Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-12-07


Less than a minute Of riding toward
the head Of the column before him con-
WINGED jean Of the impossibility OF
overreaching and passing it. There was
only one thing left to do-malSe to the
river and swim for 1t, and, motioning
to Louis to follow, he headed his
pony straight for the river bank.
Jean glanced back over his shoulder;
the central mass Of the big stampede
was about three hundred yards behind
them, nor could the small ponies, ai4
ready winded with twenty miles of hare
riding, increase the distance. Foremost
in the stampede we're the biggest, swift
est bulls their sides almost touching as,
with heads down, they bowled their
hugh, numbering bodies forward, recl1.
less of any thing ahead in their fright
at what was behind them. In the rear
of the bulls was confused, hoaving
mass, lost, at no great distance, in a
rising cloud of dust that seemed end
less.
Louis was badly frightened, but kept his
wits and followed every move Of Jeans.
They rode directly for the river and
reached its bank together; but here
.Aoth ponies so quickly and stubbornly
h0lted that Louis, though a good rider,
was pitched clean over the animals head
and alighted upon his shoulder on the
edge of the bank lie clutched at the
top of the bank with his right hand
his left arm was bruised and numbe6
from the shock-cluGg for brief 10.
slant, then slid down some ten or twelve
feet into the current.
Jean made one more effort to force HE
animal over the brink, but failed, then,
too much alarmed for Louis to wait
longer, he sprang from the saddle, threw
away his gun and jumped after his com
rade.
Louis was thrashing the water with
one arm in adesperate effort to swim away
from the bank, but his wounded arm and
the weight of his clothes and heavy
boots impeded him, the thick muddy
water dragged him down, and the podi
fellow would have sunk even before the
buffaloes were upon him had not jean
come to the rescue.
Jeans ideas of what followed during
the next few seconds are confused; but
he remembers that he got hold of Louis,
and helped to buoy him up while they
kicked and struggled hard against this
current; that they managed to get few
yards from the shore. Then buffaloes
seemed to ruin down over the bank,
blowing its deep sides and sousing into
the water with heavy splashes, making
the current boil around them.
The next instant the desperate hunt.
ers were in the midst of putting, snort
ing mass Of big, hairy swimmers, sea
Of humps, horns and noses. AS big
bull came grunting and putting along
side of the two young men, Jean, who
knew that the buffalo is inoffeAsive in
water, made grab with his flee hand
and caught the old fellow by the long
hair on his hump. "Now, L9uis, get
hold here!' he shouted; and Louis, who
was recovering the use of his arm, got
hold with both hands.
''Now we're all right" sah Jean,
''only keep well behind so 40 won't
turn" The bull snorted wildly at the
sound of the shouts, and swan frantical-
ly in the effort to get free from his UNI
welcome freight.
Jean, still keeping fast holl of the
great brute's name, drifted bac Sward as
far as he could and then flop7ed him
self over the creatures sunl1sn hind
8aSR hdtt it R2GyS ttRRS bddP Esarnneed
his head as if about to fare about,
but Jean promptly let go with his right
hand and struck him blow on the eve.
Don't lot him turn your way, Louis"
said Jean. Lets keep him as straight
ahead as he can go. Kick hard and help
all you can; we must get across before
the rest of EN- if possible.'
Louis readily comprehended the situa-
ton. The cool water helped / i'm to re-
gain the use of his arm, in which, for
tunately, no bone was broken, and he
worked vigorously to relieve the bull of |
part of the burden of drawing him on
behind.
The old fellow proved to be q strong |
swimmer, and eXerting himself to the
utmost to get rid of his hangers-on, he |
reached shallow water several rods in |
advance of the nearest others OF the
herd. Here the boys let go of the bull,
which lunged himself out upon a pro-
iecting sand-bar and thence up the bank
beyond.
Jean and Louis followed the bull to
the shore, and ran to some scattered cot
tonwoods which grew along the bank.
Each got behind tree and there stood
wringing his clothes and slapping his
arms to warm himself, while for fifteen
or twenty minutes the dripping herd
past them, the swelling sea of
humps stretching for half mile on
either side.
An hour later jeans hunters, who had
ridden up on the other side, discovered
Jean and Louis, who were pacing the
bank as they awaited their comrades'
arrival One of the hunters went for
canoe and came across after them. Then
they learned that party of Apiskaras
from above had stampeded the herd and
had hung upon its outskirts until they
had killed as many buffaloes us they
wanted.
Since he left his saddle to plunge to
the rescue of his comrade, jean has
never seen or heard of either of the po-
MES which he and Louis rode on the day
Of the stampede. They were urdoubt-
edly forced into the river, and either
we're drowned or swan to the other bank
md ran on with the herd. He is if,clined
20 think that they crossed safely and
we're picked up by some struggling band
If the Assinneboines or Crees who
hunted upon that side of the river.
One of the half-breeds, after much
living, recovered Louis gun from the
mud of the river, and it was found to be
But Jeans gun, which he
Ilso recovered, was bent broken and
lseless.-H'rank W. Cal1ins, in Youths