The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-07
DISCRIMINATING BISON.
.,yETIJING SIOhl OF An EN-
corNYFR a DOzkN YEARS AGO.
,..u,n Guides Remarkable Goodness
81, the Pace of the onccmlng Herd.
lin reds Wore KILLED.

,..-. the Northern Pacific railroad had
...s che continent west Of the Mis-
river. the section Of country boundei
...t river on the east and the Rockies
Lid. ~--L A.s stretching from "'c
- ~A0rssNa uortnward to the
.~ me MAS the greatest STAMPING
t,r buifaloos in the ~ hole North
The country was ,aore OF jess hos
.. those DAYS. and che Indians, who
.,ea Che best guardions OF the bison
White pot hunters came among
~ soon gamed the civilized idea oil
l.,r and from that time the doom
..s representative American came
a I was positively assured.
t OBJ. greatest blow ucait the plSoh
- DID,. tnc. Northwest was. the compile
.f fhe Northern pacinc track west
Bismarck to The Rocky Mountains.
I.ad practically divided the herd'
bison Will never. unless forced,
- t.e iron OF "a railroad track, ana
q. the south were soon swaloWe4
the general slaughter waved by
.- pot. hide. and tongue hunters
. ~uOrtsmcu. ana others VINO were
.. kIl anything they saw on slFht.
was during the winter OF w. ..
l.allocs 20 the north were N many
....l bands, but there was one tira1
So. uf not less than io,oOi head W"lcn
..and a temporary refuge in the
...e formed by the Musselsheh MIS-
.l and Yellowstone rivers Ia Montana,
LIS Vet they had not been "smeita
hy either red or white hunters
.t they were a. surely doomed as
.-h already killed. for the railroad
SIN cut them on from Their s oe'H,g,,n
'rllWest. as We'll AS those OF otl
a country. barred their retreat INTO
.. far North. and SO they were hemmea
Nd no. 6
d. ape in either direction.
-I Illustrate, I'm a few words, the re-
sable destruction Of that section alone
a.N Dee only necessary To say that
,.. asst great herd was completely wiped
existence In less than four months,
.efore the close Of the year there
.ut a few singles and pairs let as
..es IN that vast country, where
g.. wear or two before they could have
len counted almost by the hundreds Of
ais The shipping figures from two
...-- ga the Yellowstone. at the end Of
session. Glendlve and Miles City.
SLOW >'. 80 buffalo hides sent from the
l-.. and 1880 skins Of elk, antelope
e.. ..ar from the latter place
4. B.. Glanced az the time mentioned, that
u O.. writer with small detachment Of
"a e ',.s. was crossing from the Missouri
,It.- Intry % the ! ellOwstone. and We
across. almost daily numerous bands
.t .-Nentre Piegan, BldCsfeet and
c".- Indians all hurrying 10 the slaugh-
,.- No Tire noble animals on the Mussel-
Nlr scout or guide. was a Grow Indian
r.mrl Two Moons. and one day while
threading our way throuEh bal lands
painted huttes and broken coulees. q
small herd IL about 60 bison came rush.
'- into view around blum not more
Than 90 yards distant, and with heads
own and ptint-bruSh tails erect they
came blowing on directly toward as IN
rt- widest sort II confusion. genuine
stampede was probably 90 tuu operation.
a.l the soldiers. not waiting for orders
Jose ro time in placing q safe and reason
...- distance between themselves ans the
threatened danger. They quickly SHE'D on
r the ri-ht and ] felt IL my duty, AT TINS
..mrendug crisis 20 keep aA close O.
t- heels Of my fleeing comrades as the
speed 0f my horse w0uit permit
Iao Moons the guide. either In spiri
NJ travalo. or possibly under pressure of
fra exciting moment sat perfectly rgi
eu Dis pony, and neither animal nor riiel
stirred Is muscle until the piungine'ehcr,
ns almost upon them men IKE
SASH the Indian whipped his Winchester
forward and the ping ~ the bullet cOut
Doe heard ms they ratified about the heads
and shoulders ~ the leading bison. Inc
lu~r was NOW apparent The string oil
tho lead causei the leaders 10 separate
for. without hating or pauslng IN theil
mad rush, the herd divided as II cut witt
knife. and went sweeping by Ike tn'
wind. moiety on each side OF the scout.
