The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-11-21
ms FIRST AND LAST eu=5a.o HUNT.
A New Yorker Who Fled Before the Deast
Which He Had Pursued.


Which He HAD Pursued.
i John Swinton, the New York writer
and speechmaker, recently narrated
some Of his early experience ON the
western frontier, and this is tho story
no told of his first and last buffalo
hunt:
ut was an ambition of my youth,
as New York boy, to 60 on buf-
falo hunt. One day in the spring Of
1857, when | was in Kansas, news
reached my shanty that there was a
herd of buffalo moving up tho Re
publican river, or, as it used to be
called, the Republican fork The long
looked for chance had como to me at
last, and, though some squatter
might jump my claim when l had
gone out to hunt, was ready to run
the risk. l had no proud steed, but /
owned mule, Jennie, the best mule
IN Usage county and the fastest. In
early morn Jennie was saddled in
way, and then, armed with a Sharpe's
rifle and SIX shooter, which were car
rfed under my blue blanket, Iset out
for the hunt. / secured the country
for miles. | reached the great Santa
Fe trail l got to Council Grove. I
crossed the Smoky Hill fork. Old
Fort Riley came in sight. Not buff
,falo had yet seen. AT the fort a sol
der said he had heard Of some buff
falo up the fork of the Republican.
Twas then near nightfall. Man and
beast were tired Jennie was short
of breath and craved tho tempting
grass and water, which were free to
all camped not far from the old
fort
"Scooting around soon after sun
rise next morning, hello! yonder in
the distance on the bank of the river
were the buffalo. They were gazing
Words cannot tel of the exultation
of the mortal spirit at that moment
Keep still, man This is the time for
q level head and a steady hand Even
Jennie, who could read my mind like
q book, seemed to feel quickoEed in
both ears. She sprang forward to the
prey as | touched her side with a
spur, gave yell, raised the rifle to
action and fired. The buffalo took to
their heels There We're perhaps five
or six of thom, but they looked like
a thousand Crack went the six
shooter Onward swept the foe. The
chase must have been for a nile,
while the blue blanket huttnr2l in
She breeze like the burnoose Of an
Arab After awhile the herd seemed
to lessen their speed at a signal, per
haps from the leader Suddenly the
Aindmost Of them cast q look rear
ward, turned about suddenly, and
With head prone, hump aloft and tail
up struck out this way toward the
infatuatol mule in pursuit and be-
came the pursued of the hunter in
The heat OF the chase.
/ The onset of the enraged beast
was terrible to behold, bat it had
hardly been begun when Jennie, with
che spurs in her tanks and a yell in
her ears, turned tail, rushed eff in q
way that would have won a pri2o
at the Coney Island races, looked
sidewise several times, as did the
rider, for the rampant monster which
was behind, and never stopped until
% safe refuge was reached on the
right side of the fence which sur
rounded Fort Riley. My buffalo hunt,
the first and the last, was ended,
and had been both the hunter and
The hunted without suffering to the
buffalo or the mule or the rider |
have a book which says that the BIZ
son will not attack man, but know
that he will give chase to mule
Buffalo hunting you soc, had its
risks, even in the year 1857, hut do
mot believe that any hunter faced
those risks along the Republican fork
or anywhere near the head of the
rolling Kaw as late as 1862, v
Your buffalo hunt " said th3 re-
porter, was at once remackabl3 aAd
peculiar, not the least like some OF
Ned Buntline's heroes Bat more
detailed report of its incidents might
be entertaining "
For further particulars, whis-
pered Mr. Swinton, inquire of that
grave and gallant veteran soldier of
the west, Colonel Alexander G.
Halves, who was within gunshot of
Fort Riley, way out on the Big Blue
river, in the growing month of May,
1857 Chicago Times.