Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-02-25
/, CATTLE FUNERAL.
. -ur WILD HERDS OF THE
iom .s.,s,tu MOURN A DEATH

mon All %; '-e''oH''
.,,,s f.ncral may scom an odd
- ~ ~ vdto about, but 1t Is ten times
'ins IA to witness. II the observer
filie 10 no on foot in the vicinity OF |
iill.noo III Inc ceremony, however, he |
ins ~ ana Il anything but odd, unless
y . .p' ssatco or some other place OF
~ \. = n convenient, or the curious onlook
vi h unusu lly fleet of foot.
q M, doubtless the average reader does
~ what n cattle funeral Is like
~ as,baps e not inclined to give credit
,. y. ,ta p1ssible existence Of such u thing
" ~ M. never lived in n locality where
,gsof a moro or less uniamod disposi
. ...' an wont to range, ho will certainly
w.. W. have had an opportunity 10 loarn
~ ~ obsrryation any Of the peculiar and
Y M lcis connected with this 70.
-',rsble phenomenon Of tho range.
- s,,ile funeral. then, is nothing moro
-. 10 than exactly what the words soen
=. i,4ieats--a ceremony Of morning Oyor
~ untimoiy fate OF departed herd.
!, IN which every individual member
I'M hand that is within long range car
80, shot Is bound to participate. Ia
I..,l tits ceremony consists Of u sort Of
~ sronnd. accompanied with the
~, doletul, ear piercing aud heart
LAG means, shficks and bollowings
~ rried by ponicrous pawings In the
md and the most singulnrly duxtct-
=, angings Of the resultant dust upoa
i. hcks Of the four footed monors.
10 Observe or participate In u cattle
,.-sral let tho curious minded go out
ann the range, select some spot which
j 5-en and affords no obstruction 90 the
,sE. and from which no "crittcr' IS IN
nsht
Having selected such u spot, lot ono II
10 CRITTERS" be brought quietly and se-
atty from u distance, aud without un.
se osicrlaiiou. ~ becomes ponchcrs
mon another mans rnngc, lot him be-
S5ae to death. Lot the olIal DO secro,ed
Were even the coyotes cannot find H.
tai lct the hide and flesh be- carried
a-,ully away. Thcn lot earth be-
af0wn on the blood stains to hide NIL
races % disturbance, and let this al b.
ono 20 well that oven the human oyo
an detect nothing that would reveal
VIA, had been done.
TIE LEADER SHIFTS TUE WIND.
Then let the twcnty-four hourl, or
rln les, pass, uulcss indeed thOrn b3
attic within milo or las nj the tim,
q the slaughter Dut Tor tho purpose
4 illustration suppose that twonty.tour
.olrs have elapsed
Th1n suppose lot " one or two hun.
drpl head OF cattle come drifting down
YER tho range 10 tho looward Of tho
30, where tine slaughter Of the dag
rpvious occurred. The leader Of the
lsfl may be twour thro1 miles, perhaps
farther. from tho scene OF blood. sud.
dslly ho commences 10 show signs Of
uut.aurss Though the grass be- deep
and laxuriant he only feeds u fow mo
meats continuously, lifting his head and
tossing hi, horns as " an enemy was
near.
Suddenly there is \ strong ruf Of
wind and ~ the u0atTils % the loader
iahis the AIR u transformation occur3
Ike a flash OF lightning. He halts,
throws his muzslo into tho dir aud then
tHas most unearthly prolonged,
weird, moaning shrek or below. IL Is
Ike roao OF the various noises made
upo1 other occasions, hut has q t0n3
that Is an la own aud which IS evidently
we'll understood by tho entire herd
With another shrek. which can ba
beard for mile and oven further, thu
leader breaks into run, with his tail in
ihc air and with his head shaking an
gHIy from side 10 side, followed by I'll
tue members Of the herd, zach adding TO
The volume Of sound that now IN the
alr AS o,hor animals flooding quietly
via distance hear tho peculiar sounds
they, too, prick mp their cans, thun with
taswering shricks thoy gallop wildly
hward the excited baud aud JON 1t IN
lanuii OF the leader.
4 TERRIFIC SEINE.
Tia; animal quickly arrives at this
rllialo spot. flo snuiia at the ground,
Meanwhile lashing his sides with his tail
and believing continually In II manner
iat suggests tho height OF rage, lli-
gei fash wildly, the froth drops from
lis jaws and Heclss his neck aud body,
lie paws tho ground angIily with his
hooia, aud by dextorous twisting man.
ages to cast great mhsaos Of tho Garth
INTO the air and upon his back.
The others come racing up and crowd
closely about the spot where their mata
wa. slain. An inner circle Is formed by
tho excited animals. with thoir hClds all
pointing 10 common center, and these
below and paw the ground and racl
around aud around until exhausted,
Meanwhile the others are circling rapid
~ about the central cluster aud finally
ahplaee the earlier arrivals, whercupou
mcy too 80 through the same perform
Ance
The sccno Is q terrific one. Horns arr
FLASHED against horns, the believing OF
mo angry animals In doufcning, the NH
Ia ullod with dust, tho bcusls scom nctu
Nei each by some particular raaloyo
lent spirit, and their actions appeal
prompted almost by human understand
ing
Occasionally tho scene Of bloodshct
Wiil be discovered by some WANDERING
'cuttof' who has that portion ~ tn
range TO himself temporarily. Their
may DO no other cattle within two o
Three miles, yet the lone mourner vii
commence tho procedure already de
,aribed. and within q quarter or half on
Eogr he will have been joined by others
while inside Of m hour thoro will bo
uense mass Of excited cattle on tho spot
All from the range IN every diructio,
others will be seon hurDing 10 ia
aa.u.