The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-11-08

in volume, and casting our eyes to the
south saw dense gray cloud Of dust
two miles in width, from out Of which
came a thunderous, vibrating sound, as
OF thousand slashing cataracts. bearing
swiftly to the north in the direction Of
the coulee, but which would evidently
clear our camp by several hundreds Of
feet.
Captain Jim sprang from his impro-
vised couch, and waving his old SOM
brero in the air, wildly shouted;
tHallelujeri gloryl boys, we're saved
Thar's the biggest buff'lo stampede I've
ever seed in this kentry, an we won't
ketch sight NV nary mother red; not this
time
1.-THE left flank Of the heaving, below
ing mass of tossing names and tramphng
hoofs was now abreast Of us, and it re-
CURED all our efforts to calm the terri
fed horses. But where were the In
dians2 Those of them who were between
the corral and the mouth of the pass
might have easily escaped by running
for the latter, but their temporary vii
lage, their squaws, old men and children
were in the coulee, and, in order to get
these out of the track of the onrushing
herd they must ride across part of its
face, as must also, and to a much greater
extent, the warriors who were far to
the south and east Of us, only those who
happened to be on the north having a
fair start. Many of these last had
already disappeared, and their more dis
tant comrades, unavoidably strung out
in line fourteen hundred yards long,
were now madly urging their straining
ponies toward the head Of the coulee.
The foremost half of the line reached it
well in advance of the terrible column,
but many of the savages in the rear, rid
ing at an acute angle to the surging
wave, could not clear It's crest, and being
oyertalxen by the rush avoided instant
death only by darting away straight be-
fore it, each man wherever he happened
to be caught.
ssSome were carried into the coulee,
some to the east, some to the west of it,
while three or four unfortunates, who
rode slow or wornout ponies, were over
whelmed and ground to powder in the
twinkling Of an eye. And still the
stupendous body of frantic brutes, meal
culable in numbers and resistless in
might, rushed on, stopping. turning,
swerving aside for nothing; and we shud-
deringly realized how narrow had been
our own escape, as in awe stricken silence
we watched them pass by--a process
which took all of ten minutes so that
the closely packed living mass must have
been two miles deep as we'll as wide
and on all this earth there lives not o
man who viii ever again sec such q
sight!
ssOnly an insignificant strip of the vast
herd entered the coulee, the TANKS over
tapping it far to each side. and unless
the Apaches had ponies enough to
remove at once all their people some
must inevitably perish-escape to the
east, west and south being as hopeless as
any attempt to split or divert tbs solid
phalanx must prove. Some idea may be
formed of the otherwise uncomfortable
multitude of buffaloes when state that,
whereas before their passage the rolling
plain presented only q surface Of gray
green grass, there was now to be seen a
swath Of deep dust two miles in width
and extending southwark as far as the
eye could reach.
80 soon as the wondrous spectacle
was over the captain gave orders to
break camp and hitch up, and while this
work was in progress he and two others
rode off to inspect the coulee. On their
return, half an hour later, they reported
that Of tho supposed Indian village not
a vestige remained except few frag-
ments Of tepee coverings, broken bow
or two and twisted gun barrel. which
latter they had picked up out Of the dust
and brought with them. Naturally, al
though deeply thankful for our strange
deliverance, we were all in rather seri-
Gus mood, and the old guide musingly
said, Wal, boys, we've he'd bout ez
narrer 'scape ez eber I heered tell on.
Them varmints hez paid purity dear
fur Their fun, but reckin they'll git clear
nv the stampede when the buff1os runs
tharselves out. Then they'll hang onter
the herd, layin in stock Nv meat, IN we
won't never set eyes on any uv 'em agin
I'VE now drove away from the event
full camping ground, stopped at the
spring to refresh ourselves and the ami
mails, and having replenished our water
kegs resumed the interrupted journey,
expecting to reach Fort Yuma without
further molestation; but, although Jim's
prophecy, SO far as Indians were con-
cerned, was ILLEGALLY fulfilled, we were
yet destined to encounter grave periis of
another kind.
Meantime, while threading the east
ern end Of the gloomy pass, we could
but notice, with shuddering feeling OF
relief, how absolutely certain would
have been our fate had we ventured
within its narrow, rock embattled re-
cesses while these were occupied by the
savages; for, in more than one place,
they could easily have destroyed the
whole party without themselves vast
ing an arrow or charge of powder by
simply hurting upon its helpless mem
bers an avalanche of overhanging bowl
ders and broken rock. 1t was only
through Captain Jim's wise leadership
that we had escaped annihilation, and
the good fellow was greatly pleased
when all of us, especially the women,
took occasion to tell him so in terms of
grateful praise.
THAT night, though still within the