Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-29
sENTl-WEEKLY BANNER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1895.

SEMl-WEE
bite of my pie at lunch time. He just
loved pie-mince or pumpkin or lemon; it
didn't seem to make any difference what
kind it was, so it was pie. Perhaps the
most remarkable thing, though, was
olives. He'd eat all the pulp off and spit
out the stone-why, it was simply beauti-
full.
Well, Chesapeake was hitched up to my
blackboard and tied to the wagon. l load
ed in my map making stuff and put on
my wraps-quite an ordeal, as 1 already
had on two pairs of trousers, two vests, a
knit jacket and u couple of coats. Then l
had to don pair of heavy felt boots over
my shoee, over them q pair of goloshes
lined with red flannel. My throat must be
protected by silk muller. Then came
the big overcoat, tightly buttoned. A
wooden scarf was drawn over my hat and
ears, and, after rolling into the blackboard,
l wrapped myself carefully into a horse
blanket and then put on big fur gloves
over lighter pair of dogskin. You might
suppose all this would be enough to keep
me warm, but l tell you there are no0
clothes enough made to protect a man
from those prairie winds on an all day drive
in an open vehicle.
After l was arranged to my satisfac-
ton, Jake, the teamster, let go the head,
and in u moment had forded the crock
and was striking southwark on an angling
road across the prairie toward the Smoky
Hill river.
T. or
sort of mist had come up and obscured
the sun, and the wind was sharp and cut
ting Gradually the cold penetrated layer
after layer of my apparel, and when it
reached niG It didn't stop there, but went
right on into my very bones. My feet were
perfectly numb, my fingers were entirely
out of tho jurisdiction of my will. l shiv-
cred and shook constantly, and my face
all that was visible of twas probably
ultramarine blue. But l kept on There
was u certain bend in the river which l
was anxious to see and describe, AMI it
would take good work to get there and
back in u day.
l passed few houses, and these were
mostly one storied affairs, roughly built of
the native white stone and tcnantod by a
low class of immigrants, known or rather
unknown, to fame as "Rooshians. "
Ii was about II o'clock when my refrig-
Grated self descended the steep bluff which
borders the Smoky Hill river. The point
- Us aiming for was couple of miles to
t.o eastward, down the stream. Turning
off the road, passed through one of those
inventions of satan, wire gate, drove
swiftly over the crisp buffalo grass along
the level river bottom and in 10 minutes
more was just at the desired point.
sketched the bend in the river as carefully
as my bcnumbCd condition would allow,
holding the pencil in my closed fist. Ono
break that entered the river on the other
side could not see to my satisfaction.
was too conscientious to guess at it, so be-
gan looking for a suitable place to cross.
Now, the Smoky at that point is not a
very formidable river. In summer it dries
up entirely, and in winter its depth aver
ages not over two or three feet. The bed
is u stretch of sand u quarter Of a mile
wide, while of actual water there is not u
third of that width. 1t is possible with
care, to cross in safety at frequent points,
especially in a pasture, where the cattle
AS 1 skirted the stream, looking for a
place where it was possible to descend the
bank to the river bend itself, l heard a
sound as of the rolling of distant thunder.
What could it be? | stopped and listened.
Louder and louder it grew, roar and II
rumble that seemed to shake the earth. A
little swell in the ground cut off any ex-
tended view in the direction from which
had come. Waiting, listened.
Suddenly ON the crest of the swell out
lined against the sky, looking like a giant
of its kind, appeared one of those wild,
long horned Texas steers. Seeing me, he
gave Il surprised snort, turned his majes
tic head and uttered below of instruc-
ton to his followers, and then, as if de-
cided that l was not a sufficient obstacle
to cause embarrassment started on u run
down the slope straight toward me. Then
the whole herd came into view-one solid,
tossing mass Of lowered heads and waving
tails plungiTg in the leader wake. There
must have been n thousand of them, but
to my excited imagination they seemed to
Garkcn The whole horizon, and they were
coming with an impetus that apparently
nothing could withstand.
Certain death stared me in the face. The
river was before me- and at the point
where 1 stood precipitous bank, four or
five feet high, said as plainly as q sign
hoard, "No thoroughfare. Right in the
bend of the stream rs was, escape seemed
impossible. The cattle were closing in as
in a funnel. Their sharp horns l could
already see red with my blood and could
picture to myself the mangled mass of
horse and man their mad stampede would
leave behind
Chesapeake was by no means unaware
of the danger. With the open bride which
l always used he could see as much as /,
and he began to rear and plunge, uncer-
tain as l in what direction safety lay.
Could divide that living stream, caus-
ing it to pass me as an island? had heard
of such things in buffalo days. Still in my
confined position on the seat of the buck
board, fettered by my many garments and
swaddled in the blanket and holding my
frightened horse with one hand, took off
my gloves with my teeth and drew my re-
volver from the little pocket in the dash
board where l always carried it, for L
sometimes amused myself popping at jack
rabbits My fingers were so stiff with the
cold, even this excitement not having
warmed me up, that l despaired of being
able to pull the trigger.