The sun., 1889-12-08
4 BUFFALO STAMPEDE
The Living wave that was rs Terrible az
Water or Fire

Prom the Detroit Free PretL
It is high noon on the great plains Of CEN
trail Nebraska. An emigrant party. composed
Of a dozen wagons and as many families. has
cook dinner and rest their amin nls. 1t is mid
GUNNER and the creek has ALMOST disappeared.
in deep hole and again the bed OF the creek
Is dry for a hundred rods. The suns Of July
and August beat down on the great plains ,
sink into insigniflcance. the grass is killed to
its roots, and great cracks open in the baked
reptiles. Then woe to the man or beast who Is
far from water. Thirst Will craze him in lew
hours. ,,
It is. but the quantity is reduced e-half be-
fore tho thirsty horses have had their all The
but as lar as the eye can see In either direction
theI Q Is 10 moro water. Last May this Loup
Fork, would have 1oated Q ship In its channel.
As the camp fir5s are lighted and the dinner
hundred miles away Is tho Niobrara Eiver. ris-
inc in the mountains FAR to the west, noWlng IN
the manper tS9 Sad 1ca its peg also so
six days ago a herd OF buHaloes numbering
thousands drank their fill at the Ni9brara as
the Indian buffalo hunters. who were abroad
on the Dakota line, and In hopes TO tlnd richer
s9hs sra le as tbey S nave
water has been found In small quantities. but
for thirty hours past not an animal mas had u
ground hot to the feet and the almost solid
mass. covering acre after acre are almost quiet
tosseshis head In anger as thirst torments
him. and the others give utterance to their
sqsrnGs 5 long drawn 11d 16k Sa6
would say that it would require something be-
yond the ordinary to cause single one OF them
Of fire. The stirring Of so many feet has fillod
the air with fine dust TO add Still another tor
ment TO the situation The OF * or rhe ~ n0[ss ds
SEQ! Near the centre OF tho herd a great bull
suddenly throws up his head and scents the
Kin fings oi The herd DOES his Keen bring
the presence OF water over the dozen miles OF
FL Hb.es M asoand ana
he utlers hoarse bellows which excite the AMI nj
mails around him. and In Two minutes hall the
or a sudden. with massive bead held low as
II to attack, with eyes blazing, with clots OF
ng o@ Of fhS Which cears
through the herd. He is followed by 10. 10.
and now begins u stampede. A mighty living
mass rolls over thS plain Soay mere re 70 po@ Se
. rivalry to reach the front. u sort OF madness
which knows no fear or Obstruction: .,,oi.
horses are feeding about them when an alarm
is sounded. One OF the horses raises his head;
looks HXedly 10 tic east. anu uttoEb shi III
neiSh OF anxiety. The men look up. The sky
is clear and there are no signs .S OF indanSs aIS
sit down but n moment later half dozen
horses are pulling at their lariats. there Is a
trembling of the earth. and q man whose lace
is paler than death leaps up TO shout: :,
buffalo stampedel Take TO the wagons"
There s room Tor all and time Tor al, but as as
living wave two or three miles long. and
mile wide. bearing down upon the camp they
shout in disniay and cry out In despair
dened by their thirst and terrified by their own
conduct. and their is q chorus OF shIleks and
ries OF crashes which blend into one. and tho
camp has been blotted out. As the great wave
itself hurls into the bed OF the Loup ana De;
the TasonsEnothing to tell Of the thirty hu
man beings alive aud well and full OF hope only
two minutes he ore. All have been wiped out
Nbloited or tho iace OF The Garth.