The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-08-27
BIG GAME HUNTING.


interesting f.SEyHiSCeLceb from Cno A0~
venturous Life of buffalo Bill.
Ore Of the most Xciting scenes I'm
connection Ni,h uIting the buffalo
was buffalo sta,2pede." l recall an
exciting iLCiCent Of this kind. 1t was
while was trayei! Z across the plains
with bull train outfit, carrying sup
plies for Gene,al albert Sidney john
ston's army that WIS sent against the
llorECEs. A train rCHsisted of % wag-
ems, all i'll charge + one man, who was
known as tie walt Il master. The Sec
ond man in command was the assistant
wagon master. Iiere was an extra
hand, the night heTter and the cavallard
driver, whose duty it was to drive the
lame and loose cattle. The whole train
was denom;nated "a bull outfit"
Everything at that time was called an
outfit, and at the present time the para
phernalia of the hunter who goes out
on hunting expedition is called by the
same name.
When the tain struck the South
Platte river, we found the country alive
with buffaloes Vast herds of these
monarchs of TIE plains were roaming
all around us, and we lay over one day
for a grand hunt. The next day we
pulled out Of camp, and the train was
strung out considerable length along
the road, which ran near the foot of the
sand hills, two miles from the river.
Between the read and the river we saw
large herd of buffaloes grazing quietly.
They had been down to the stream for o
drink. At the same time we observed O
party of returned Calfornians coming
from the, west, They, too, noticed the
buffalo herd and in another moment
they were dashing down upon them
with terrific speed. The buffaloes
stampeded at CECe and broke down the
hills. So betty were they pursued by
the hunters that several hundreds Of
them rushed through our train pell
nell, frightening both men and oxen.
Some of the wagons were turned clear
around, and many of the terrified oxen
attempted to run to the hills with the
heavy wagons attached to them. Others
turned around so short that they broke
the wagon tongues off. Nearly all OF
the teams got entangled in their gear
ing ard became wild and unruly, SO
that the perplexed drivers were unable
to manage them. The buffaloes, the
wagons and the drivers were soon run
ming in every direction, and there was
certainly 10 lack of excitement Many
Of the cattle broke their yokes and STAN
peded. One big buffalo bull became en-
tangled il one of the heavy wagon
chains IL his desperate efforts to free
himself be not only snapped the strong
chain in two, but broke the OK yoke to
which it V as attached, and the last seen
of him he was running toward the hills
with the yoke hanging from his horns.
A dozen ether remarkable incidents
happened during the short time that the
frantic LUffaloes were playing havoc
with our train. When they got through
and left US, our outfit was badly Grip
pied aid scattered.
Although, as l have said, buffalo
bunting is now a thing of the past, |
feel that these references to the subject
will rot be without interest, because
they refer to phase of American hunt
ing life which will never be forgotten.
In letter received from General W. T.
Sherman some years ago he speaks thus
of the disappearance of the buffalo:
GAS near as I can estimate there
were in 1866 about 100000 buffaloes
ON the plains between the Missouri riv-
er and the Rocky mountains. All are
now gone-killed for their meat and
skins and bones. This seems like desc
Grafton, cruelty and murder, yet they
have been replaced by twice as many
meat cattle. At that date there were
about 1885, 200 Pawnees, Sioux, Chey-
ennes, Kiowas and Arapahoes who de-
pended on these buffaloes for their
yearly food. They, too, are gone and
have been replaced by twice or Thrice
as many white men and women, who
have made the earth to blossom as the
rose, and who can be counted, taxed
and governed by the laws of nature and
civilization. This change has been saIu-
tary and will go on to the end. "
General Sherman speaks of the buffalo
period as Fan epoch Of the worlds his
tory. "-Colonel William F. Cody in
New York Independent