Nevada County picayune., 1890-07-17
MY FIRST BUFFALO.

MY FIRST BUFFALO.
 Shortly after the Texas Pacific was completed to Dallas, Texas, ac- companied by Frank Goode, an old chum, one fine morning in June, l started from Shreveport, La. to that lively town. We had been employed as clerks in one of the largest retail houses in Shreveport. At that par ticular time of the year business al ways grew dull, and we knew that there would soon be reduction of force, and so we concluded not to wait and take the chances of being discharged, and therefore told the proprietor that we were going to quit. At that time Dallas was hay ing quite boom, and we thought we would try our luck there. We had been in Dallas two days and as yet had not found situation. On the morning of the third day after our arrival, we came across party who were fitting out to go in pursuit of buffaloes, which were reported to be very numerous on the great plains about thirty miles southwest of Fort Worth. We happened to be ac- quaintcd with two of the party, who were old schoOlmateS of ours in the North, and, as they extended us an invitation to accompany them on their hunt, we decided to do so.
 Six strong mule teams, attached to good wagons, were taken along to bring back the spells of the chase, besides good saddlc-horscs for every member of the party except Frank and myself
 At the close of the second day out | from Dallas we saw considerable sign of buffalo, and about noon of the next day we came to some fine springs which issued from the bank of q small creek, and as it was good point for camping. our guide thought il best to take stand there for a day or two at least.
 Frank and l were astir on the fol- lowing morning by the first streak of day, and we began eagerly to scan the horizon in every direction for the coveted game. We were not long in discovering a vast herd quietly graz ing on the plains, about two miles to | the southwest of where we were camped. Frank suggested that we take our winchcstcrs and quietly slip away from the camp, for no one else was yet astr-and surprise the boys with buffalo steak for breakfast. This was what l was about to propose to him, and, as both of us were Tn the same notion, twenty minutes later we were nearing the vast herd.
 That was the first herd of buffalo l had ever beheld. l saw many big ones afterward, but never found one that could compare in vastness with this mighty bison herd, The prairie seemed filled with them-thcy formed one dark unbroken, undulatng mass that seemed bounded only at the horizon, and stretched southward as far as the eye could follow.
 We proceeded cautiously across the prairie, half creeping, half crawl ing, keeping ourselves obscured by the tall broom weeds, which grew luxuriantly between us and the herd, until we had succeeded in approach ing to within about thirty rods of the advance guard of the mighty host.
 As we lay there watching the sys' tematlc arrangement and conduct o' the vast herd, it's divisions and sub divisions, and line of outposts, oul attention was attracted by tn, peculiar actions of one of the divls ions which were grazing neareS 10 us.
 First one buffalo would give a sud den jump, run few steps stop an' , look back, and then, giving his bod, a thorough shaking, would resume
 his feeding again, only to repeat hl
 maneuvers a few seconds later oth
 CTS became affected in the same way : and one after another. they llnall