The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-29
BUFFALO PLAYED 'POSSUM.
A Game OF Hide and Seek =
PiainsmRn md n Wounded Bull.

\ tall, wiry man, with a bronzed face and
the peculiar swing to his gait that Westerners
have. showing in marked contrast with the walk
of the Maine wOodsinan, Jack Darling. was to
be seen any day at the Sportsmen's Expo
sition while it lasted. His name is l.. A. Hoff-
man, and he is from Miles City. Mont.
Can he shoot?' asked a man.
We'll. rather" n man who knew Hoffman
answered. He's killed everything from buff
faloes to Indians. l reckon. Why, say. he and
Cap'n Baldwin were hunting once out between
northern Missouri and the Yellowstone River
somewhere when the fellow who was ahead Of
the line reported two elk. Hoffman and the
Cap'n piled out of the ambulance, and pretty
soon they were anout 400 yards from the ami
mails. who wouldn't be any closer, seeing as
they were alarmed by this time. The two
opened on them, first one, then t'other.
one elk went out of sight all of a sudden; the
other is going yet. They found the bull elk
dead in a depression. There wasn't q sign of
. wound that they could find"
"'I killed him. says the Cap'n.'
lyon didn't said Hoffman. SHOW where
you hit it,
Hoffman knew. He had seen every bullet
strike the dirt before or behind the aniamls ex-
cept one of his. So they argued and ioshed
one another till by and by Hoffman got to
thinking. The upshot of it was Hoffman got
fin fins ana around Ms%n the d " Of the I horns 1so01 Right
up In the shadow of the horns. where 1t hadn't
been noticed. was a bullet hole that ran down
III said Hoffman, look here. .Cap'n.,
mann They Of cut course ans oul Tpac cs'' t heu KIND III w Of i man
Mr.. Hoffman was asked what wa, the most
interesting experience he,had ever had with an
animal. He thought a while, then said:
You see. I have been out there twenty-five
years now. and 1t takes some time to calcu-
late on them, but rsmember once ers when ,ad |
ahAn W. hnAn thnrn about a yAnr nnI had
killed a few score buffaloes. making the first
money, that way. | ever earned out in that coun,
through a draw With almost perpendicular sides.
such gulleys. where they go down and climb
up on the far side again. looked up and
ing oyer the bank. looking like that one
sSIsfSs. P pSi,ar e f t. e head had t RiIiea' e. o.
to cool the gun barrel of. it being hen sed by
fha snaa w se9Gt oat of w sishit ike Hs a ss scar sapI Ps @ah sh'
- climbed up on the opposite side OF the
cd siH bull than hlah ne ssrs TO O1 any there iaeSeF lay sS lS Eo1 bull
stretched out. dead. 1 thought, bug | wasn't
sskin ns ANY as,c sShs an n so so , s ysiIe vent at n sma.ni ME
down into the draw, Intending To- come up
Ss would ada DO. ! bs wstsse 1 knew hi% to i c sss T sss s Fl ss
sr|s% 70 Q slI%S, but slipped Sssh; I'll IL was
lip, Just like all buffnloes do when they are
right down fighting angry.
N'He wasn't nice looking at any time big
NANCY bull with the hide hanging Oft him in
folds never Ia. He looked uncanny when he
was lying Town playing 'possum in the dusk,
but his eyes looked worse down In the draw.
After a bit his wound got pretty sore, and he
began to act like n wounded jack rabbit-they
always skulk. There were. a lot of pyramids
OF dried mud down in the draw that were any,
where from three TO twelve feet. tall: He would
get behind one OF. those and I'd walk along TO
where could sec him. There he would stand
with his nose almost to the ground. his eyes
shut--just like q deer in Z snow storm, or q,
whipped dog. He was sick. I'd get where |
could see him. In a minute he would feel that
some one was looking at him and he would
After we had played hide and seek a while.
Il got pretty dark. go I killed him with a bullet