San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-26
A TENDERF00T'S LUCK.
HOW He SHOT HIS FIRST eUFFAA Q
AND WHAT BECAME OF IT.

profitable and Disagreeable Surprise.
Giving an Indian a Chew of Tobacco.
One day, while was ticket agent of the
Kansas Pacific railroad at Wallace, Kan,
during the years that buffalo were still roam
ing in vast herds over the plains, the tele-
graph operator at the station came into my
office in great state of excitement.
"There's million buffalo feeding on the
prairie only three miles below here" he ex-
claimed, land not more than quarter of
mile from the railroad track. Let's go down
and bag few"
| was still a tenderfoot in the region, and
was crazy to kill buffalo, So in less, than
ten minutes after the operator brought me
the news we mounted hand car, and, accom-
panied by one of the track repairers, were
spinning along toward the spot where the buf,
faloes were reported to be feeding.
BUFFALO GOVERNMENT.
The report hadn't been exaggerated, except
that the buffalees were feeding no nearer
than a mile from the track. That was the
first herd of buffalo had seen. l saw many
big one afterward, but never one that could
compare in vastness with this great bison
gathering. The prairie seemed filed with
them. They formed one black, unbroken, un-
duhting mass that seemed bounded only at
the horizon and stretched eastward and west
ward as far as the eye could follow it. The
herd was on the north side of the railroad
and feeding toward it. Deraling our hand
car and taking our guns, we proceeded eau
tiously across the prairie, half creeping, half
crawling, until" 1--WE had succeeded in APP
preaching 10 within a quarter of a mile of
fba afly nd Of tla host
We then lay fiat on the grass and spent
some MINUTES in curious observation of the
throng. We noticed, as far as the move
ments Of the herd could be distinctly seen,
that it was divided up into detachments,
each one of which was composed of bunch
of COWS and half grown calves, around which
was formidable Gordon of sleek young spike
bulls, who had won their places in the royal
body guard by more than one hard fought
battle with contending rivals, In advance
of all these guarded detachments ranged an
endless line of old bulls, immense specimens
of their race, but sullen and tattered-de-
posed menarehs, serving where they had
once ruled, and plainly showing that they
felt their degradation. By The inevitable
and inexerable laws Of buffalo government
they had been forced to abandon all partici-
patton in the direction of affairs, and were
now simply doing duty as outposts to the
usurpers IN their realms, watching out for
signs Of danger and keeping at distance
the packs of coyotes that hung about the
herd on the lookout for a chance to run off
some stray calf or exhausted COW.
As we lay there watching the systematic
arrangement and conduct of the vast herd,
its divisions and subdivisions and line of out
posts, our attention was attracted by the pc
culiar actions of various members of one of
the punches which was feeding nearest to us.
First one buffalo would give sudden jump,
run several steps, stop and look back, and
then, giving his body thorough shaking,
would resume his feeding again, only to re-
peat his strange maneuverS few seconds
later. Another and another were affected
in the same way, and, one after another,
they finally fell abruptly to the ground, and
lay stretched motionless there at full length
To solve the mystery, we concluded to fire
into that particular bunch, which would
stampede it, and in turn send the entire herd
speeding away over the plain. was allowed
che privilege of first fire. crawled up to
within 300 yards of the bunch. A nagnif
cent spike bull stood within easy range, broad
side to me. | aimed at him and fired. He
fell where he stood. His immediate compan-
ions fled The alarm spread along the herd
and soon the vast body was laundering away
to the northward, shaking the prairie by
ther mighty tread
THE MYSTERY SOLVED
Followed by my comrades | rushed up to
my trophy. put my foot on his massive
neck, and felt proud of my achievement
looked back at my companions They werd
standing stock still ten feet behind ~. their
eyes staring at something beyond RE and
their jaws dropping. turned to -. what
they were looking at and my eyes Instantly
became as staring wide open as theirs were
| never knew where he could have come
from, but there at the other side of the buff
falo had shot stood an Indian. He was at
least q feet inches tall He was entirely
naked, except that he wore strip of buck
skin around his loins and culver of arrows
at his back. His eyes flashed wickedly as he
drew himself up to his full height, placed his
foot on the buffalo, and shifting himself on
his bare breast, exclaimed in a naughty and
imperative tone:
INA boofalo-o-o!'
Before the Indian had finished making his
positive claim to the buffalo became pain
fully aware that he was not alone but that
not less than six other Indians, as big and as
ugly as he was, had appeared on the scene as
quietly and mysteriouSly as he had. had
no intention whatever OF disputing the red
thief's clam, and know that neither of my
companions had. took my foot off the dead
bull, which was all the Indian l knew for re-
signing my right to the trophy. The Indian
folded his arms and looked, | thought, con-