The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-04-12
WOES or cATTLEM EN-.
In Old Days the Buffalo Stampede
Was One of the Chief Dangers.

Was One OF the SHief D0H9CTS'
If was not always human agencies
that made life on the prairie a bur-
len to the cattlemen, says the Globe
Democrat. Roaming over the pralrles
were great herds of buffalo, and the
driver with his cattle stretched out in
line q mile or more in length might
consider himself fortunate if none OF
the shaggy-coated beasts came near
him on the way from ranch to ship
ping station. The coming of herd
of buffalo was usually foretOld by the
sound of thousands of hOofs, like the
sound of rafting thunder. At the
alarm every effort was made to con-
solidate the herd into the closest
possible compass. The herders then
waited on the edge of the herd and
endeavored to keep the animals quiet.
1t was useless to attempt to move
out of the way of the buffalo, for II
the wild creatures were on STAN
pede nothing could stop and nothing
evade them. The course was likely
to zig-zag, and only good fortune
could prevent collision. First would
appear above some knoll a long black
line of shaggy heads, then behind
these solid black mass that made
the whole prairie seem alive with the
tremendous beasts. The plains
trembled with their tread and the
believing of the bulls made noise
that was particularly exciting to the
cattle. Good luck if the wild pro-
cession went by without touching
the stock. But many poor fellow
all was swept out of existence by such
n charge. No force could withstand
it and all that remained of the cattle
Representing so much hard work and
so many months of waiting were
tramplcd carcasses and perhaps an
animal here and there lingering in
misery.
There were other dangers. Span
ish fever might be contracted from Il
herd that had preceded the one on
route on the trail. Swollen rivers
poured their muddy flood so swiftly
that sometimes fourth of Il herd
would be lost in the crossing. Beauti-
full sight as the crossing OF a river
in its normal condition was, the fruit
less battling with a tempestuous
stream when it was on a rampage
was corresponding fearful. To see
the line of horns and frightened faces
(about all that remained above Water)
bending farther an farther down
stream until perhaps it broke and
one after another Of the usually self
reliant creatures, seeing that further
struggle was useless, gave up the
fight and hoated away down the tur-
bid current drowned was pitiful.
With the opening of the trail from
the Red river to Kansas things grew
better. The well beaten path was in
such constant use that raids were
practically impossible, and during
the height of the drive there could
be heard at evening the believing OF
the herds along the track for a dozen
miles each within hearing of the one
preceding and the one following.
Fords were improved also, and there
was less danger from stampcdes.
Nowadays the ranchman knows moth
ing of such dangers. ills lhouSahds
of acres are surrounded by barbed
wire fences. Great corrals receive
the herds at branding time, and he is
indeed poorly located if a railroad is
not within a mile or Two of the ranch
somewhere, ;t indeed it does not run
through it. The cattle are not the
deer-like creatures Of earlier days.
Then the heetest horse was necessary
in herding, and only the combination
Of horse and rider was safe in the vi
entity of the steers. For that cen
taur-looking union they had great re.
spect, but man or horse alone would
be hooked to death. The modern
cattle ranch is conducted on as reg
ular business principles and almost
as safely as a dry goods store. Its
managers would not know how to
cope with the troubles of their pre-
cursors and may congratulate them
selves upon living in Il milder age.