The most remarkable thing about th'
whole performance was the quiet an,
tTactable manner i'm which the guide
pony conducted himself while all this fus
and uproar was going on about him Ill
neither grew excited nor rebeiled bat re
mailei as steady as a rock IN his plac
until his master gave him leave 10 move
In a few minutes the last OF the neein
bison We're Well 70 the rear. and they 500
disappeared beyond neighporhS hho
with the speed Of an express train.
While watching them and debatin
whether chase would be worth n
jroubie, from behind the BLUM where IN
tuma'Oes had first appeared now came
s,c,s-l band of bison about siNty in an
9TH dozen well-mounted Cheyenn
bucks IN hot pursuit. As before, the AM
m.ls came directly toward us, but on
st1utings and hallooings turned theI
aside. and they SHE'D of 10 the let
entering the jaws Of roush, nroke
Ilvine. which was precisely what thei
rel pursuers wanted. The raVlne was
sort Of rift ia the bad LANDS. which pra'
tteallv led nowhere. but which we ailei
ward discovered narrowed ana cloSed j
until II ended in a, steep lnp4ssap, y
pocket with no outlet except by III
original way Of entry ~
The Indians shouted TO us as they rusi
cd bv. and. rather Interested ln IN
outcorne-as 1 suspected the nature c
fbe ravine-I left the Sergeant with IN
detachment, and, taking the guide WIZ
me. followed swiftly on the heels OF IN
dying Cheyennes. ,
Game and hunters soon disappeared J
the twinlngs and intertwinings or IN
gorge. and. as IL was an eXceedlhsi
rocky and dlnlcult TRAIL we LOOK ,ou
time and practically made haste $40"
ISL" Here again came into play the Noi
f-r(ul Instinct and genuine horse sense
.f the cause plains pony. MY noun
was Of the same breed as the one ridIe
fr the guide. and / was really a.tOnishe
, See with what ease the hardly Ht'l
,-t..- made their way through he mos
t..et~sllle places Either on theplains q
among bad lands they are equaliy q
t.. and whether In the broad giare Q
Ia. 0r in the depths Of night. they nav
Sever been known 10 lose uah a.
... having found IL. An American e
f.r.. win plunge ahead fear essly, an
r. tufrsquently snap leg IN some nan
..alcd prairie-dC hole. but the !!'S,
M Inet'ncUvely lodges such pltfd /
r..ug his rider lodging them 10,
-.. he latter is content 10 'ose IN
. 9r perhaps put up with broke
$50 l..t our ponies 10 take their ow
.I.. ..i every once IN a while coul
f. revenues far ahead darling u
0t Il the canon's windinss' VIZ
One r.tr.tting bisons still IN the ieau
h.H ..- red men ahead OF us ever ~
over .l. ground 50 quickly was al ~
SOLVED MYSTERY When we had approach
Cd oil. aIfnin half q mile Of them we say
= r. hunters pause consult Few minutes
f-f .Iafe wildly, and thel the! W., - "a
very slowly. Reaching the POi,d
when. -i- consultation had been helu
r.....r ves In sirht. Neither Indians no
were IN view, and All Was ~ 81"
f., grave. .,
H, here the course began nsrrowlns
besides the many nush pOuluT,lS az, az
r.-f cuts Oh every hand, the walls We
.t... and rasge3 and covered with scru
woods and stunted crowns, WIZ w
l-teIv concealed everything ane"u
Moreover and narrower became th
F.r.. ard at last We paused 70 listen