Wichita eagle., 1889-08-27
AFTER BUFFALO CALVES.
III saz ss{SS5s87s. ssss1f
8ABY STEALING ON THE PLAINS
IAN EXCITING BUSINESS:


Domestic Cows CorraIled to Nurture the
Wild Young cnes-A Sample Hunt and
What 1t Nettsd-Whst Maternal Aztec
ton Will Dare and Do.
strange OF uncommon for buffalo COWS and
calves to be found her1ed with the wild
cattle of the ranges, and the spring round ups
always reported moro or less SPORT for the
daring and reckless ''cow punchers' with
buffalo calves. Western men have at last,
however, begun to reaiiEe, with more than 8
little regret, that the largedroveof bufaloes
roaming at win over the trackless plains of
the territories formed sights that are forever
to be lost. and to realize also that the shame
full slaughter of these picturesque bruts has
been waste Of gold The fact that the do
Eesticated buffalo and the cross breeds are
both very valuable and easily herded Is just
now giving q new zest to the sport of buffalo
hunting, and fhe dangers Of the chase are in
creased ten fold by the fact that the object
now is not to kill, but to capture
To make prisoners OF the young or to bring
upon ones self the fierce avenging fury of
buffalo COW, by throwing rope over her
calf, requires the utmost self possession as
well as that peculiar daredevil familiarity
with saddle and horse which are found so
fully developed in the range riders of the
western plains The hunt il proftless il the
calves are injured, and the prepar ations for
the care of the captiyes are not only minute,
but necessarily expensive. Domestic COWS
are provided as wet nurses, and constant
watchfulness is observed over these compul-
sorry foster mothers until they have overcome
a not unnatural repngnance to their new
charges The calves, however, when captured
and placed in corral with their nurses, dis
play no excessive modesty in foraging for
milk, and their impetuous raids upon the new
conmissary are extremely amusing.
An important element n,the buffalo hunt
ing of today is the fact that the females give
birth to their young very early in the spring,
and the hunt must be accomplished before the
beginning of the spring round up of cattle,
or the calves become too strong to capture
alive.
A SPECIMEN RAID.
In February two four horse teams, with
heavy wagons behind them, pulled slowly out
of the town of Rawlins, Wy. T. In the first
wagon, and in charge Of the expedition, was
gentleman known as t'the colonel, " whose
weather beaten and genial face was agIow
with the pleasures of anticipation and whose
wagon was packed with comfortable bedding,
''grub," cooking utensils, and last, but not
least, a varied assortment, consisting of sour
mash, Martel cigars. tobacco, pipes, rifles,
etc. Beside him sat John, rotlnd, smiling
and evidently content with the world as it is.
The rear wagon contained 9, 900 pounds Of
baled hay and quantity OF rope to be used
for lariats, and was manned by a notable
Jehu, who, the colonel swore, could trans
form a jack rabbit into a pullet, or if the'very
worst should befa,l THEM. could broil the
harness leather 50 that it would be as good as
q tendefloin. c-2tss
Tires days travelling carried the party to
the northern boundary of tho Red desert,
where were waiting the hunters-E'right,
Chapman and Gomez, a Mexican vaquero.
Each hunter had q string" Of eight horses.
Twenty-Five dollars was the stipulated price
of each calf which should be caught unin-
jured and bound by the feet Az a o'clock on
the following morning breakfast was an
nounced, and st its finish ali hands bat the
cook saddled their horses and hit the trail"
driving the extra saddle horses before them.
After quietly riding for an hour Gomez
called attention to buffalo trail, and fol-
lowed it as some distance il advance of she
others, carefully watching ahead The trail
lead through sage brush, over the plains,
across innumerable draws, until Gomez
reached the summit Of low range OF hills,
when he suddenly wheeled his horse and re-
x,y,-- 70 rfr TnpX4o lvp'a tt-oc
element; the game was in sight. One enCr-
nous bull, four COWS and three calves were
browsing, unstlspicious of danger, about half
a mile away from the party. Presh horses
were roped and saddled, and the hunters
separated to surround the herd with as little
noise as possible. At signal from Wright,
given when each OF the hunters had crept IS
close as possible, the three horses made dash
forward. With u snort Of fear the bull threw
up his head and seeing Wright rushing upon
him he wheeled in blind terror and plunged
headlong towards Chapman, whose horse
reared and fell backward. As Chapman
swung himself out Of the saddle unhur5 tho
terrified brute went past him like cyclone.
F1G9TNa For THEIR young.
Meanwhile Gomez had thrown bis rope
over calf, and was in the act of getting cut
of his saddle to tie the calls legs when the
mother came dashing through the sage brush
with savage believing for her young. AS
the Infatuated brute rushed toward him, Go
mez dropped his rope and swung his horse
around, and the cow, finding both Gomez
and Wright galioping toward her from
the rear, fled, panic stricken, and her calf
was secured. By this time the others of the
herd were mile away with Chapman flying
after them. Another cali was run down and
tied before its mother had sufficiently recov-
cred from her fright to notice its absence
The three hunters then put their horses to a
gallop to run down the remaining calf. A
half hours hard riding brought them up to
tie band again, but this time under vastly
different choieric conditions.
The cows that had lost their calves were
furious, and the one whose calf WIS still with
her was disposed to fight saYageiy. The calf
was exhausted by the run and tie cows were
decidedly vicioua So, giving their horses
breathing space the three hunters separated
again, coming upon the band from different
points. As they approached cautiously, in
tending if possible to stampede the herd and
rope the calf as it fell behind ons OF the in
furiated COVE made siGeio1g dash, and in a
twinkling Wright's long legs were in the air
and his horse hay kicking In the sage brush,
while the COW was piunGng away down the
plain with tho speed OF an unlimited ex-
press. Chapman threw his rope on the calf,