Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-16
The STORY Teller.
A MAD CHASE.
THE STAMPEDE IN THE DARK

by E. Hough, published by D. Apple
ton & Co., we take the following thrill
ing incident:
The cowboys all take up their roune
about the herd, falling into their worl
with the philosophy of their calling
which accepts things as they come
As they ride in line along the edge o
the herd the thunder is booming loud
ly, and the rain begins to fall in heavy
irregular drops. Then suddenly will
a gusty rush the torrents of the all
break loose, and a solid wall of rair
sweeps over the place, hiding in {
whirling mist the outlines of men and
animals. .
The thunder now bursts with deaf
ening volume. The cattle have sprung
to their feet and now push abou
among themselves uneasily, their lone
horns clanking together in the dark
ness. They are wet, but the rain is
not chilling, and in a moment the
cloudburst is over and gone, and moth
ing remains of the storm but the light
ming and the. wind. The sky lightens
aueerly, so that objects may be family
seen, men riding along the edge of the
herd, keeping the cattle back and
closing them up. Sounds of a COD
fused sort come from among the cattle
grumblings and mutterings, mingline
with the chanting of the cowboys rid
ing. The storm is nearly past, but the
whole air is alive with electricity
The discharge of the thunder is as the
noise of cannon. The lightning falls
not in jagged lines, but in bursting
balls of flame, which detonate with
terrible reports. Along the tips of the
horns of the cattle the faint flames
play in weired way, as the fires of St
Elmo upon the spars of a ship caught
in a storm at sea. The men still hold
the line, calling to the cattle, which
are now gathering and shuffling about
in way not pleasant to hear, though
still they do not break into any con.
certed rush. Now and again start
is made by some frightened animal
but the nearest cowboy turns it back
riding against the head Of each break
showing towards the edge. The herd
is shifting ground a little, edging a
trifie down wind. This brings it near
er to the camping place, nearer also
to the wagon of the cook, which
stands with its white cover broken
loose and Tapping upon the gale
There is a call of voice, which be-
gins to shout out something.
But this voice, and all the voices
and all the other sounds, are swallow
ed in a mighty, dreadful roar. The
white cover of the wagon has broken
loose at the other end, the rope part
ing with crack like the report of a
gun. The wagon sheet whips mildly
up and down as though with deliber'
ate intent of malice, and then goes
sailing off across the prairie. Nc
studied effort of evil could have been
direr at this very moment! The herd
keyed up to the last pitch of nervous
ness and only held by the utmost ef'
forts of the cowboys, needs only this
DEVILS advice to set it off.
"Good God Almighty" !" bursts out
the foreman. But even as he shouts
he, in common with every other man
of the outfit, digs in his spurs and
rides for the head of the herd, the
front of this plunging, rushing, STUN
bling, falling mass of panic-stricker
creatures which are off in the curse Of
the drive-the dreaded stampede in
the dark!
The sounds of the rushing hoofs o.
near 10000 cattle is imposing enough
at any time, but heard mingled and
confused in the running in the dark
it is something terrible. A loud crack
ing of hoofs comes through the fog o.
sound, and the mad rattling of the
great horns swung together in the
crush as the cattle struggle to head
out of the sufocating press behind
them and on all sides. Mad indeed IN
this chase tonight, and far will be its
ending, this ride with the accompani
ment of the booming thunder, and
with the ripping flight of the lightning
for its only beacon.
Ride, Jim! Ride Springtime, and
Tex, and Curley, and Kid, and Cher
okee, and all the rest of you! Now
if ever, you must be men of proof
Into the rattle of it, up to the head o.
it, press, spur, crowd Shoot into
their faces, frighten them back, turr
them aside, ride into them, over them
but ride fast and thoughtless of your
self There is no possibility of taking
care. The pony must do it all. The
pony knows what a stumble means
The herd will roll over horse and man
and crush them as if they were bu'
prairie flowers. The ground is roug b
but there must be no blunder. An
but there was! Something happened
there There was stumble! There
was cry, smothered; but all tha
was half mile back. The hero
sweeps on.
Into the thick of the leaders of The
herd the cowpunchers crowd in from
the fianks, meeting there the men wht
were swept away in the first mad rusf
of the cattle. They cannot now es
cape from this position, nor do they
seek to do so, but ride with the STAN