Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-08-22
SAVANNAH, TENNESSEE THURSDAY, AUGUST p, 1889.

upward from the horizon to che south
west Hastily giving me few words
of warning and directions concerning
the care OF the herd, he detailed six
men, who, under my direction. were
told to mount and at all hazards hold
the cattle near the corral. / asked:
why not drive and corral the herdP'
With peculiar look he said "Bi 'uce,
live steer twenty miles away Is
worth more to us than three dead ones
in the corral" Without any more
words fastened with my six men to-
ward the cattle. now moving in rest
less. rapid way in circle, giving the
two herders all they wanted to do to
hold them. BY this time one-half OF
the heavens to the south OF us was
overcast with huge masses of deep
tinted, blue-black. surging clouds,
tossing and tumbling like the pillows
on the ocean.
Look! look therer' cried one oil
the boys. "By jingo! There's bat
tie for your at the same time indi-
eating what he meant by pointing
southwark. One look, and my atten-
ton was riveted upon the most
singular sight l had ever before
witnessed in my experience on
the great plains. The great surg
ing body of clouds had been rent in
twain midway. and while one body re-
tanned the deep, blue-black hue, the
other had assumed deep orange tint at
the center with light saffron-hued spots
constantly changing position, while
the entire western line of the mass
was illumined by rapid and vivid
flashes of lightning. Midway the ad-
vancing, threatening clouds the sky
lay clear expanse of azure. while
mounting rapidly like beetling crags
the blue-black masses were o'erlapping
the slower-moving, luminous clouds.
The whole was taken in by me in a
moment and in the same moment the
wind from the northeast had died
away and dead calm ensued A mo-
ment later, and ere we had reached
the now FESTIVE cattle, a sound like
distant thunder and steady gale OF
hot wind from the southwest caused
me to again note the approaching
storm. l can compare what beheld
to nothing save the bubbling masses
of rapidly boiling caldron of soap
SO intermingled and sudden were
the evolutions of the light:sh-
tinted with darker hued tossing
vapors. Almost as quick as thought the
panorama of battling elements
changed. What had hitherto formed
the base or heavier masses of the
clouds suddenly shot upward, leaving
long pendant train, the center of the
body black as night-the outer rim
filled with electric fashes-the whole
gyrating, whirling, bounding upward
and then, as the wind began to blow a
gale, approaching us with the speed
of race-horse and sound represent
ing distant cannonading. Ten min
utes did not elapse from the moment
of its assuming its funnel shape ere
we were enveloped in clouds of hail,
mist, dust, flying pebbles, and thick,
sulphurous vapor. Riding like mad,
our shouting, whipping, screaming
and all were vain attempts to hold the
thoroughly frightened cattle, and the
best we could do was to let them
drift and, if possible amid the blind
ing storm, keep pace with them. The
famous ride of John Gilpin was
in no way equal to ours that lay. and
by FIVE o'clock we succeeded in stop
ping the stampede and found ourselves
eighteen miles distant from our start
ing point-sore and bruised, hungry
and drenched to the skin-minus one
OF our number who "had ridden to
DEATH" he having been caught by the
frightened cattle, endorsed and
trampled into shapeless mass of
flesh and bones. Poor Christover! A
more faithful lad never bestrode o
bronco. The return to camp next
morning exposed situation by no
means encouraging. Five OF the huge
Government wagons, freighted with
from 6, 800 to 1000 pounds, were COM
pletely wrecked and their valuable
freight scattered for miles over the
prairie. Harmon had had his left
shoulder dislocated, two drivers were
seriously injured by Commissions, and
four valuable mules killed outright.
Still, savauts contend cyclones to be of
recent origin, and some people re-
ligiously believe them to be confined
to Kansas. Poor Kansas, like the
"girl with many tribulations, finds
the least of her to be the greatest in