The Helena independent., 1889-06-23
A Party Of Tendsrfeei in Kansas Who
Went Out After Bison Irea,ed
to Surprise.
Curious Actions of Some Of the Herd
Which the Hunters Found Hard
10 Explain.
Killing a Noble animal and stamPeding
the Herd. to be Afterwards
Robbed by Reds.

New OK sun. Ouc Jay NAAle Nas
ticket agent OF the Kansas Pacific railroad
at Wallace, Kan, during the years that
buffalo were still roaming in vast herds
over the plains, the telegraph operator at
the station came into nay office in a great
state of excitement
"There's a million buffalo feeding on the
prairie only three miles below here" be
exclaimed, land not more than quarter
of a mile from the railroad track. Let's 90
down and bag few"
was still a tsnderfOot in the region and
was crazy 10 kill buffalo. 50 in less than
ten minutes after the operator brought me
the news we mounted hand car and, ac-
companied by one of the track repairers,
were spinning along toward the sp0t
where the bunal0es were reported to be
feeding. The report hadn't been exAgger-
ated, except that the buffaloes were feed
ing no nearer than a mile from the track
That was the first herd of buffalo 1 had
seen. | saw many a big one afterward,
but never saw one that could compare in
vastness with this great bison gathering
The prairie seemed filled with
them. They formed one black, un-
broken, undulating mass that seemed
bounded only at the horizon, and stretched
eastward and westward as far as the eye
could follow it. The herd was on the north
side of the railroad and feeding toward It.
guns, we proceeded cautiously across the
prairie, half creeping, half crawling, until
are had succeeded in approaching to with
IN Z quarter Of mile of the advance guard
Of the mighty host
We then lay Hat in the grass and spent
some minutes in curious observation of the
tArong. We noticed. as far as the move
ments of the herd could be definitely 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 a formidable looking
Gordon of sleek young spike bulls
who had evidently won their places in the
royal body guard by more than one hard
advance of all these guarded detacbments
ranged an endless line OF old bulls, i'm
menSe specimens of their race, but sulleu
and tattered-depnsed mOnarehs. serving
where they had once ruled, and plainly
showing that they felt their degradation
BY the inevitable and memorable laws of
buffalo government they had been forced
20 abandon all participation in the diTec
tiOn OF affairs, ana were now simply doing
duty as OutpOsts TO the young usurpers in
their realms, watching out for signs OF dan
ger and keeping al a distance the packs of
coyotes that hung about the herd on the
lookout for a chance 10 run off some stray
calf OF exhausted cow. The spirit of re-
bellion was still strong in many of these
depOsed old bulls, and frequently one
would turn and charge back upon the
guard of young bulls, and make a frantic
effort TO regain place among them. only
20 be driven ANONYMOUSLY and quickly
back by the vigorous guard. The old bulls
were a NANCY and disreputable looking
aOt- Their coats were ragged. and their
fOretOps matted and weedy. Their horns
were splintered, and, together with bleed
ing wounds ia their shoulders and sides.
were vivid evidences OF how the shaggy
monsters had fought to maintain their as
tendency.
As we lay there watching the systematic
arrangement and conduct OF the vast herd,
in its divisions ana subdivisions and line OF
outpoSts, our attention was attracted by
the peculiar actions of various members OF
ore of the lunches, which was feeding
nearest to us. First one buffalo would give
a sudden jump, run several steps, stop and
look back, aud then giving his body thor
Ough shaking would resume his feeding
again, only To repeat his strange maneu-
Eres few minutes later. Another and
another were affected in the same y,and
one after another they finally fell abruptly
TO the ground, and lay stretched mOtionless
there at full length.
ssIt seems 10 me" said /, in whisper to
my companion, "that rattlesnakes are get
ting in their work on those buftaloes."
mo-" said the trackman, who seemed To
know something about buffalo, "the prairie
rattlesnake can't kill a buffalo. Not as
auick as those fellows have gone down,
anyhow. L never saw anything like that
before, and can't understand IL.
To solve the mystery we concluded TO
ERE into that particular bunch, which would
stampede il, and in turn send the entire
herd speeding away over the PLAIN. | was
allowed the privilege of first ire.
crawled up TO within 800 yards of the
bunch. magnificent spike bull stood
within easy range, broadside 20 me.
1 aimed at him and fired. He fell where
ne stood HIS immediate companions fled.
The alarm spread along the herd and soon
the vast body was laundering away 10 the
nOrthward, shaking the prairie by their
mighty tread. Followed by my comrades
! rushed up 10 my trophy, 1 put my foot
on his massive neck, and felt proud OF my
achievement | looked back al my c0m-
paniOns. They were standing stock stl',
ten feet behind me, their eyes staring al
something beyond me, and their Jaws drop
ping. l turned to see what they were look
ing Vt.Rud my eyes instantly became as
staring wide open as theirs. never knew
where he could have come from, but there.
At the other side of the buffalo l had shot,
stood an Indian. de was AZ least six feet
six inches tall. He was entirely naked, ex-
cept that he wore a strip of buckskin
around his lOins, and had culver OF arrows
at his back His eyes flashed Wlckedly as
ne drew himself up to bis full height,
placed his foot on the buffalo, and shifting
himself on his bare breast, exclaimed in
naughty and Imperative tones
MA bOOfalO-O-Oi.
Before me Indian had finished making
positive claim To the buff Alo became psln-
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 as mysteTiousiy as he
had. l had 40 intention whatever OF dis
putting the Ted thief's claim, and ] know
that Q either OF my companions had. book
my foot of the dead bull. which was all
the Indian | knew tor resigning my right
10 the trophy. The Indian folded his arms
and looked. as | thought, contemporary
at us, and then exclaimed:
''rabac ~
We interpreted this rightly 10 mean that
the Indian wanted chew OF tobacco
simultaneously all three OF US produced
big plug and reached it toward him. he
took them all. bit of chew from one and
slowed the three away somewhere in bis
ech-clOth. Then, with wicked leer.
he waved his hand toward the railroad
We interpreted this 10 mean we had better
60. and we went The mystery of the
strange actions of the buffalOeS we had
seen fall was explained The Indians were
hid on the edge OF the heri. and were pick
ing of the choicest of them with their
noiseless and deadly ARROWS We never
looked back until We had pisced our hand
car on the track and were ready 70 start