The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-31

at an early hour. The route iron
Zarah to Ellsworth counties. 1t wa
! expected that our camp that evening
would be on the Smoky Hill or som
one of its tributaries About 10 o'clocl
the regiment had reached q point O
ground, the highest between the tW,
rivers. The line Of march all the morn
( Ing had been through scattered herd.
Oh buffalo. but 1t was thought adVis
able by the colonel TO undertake thu
: drive as near the Smoky Hill as pos
sible, at the same time keeping III view
any advantage TO be derived from the
lay of the ground. Here now seemed
10 be the very place he had been wish.
/ ing for The trail or road, il this point
was on q ridge overlooking to tht
west the head Of the valley about two
| miles wide from east to west The
ridge along which the road ran hac
the appearance of continuing around Il
south and west, thus forming a sort OF
natural amphitheatre. the open end
sloping toward the Smoky Hill From
the point where the regiment was
halted could be seen innumerable buff
falo. The Whole valley was covered
with them: they spread up over the
slopes of the ridge; they we're every
where as far as the eye could reach.
Here was the place to try the expert
ment OF tanning the great American bi-
SON Here was to be demonstrated
whether or not 10000 buffalo could be
herded, tanned and subsequently driven
TO market. as SO confidently set forth
in the prospectus of the Great Amer
lean Cattle company"
While at Fort Larned and vicinity
the Fifteenth had ample opportunity
to learn something of the characteris-
tics Of the buffalo, but as the sequel
viii show, we did not discover that ex-
eept within certain limitations, the buf-
talo either Singly or in droVes was a
very difficult animal to direct or con-
troll, and without doubt the most OBJ
stinate and unreasonable brute that
ever went at large; and it may be adj
ded he had the courage of his conVtc-
lions.
The colonel determined to try the
experiment. at this point called for
volunteers, 20 from each company. This
gave 240 we'll mounted troopers, men
perfectly at home in the saddle and
used to buffalo hunting. The men were
assembled and the colonel gave them
full and final instructions, directing
them where to take station and what
intervals to observe. The principal di-
rectiOn was to station themselves upon
the top of the ridge so that when the
final signal to advance had been given
surrounded all the buffalo in the val
ley and on the slopes of the ridges. The
boys we're eager for a frolic and this
would be their last chance, at least
while in the service of Uncle Sam, and
all risks as to horses and broken bones
would be at the expense of the gov
ernment.
1t required about an hour for the
drivers TO reach their various stations.
n clio
The men rode slowly forward, gradu-
ally drawing in the stragglers by
estimate within the con-
verging lines Of the drivers There
we're at least 10000 head of buffalo
grazing about singly, in pairs and in
small punches of ten to 20. but cover
ng nearly all the inciosed space. While
the soldiers we're riding to their sta
tons before the driving began the
animals apparently had been uncon-
eerned. After the advance began, as
The men would approach one of the
animals it would simply turn side
ways, take a good look. turn about and
rot off little way and begin grazing.
1t was peculiarly of a buffalo that
I could see nothing by looking directly
@ the front on account of the great
mass of shaggy hair that hung down
)Yer the eyes. and this was one reason
Why a stampede of a large herd of
buffalo was always dangerous AS the
animals could see nothing in front of
hem they would plunge down a steep
place. run over wagon train or any
hing else that happened to be in the
way
As the drivers continued to advance
he single animals were driven in and
made to join the pairs and small
and these the larger, thus
gradually breaking up the social ar
and family circles There |
TO exist among the wild buff !
alo of the plans some sort of a social !
compact,
The single animals that were always |
ound in every large body of buffalo (
n the outside and separate from the /
lerd were generally superannuated old (
'ulls which had been horned off and /
way by younger and more vigorous .
on the retired list. In (
ONE slight measure they presented
he dismal aspect of discarded politi-
ians.
,HE BUFFALOES BECOME INTER
ESTED.
AS the soldiers advanced the buffaloes
-ere gradually driven in upon a COM
lon center. About this time the circus
eSan to set interesting. The troopers
'ere shouting and shooting off firearms
ut not shooting any of the animals.
s it was no part of the programme to
i'll or wound any of them. The buf-
7lo had also by this time lost their
pparent Indifference, evidently COM
lg 10 the conclusion that the proceed
lSs were altogether irregular and out
order. and now began. after their
wn manner, to form their lines of de-
ense, the bulls on the outside. the
oWs and calves in the center. The
ritlsh squares at Waterloo presented
o more formidable appearance than
id this herd of buffalo
Part of the plan of the Great Ameri-
an Cattle company" had been accom-
lished. We had our 10000 buffalo
emmed in. Would they submit?
You'd they suffer themselves to be
omestieated? Would they allow them
lives to be driven TO the Smoky Hill?
very induCement was offered to that
Id
olonel Cloud was proceeding upon the
ieory that as he had placed his men
1 the south, east and west of the
ard, and we'll knowing that when sui
GENTLY compressed and pushed to-
ether they would stampede. had left
lie line of retreat, or, rather. the line
stampede, open to the north. upon
lie reasonable supposition that the i
nal break would be upon the point. or
the direction. of the least resistance (
I'd that would have been true per- !
lps Of any living thing except buffalo. {
we all expected the herd to STAN ,
ode toward the Smoky Hill, the point ,
our destination for that DAYS .
arch, and II they had started in that I
T4Gfl0n W 10