Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-25
FIELDS CN ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA,

a Prn;rie Epi ode Which Illustrates the
Difference Between Ne ting Wild
Animal With a itepeatlDE R!Ec and
an Old Flint Lock.
Ia the "highfalutin" language of an
older time, William J. Smelling, q
journalist and explorer OF the early
part of the century, once related an
adventure on the prairies which is in
teresting not only for the singularity
of its incidents, but rs an illustration
of the difference between meeting a
wild animal with modern repeating
rifle and with an old nint-lock.
Smelling was engaged in his explor-
ations in Minnesota in winter, and
was out on the prairie with his flint
lock rife. He espied big bull buff
falo in the distance, and was filed
with desire to shoot it. He sue
ceeded in creeping up on the animal,
and gave it shot.
He seemed to have wounded it, but
not very seriously, for the bull immed-
lately charged upon him at terrible
pace. Smelling ran at the top of his
speed, but he could see that the bull
was running faster. His gun-useless
now, of course-embarrassed him, and
he threw it away. On came the buf-
falo. Smelling looked in vain for shell
ter; there was neither rock nor tree in
sight. In another moment he was
likely to be overtaken.
Just then he came upon one of those
little ponds which in winter, particu-
larly after rainy autumn, abound on
the western prairies. 1t was frozen
solidly, and the ice was snowless and
smooth. Smelling had heard that a
buffalo could no more run on ice than
q pig can, and he felt now that his de-
liyerance was at hand.
He sprang upon the ice. The buf-
falo did not follow. The pond was
only q few yards in diameter, and the
bull kept walking around it. The
man could only keep as near the cen
tire as possible. He grew terribly cold,
but still the bull walked around the
pond, with horns down.
Some drops of blood revealed the
fact that the animal was wounded; but
he continued to walk around the pond
for four hours. Smelling wished that
he had kept his gun. He was sure to
freeze to death soon. Night was COM
ing on. He wondered if the buffalo
would go away when darkness fell.
The animal did not wait so long, but
just before the sun set, he gave loud
below, and heavily marched away.
Smelling waited until he felt sure
that the buffalo had reached q suf-
ficient distance, and then made for his
gun. He got it, and followed the buffalo.
Then he saw that the animal was reel
ing. His shot had, after all, taken eff
feet. though the effect was long de-
layed.
At last Smelling saw the animal fall.
Meantime the weather had grown bit
terly cold. He must build fire or
die, for he was twenty miles from
camp. He now discovered that, in his
run from the buffalo, he had lost the
marten-skin in which he carried his
flint, steel and tinder.
But he had sometimes made fire by
picking the flint of his gun. He now
essayed to do this with his knife. He
struck at the flint, and with the first
blow knocked it out of its place and
ten feet away in the snow. He searched
for it in vain. 1t was now almost
dark.
He heard the howl of wolves in the
distance, and felt sure that he should
soon furnish n meal for them. But
suddenly thought occurred to hila
Why not wrap himself in the skin OF
the buffalo?
He fell upon the animals carcass in
an instant, and with a few strokes had
the hide stripped off. It was thick and
heavy-too heavy for him to lift entire.
But dragging it away from the carcass,
which was sure to attract wolves, he
rolled himself in it, with the fur in
ward, and lay down on the prairie, con
fident, he says, that "neither Jack
Frost nor the wolves could get at him,
through an armor thicker and tougher
than the sevenfold shield of Ajax"
All night the wolves howled, but
they made no attack on the PROSTATE
man, nor did the intense Northwestern
cold freeze him. Next II orning he
rose and, picking up his fintless gun,
and leaving the buffalo's hide where
he had SleDt made his wov homo