The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-15

think, but l thought the best place
would be at the edge. So l crept as
close to it as possible, and at the
steepest place, and waited.
What were my sensationsp Well,
l can hardly tell. l was pretty cer-
tain that my day had come, and / re-
member trying to brace up, and
thought of my old mother; but didn't
have much time. On they came, and
then was buried with earth, and the
next second saw buffaloes go shoot.
ing over the edge They went as if
they had been shot out of a gun, clear.
ing the edge and striking many feet
below. Hundreds of them, it seemed.
and, for all know, thousands, went
over before they stopped. You see.
the tremendous pressure behind
pushed those in fro Mt on, SO that they
could not help them selves, and it was
some time before the front ranks
could stop the rush, and not before
many had gone over. l had been
saved by the hardness of the soil
above me. A part of it had given way
and covered me up, but a shelf of clay
held, and to it / owe my life.
dragged myself up the slope, more
dead than alive, and about the first
thing l saw was my companion riding
up, while the buffaloes were a cloud of
dust in the south 1t seems that he
had, thinking to get the start of me,
gone around and begun to fire into the
herd from behind, and had thus Gre
ated the stampede. He didn't know
any better SO l couldn't say much.
The bottom of the canyon was
about full of dead and wounded buffa-
loes. l never saw such sight before
and never want to again. Perhaps"
concluded the old hunter, ''you have
been under the fall at Niagara Well,
just imagine the water living buffaloes
and you can imagine my situation.
My horse l never saw again. Whether
he went into the canyon or not don
know"
Many animals are subject to STAN
pede, but especially those that are &C
customed to herd. When they are
large and powerful the most frightful
results may follow. 1t sometimes oc-
ours among elephants. when entire
plantations are wrecked and fences
and houses are ruined.
In the sea-lion rookeries of the
Alaska coast some curious stampedes
and exciting incidents are often seen.
At certain seasons of the year the
Aleuts have a drive of ''seevitchie,"
as the lions are called. 1t is gener-
ally begun in September or October.
The largest and strongest Aleuts are
selected for the purpose, who, with
provisions, repair to the vicinity of
the rookery. At night. when the sea-
lions are lying in the sand above high
water mark, they make their first at
tempt. Armed with sticks, guns and
clapping bones, they creep down to
the waters edge. and finally, with
much skill and maneuvering. place
themselves between the sea-lions and
the water, and. at given signal. rush
with yells and screams at their vic
TINS The sea-lions awake. and hear
ing the terrible noise. dash away in
stampede, each one rushing in the di-
rection in which he happened to be
sleeping. In this way half may go
inland, while the rest head for the
men. In the latter case there is some
danger, but, as a rule, the Aleuts es-
cape injury. The sea-lions come hop
ping, flounderihg along, making mar
velous speed for such huge ere atures
and care nothing for the men in their
bind rush.
The stampede of the sea-lions ends
disasterously to the most of them.
They founder inland, and are then
followed and driven to the houses of
the men by shouts and cries. There
stakes are placed in the ground about
them, forming rude corral. To the
posts streamers of cloth are attached,
and their futtering in the wind pre-
vents the foolish sea-liOns from escap-
ing Other catches are added until
finally two or three hundred sea-iiOns
are cOrralled, when the final march is
taken up. The sea-lions are liberated
and headed in the direction of the
Aieut village, ten or twelve miles
away, and driven there, the journey
taking from one to two weeks.
Among wild horses the stampede is
an exciting spectacle, the animals lit
orally running away in body. 1t is
the custom among Indians to create a
stamped among horses and cattle
when they wish to appropriate some
of them, and, in the confusion that re-
suits, not few are driven off and Sc
GU ed.
1t was once my good fortune to
witness a stampede of cells. A certain
pond Oh the Maine coast was fed by a
brook, but at high water the ocean
! flowed in, so that it might be said to
! be salt at high tide, and fresh or
5rackish at low tide. The conditions
seemed to be particularly favorable
! COR the propagation of cells, and the
| muddy bottom was fairly alive with
hem. many of them Of large SIZE As
the tide cbhed. many cells went into
| salt water.
Ono evening l had occasion to cross
| The creek with friend just at night
fall. The little brook hal dwindled
down to a mere stream, foot or sc
wide, and as we stepped over it was
seen to be black with cells. My com
panion inadvertently stepped in among