The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-03-12

bound to participate. In detail this
ceremony consists Of sort OF a walk
around, accompanied with the most
doleful, ear piercing AMI heart rending
means, shrieks and bellowings and
varied by ponderous pawings in the
ground and the most singularly dex,
ferrous fingings of and the resultant
dust upon the backs of the four footed
mourners,
To observe or participate in cattle
funeral let the curious minded go out
upon the range, select some spot which
is open and affords no obstruction TO
the view, and from which no "critter"
is in sight.
Having selected such spot, let one
OF the ':critters" be brought quietly and
secretly from a distance, and without
undue ostentatlon, as becomes poaChers
upon another mans range, let him be
done to death. Let the oft4l be Sc
creted where even the coyotes cannot
find 1t, and let the hide and flesh be
carried carefully away. Then et earth
be thrown on the blood stains to hide
all traces of disturbance, and let this
all be done SO well that even the hu-
man eye can detect nothing that would
reveal what had been done.
THE LEADER SNIFFS THE WIND.
Then let the twenty-four hours, or
even less, pass, unless, indeed, there be
cattle within a mile or less at the time
of the slaughter. But for the purpose
of illustration suppose that twenty four
hours have elapsed.
Then suppose lot of one or two
hundred head of cattle come drifting
down oven the range to the leeward Of
the spot where the slaughter of the day
previous occurred. The leader of the
herd may be two or three miles, per
haps farther, from the scene OF blood.
SudSelly he commences to show signs
OF uneasinesS. Though the grass be
deep and luxuriant he only feeds few
moments continuously, lifting his head
and tossing his horns as If an enemy
was near.
Suddenly there is a strong puff OF
wind, and as the nostrllS of the leader
inhale the air a transformation occurs
like fash of ightning. He halts,
throws is muzzle into the air and then
emits a most unearthly, prolonged,
weird, moaning shrek or below. 1t is
like none of the various noises made
upon other occasions, tut has a tone
that is all its own and which Is evIden-
tly well understood by the entire herd.
With another shrek, which can be
heard for a mile and even further, the
leader breaks into run, with his tail
IN the air and wi h his head shaking
angnly from side to side, followed by
all the members of the herd, each add
ing to the volume Of sound that now
fills the air. As other animals feeding
quietly at a distance hear the peculiar
sounds they, too, prick up their ears,
then with answering shrieks they galIop
wildly toward the excited band and
Join it in pursuit OF the leader.
A TERRIFIC SCENE
That animal quickly arrives at the
tell tale spot. He sniff; at the ground,
meanwhile lashing his sides with his
tail and bellowing continually in man
ner that suggests the height of rage.
His eyes fash wildly, the forth drops
from his jaws and fecks his neck and
body. He paws the ground angrlly
with his hoofs and by dexterous twist
ing manages to cast great masses OF
the earth into the air and upon his
back.
Tho otba,e CANA r,ciD0 and crowd
closely about the spot where their mate
was slain. An inner circle is formed
by the excited animals, with their heads
all pointing TO a co nmon center, and
these below and paw the ground and
race around until exhausted Mean
while the others are circling rapidly
about the central cluster and finally
displace the earlier arrivals, whereupon
they too go through the same pertor-
nance.
The scene is terrific one. Horns
are clashed against horns, the believing
of the angry animals is deafening, the
air is filled with dust, the beasts seem
actuated each by some particlar male
VIOLENT spirit, and their actions appear
prompted almost by human understand
ing.
Occasionally the scene of bloodshed
will be discovered by some wandering
Center" who has that portion of the
range to himself temporarily. There
may be no other cattle within two or
three miles. yet the lorc mourner will
commence the r:vcedure already des-
cribed, an within quarter or halt an
hour he Will have been Joined by others,
while inside of an hour there will be a
dense mass Of excited cattle on the
spat, and from the range in every di-
Y on Others will be seen hurryiug to
eye