Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-30
BUFFALO PLAYED .POSSUN.
Hide and Seek Between q Plainsman
and Wounded Bull.

From the New York Sun
A tall, wiry man, with bronzed face and
the peculiar swing to his gait that western
ers have, showing in marked contrast with
the walk Of the Maine woodsman, Jack
Darling, was to be seen any day at the
sportsmen's exposition while it lasted. His
name is l.. A. Hoffman, and he is from Miles
City. Mont.
Can he shooto" asked a man.
We'll, rather" man who knew Hoffman
al swered. He's killed everything from
bunaloes to Indians, reckon. Why. say. he
and Capn Baldwin were hunting once out
between northern Missouri and the Yellow
stone river somewhere when the fellow who
was ahead of the line reported two elk.
HOFFMAN and the cap'n piled out of the am
bulance, and pretty soon they were about
400 yards from the amin ais, who wouldn t
be any closer. seeing they were alarmed
by this time. The two opened on them first
one, then tother. One elk went out of sight
all OF sudden the other is going vet They
fourd the bull elk dead in a depression.
There wasn't a sign of a wound that they
could find.
g I killed him. says the cap'n.
GU didn't said Hoffman. Show where
you hit it,
Hoffman knew. He had seen every bull
let strike the dirt before or behind the an
imals except one of his. So they argued
and joshed one another till by and by Hoff-
man got to thinking. The upshot of it was
Hoffman got up and went to the elk's head.
and rubbed his finger around the burrs of
the horns. Right up in the shadow of the
horns, where it hadn't been noticed, was a
bullet hole that ran down into the animals
brain.
Hi" said Hoffman. look here, cap'n.'
They cut the bullet out, and ii was Hof-
mans, of course. That's the kind of man
Hoffman is"
Mr.. Hoffman was asked what was the
most interesting eXperier &c he had ever hsj
with an animal. He thought while then
said
You see. I have been out there twenty
two years now, and it takes some time 20
calculate on them, but 1 remember once
when I first got out there. 1 was a pretty
green lad then. I'd been there about a
year. and had killed few score buffaloes
making the first money that way 1 ever
earned out in that country. / killed few
that day-thirty or forty-and was just GO
irg to camp about dusk, up through a draw
with almost perpendicular sides, when /
came to place where buffaloes cross such
sulleys. where they go down and climb up
or the far side again. / looked up, and
there was a big bulls head and shoulders
showing over the bank, looking like that
one there" pointing to a head that G. o.
Shields, editor of Recreation. had killed.
~ took out the ramrod, which / had put
! IN to cool the gun barrel Off it being heated
by rapid shooting. Well. 1 up and shot and
the head went out of sight like a scared
panther.
Il climbed up on the opposite side of the
draw-1 didn't care to be any closer to a
wounded bull than necessary-and there lay
the bull stretched out, dead, thought, but
l wasn't taking any chances so yelled at
him. He got up quick a coyote, and
went smashing down into the draw, in
tending to come up on my side. I watched
him to see what else he would do, because
knew could get him after he had started
Up my bank. He tried to climb, but slipped
back. He was sticking out his tongue and
licking his upper lip, just like all buffaloes
do when they are right down fighting angry.
He wasn't nice looking at any time-a
big NANCY bull with the hide hanging off
him in folds never is. He looked uncanny
when lie was lying down playing 'possum in
tie dusk, but his eyes looked worse down
in the draw. After a bit his wound got
pretty sore, and he began to act like a
wounded jack rabbit-they always skulk
There were lot of pyramids of dried mud
down in the draw that were anywhere from
three to twelve feet tall. He would get be-
hind one Of those and I'd walk along to
where / could see him. There he would
stand with his nose almost to the ground,
his eyes shut-just like a deer in snow
storm. or whipped dog. He was sick.
I'd get where could see him. In 4 minute
he would feel that some enc was looking at
him and he would open his eyes. see me,
then sneak of again After We had PLAYED
hide and seek a while. it go: pretty dark,
so killed him with a bullet in the shout
der"