The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-02-19

ried if partly from habit, you see, and also
for the very best Of reasons-that didn Il
have any better place to leave it. In those
days there Weren t many of Us hunters
had any very special homes in the west,
and when the weather was warm and
clear we frequently made long trips
camping Just where we found ourselves al
sunset.
'sWeli, it was getting dusky on that
particular evening, SO when came to the
creek here, thinks ! to myself I'l stay
right here; so after lettering the horse,
/ stretched out on the ground to enjoy my
pipe,
''After lying perhaps an hour l was
suddenly startled by peculiar rumbling
noise-it sounded like an underground
disturbance. 1 tried TO think my fancy
had deceived me, but it kept getting
louder and louder, SO finally determined
to go and look around.
u elambered up that bank as fast as l
could, noticing that as l neared the top
the rumbling sound grew more and more
distinct. but strange TO say, l never for a
moment suspected the danger.
'Well when I at length reached the
brow cf the hill and looked over, the sight
that met my eyes fairly froze the blood in
my veins.
"a living prairie OF painting, struggling
buffaloes, and the whole herd under full
steam, stampeding and heading straight
for me.
my heart just fairly jumped into my
mouth, for they weren't more than a
quarter Of a mile away, but 1t WASH t any
time to stand thinking, so l Just turned
down that ravine faster than l could run
1t would kill man TO do it in cold
blood, but l knew I had to reach my
horse or lose my life.
Gas i neared the horse he plunged and
and It was evident that he had sented the
danger.
II had got tc within twenty yards of
him, when he made a frantic plunge,
snapped the rope, and away he went.
turned IN despair just as the first bnffa-
loes reached the brow of the hill, but /
knew how useless 1t would be to waste
ammunition. ! think, however, that
would have fought it out had / not
thought OF the muskeg which commenced
about forty yards from where / stood; /
knew that though 1 might get little way
upon the quaking mass by being very
careful, still it would be mighty poor
footing for stanpeding herd of buffalo.
There wasn't a moment to lose, so / head
ed for it as hard as l could run, but short
as the distance was, I realized that it
would be a close race between myself and
the frightened brutes already surging
down the steep bluff, needless of anything
except fight.
ssJust as reached the edge of the mo-
rass the living wave broke upon the bot
tom of the ravine, causing the Quaking
ground TO undulate in long swelIs which
very nearly threw me headlong into the
muddy water.
q recovered myself, however, and max
ing a desperate spring, landed upon one
of those small moss islands which float
here and there upon the surface of the
ouagmire. One more leap and ] had
reached my limit. ] could get no further,
for there was not another island within
twenty feet.
/ turned and faced the snorting. foam
decked mass of maddened buffaloes.
stOne glance showed me that only the
extreme left of the herd would face the
sWamp-the great mass passing to the
westward, still knew that had not vet
got out of the scrape.
ssphe first creature to reach the edge
ATTEMPTED to hold back, but he tried In
vain. The irresistible power behind
drove him forward to his doom, and with
a loud below he sprang upon the nearest
island, but it was not built to carry him
and he instantly disappeared.
81 looked from the spot where he had
zone down and saw to my horror that
what / had crossed as safe land had now
SINK under. the combined weight of the
herd and that between my frail raft and
the dry land was now fully eighty feet OF
ouagrnire filled with drowning and fight
ing animals. some of which were knee
deep. while others barely had their noses
ont of water. The struggles and cries of
the moor creatures were horrible to wit
ness as one after another they were tram
nled under foot and pressed under water
6v the stronger among the herd crowding
forward.
stUp TO this time but few of them had
succeeded in fighting their way through
the thick slime to the island upon which
I he'd taken refuge, and these l had been
forced to shoot for my self-protection.