The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-05-04

will bring him down"
The speaker was raw-boned frontiers
man, who for more than thirty years had
lived in the West. He had taken Gree
ley's advice aud grown up with the
country. He had swung through wide
range, and had lived among the mount
aims, but now owned a large ranch on
the plains. Though engaged extensively
in the cattle business, there was a time
when he was as we'll nigh as largely en-
gagged in the buffalo business.
YES he resumed, ''you can send
them flying as easily as you can brood
of chickens, but it will not require the
wind OF thoroughbred horse to catch
up with them. And when buffalo runs
he is the most ungainly, numbering crea.
ture going.
"Just about twenty years ago / was
along here when down from the north
east rolleo a big herd of them, contain
ing fully 80, 900 buffaloes. 1t had been
dry season. l was among the hills
yonder when heard the thunder of their
heavy gallop. The earth fairly shook
beneath their tremendous movement
Great clouds of dust rose above them, as
though cyclone was tearing up the
earth and filling the air. That small
stream we crossed short distance back
was not near so full of water as it is now.
But the buffaloes had scented it, aud
had come from miles away for it with a
mad rush.
"It seemed as they approached that
their speed quickened. The herd was
led bya number of great, powerful bulls.
Their eyes rolled, while their tongues
hung from their open mouths. l had
watched herds approach and pass Inc be-
fore. But, hidden behind rock, so as
not to disturbS EN-, l watched with an
entirely new interest the sweep of this
herd, impelled by the fiery torments of a
consuming thirst. / quickly perceived
its object, and, as the channel of the
stream is trife deep, I judged that
there would be sudden increase of
speed for brief moment when the banks
were reached.
''I had witnessed a comparatively dry
river bed quickly covered by foaming
torrent, whose rising tides soon swirled
and boiled up to the very top of the
shores-a result OF heavy storms nearer
their source. concluded from the i'm
petuous rush of this turbulent stream of
buffaloes that the channels of this river
would soon be covered and quite filled.
But moment later my conclusions were
more than fealized. For when the lead
ers reached the very brink they plunged
down the steep bank, and they would
have suffered no particular injury from
the sudden and swift descent. because
buffalo, though awkward and weighing
a ton, when he goes down almost pre-
cipitous decline will so combine a tum-
Bile with slide and roll and leap that,
much like a cat, he will soon be right
side up at the bottom. 1t was what came
after them that prevented the leaders
from getting the best of the bargain in
reaching the water first.
"For this great herd was almost
solid, compact mass, and it had acquired
such a momentum in its headlong career
that considerations for the fate of the
leaders were not Of sufficient force, If
even they had been entertained soon
enough, to percephblY cheek its move
ments. So down the banks they tumbled
on top OF the leaders, rank after rank,
until the channel for quarter of mile
was iull and overhowing with them.
"Yes, the momentum was so great
and the stop so sudden that from my
point of observation it seemed like an
enormous blak wave, whose edge had
suddenly swollen higher than the sue
eeeding body, aud it was rolling over
and over because of the undertow.
Pushed on by the great mass behind, the
buffaloes which reached the bank had to
leap upon the backs of those ahead for
their lives, and so that great mass rolled
over and over, throwing many on the
opposite bank. You would have sup.
posed that fatal consequences would have
resulted to great numbers.
"The rush was soon stopped. Then
herd widened out, those in the rear hur-
rying up and down the stream, and those
tumbled into heap into the bed OF the
stream rapidly extricating themselves,
until, in an almost incredibly short space
OF time, every buffalo was comparatively
free. / do not suppose there were more
than half dozen that were seriously
injured. 1t is simply remarkable, the
toughness of the buffaloes which used to
roam in this great West.
"Hunting the budaIo is existing