nine o'clock l
that night. The orderly's pony had !;
already come into camp ahead of me, {
which left the conclusion that the poor
fellow had been endorsed, or perhaps
had received some injury: and pos
sibly he might at that very moment be
lying on the prairie awaiting assistance !
from us. l Immediately started the
whole command out in search of him,
with others to scour our back trail |
even as far back as our last camping
place. l myself went along with one
party.
About midnight we heard single
shot fired far ahead in the darkness, and
listening intently, had about come to
The conclusion that it was a mistake, {
when again family in the distance the