The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
tural region than that As far as L

tural region than that. AS far as the eye
could reach the country was covered with
short, curly buffalo grass, while in the
damper parts, where tiny stream trickled
down from the bluffs fifty miles distant,
were tall plumes of grass as tall as a mans
head There must have been thousands of
acres of this gaunt grass. We had had
trouble in riding through IT with our horses.
Less than a dozen trees grew within
radius of sixty miles around. 1t was all
grass and marvellous abundance of it.
THE second evening we were in camp l
noticed that the air suddenly grew sultry
and l smelied smoke In the air. The wind
shifted to the south. / smelled smoke more
plainly and felt hot air more appreciably.
An old buck from camp of half-breed In
dams came down the bluff and said 10 me:
Heap big fire, sojer. Heap red mans
grass now burn up. You stay here and you
burn up
II looked away TO the south with field
glasses, and, sure enough, l saw away off
on the horizon tiny flames and pillows of
smoke The fire must have been over sew
enty miles from our camp. When the even
ing shadows deepened the wind blew
stronger and the smoke came pouring in
upon us so thick that we could not breathe
with comfort. The air became hotter and
hotter. Cattle and buffalo were stamped
ing and racing mile away, down in the
valley toward the north. The believing of
the beasts that seemed to realize that they
were racing for their lives was pitiful
believe that fully 1900 buffalo came snort
ing and running that way in the early even
THE half-oreed Indians came and
warned us that the fire was more heap
big than they had at first believed, and
that we should move camp further up the
butte In half hour tents were
struck, baggage and grub packed, and
horses ready In half an hour longer we
$50 feet further up, and out of any
possible danger from fire. There was not
a bit of verdure anywhere on the rocky
butte we had chosen as our erie and there
was little combustible anywhere about the
rocky base of the peculiar formation. At
about o clock that evening the wind broke
into a gale. The smoke was carried down
in the valley past us in enormous pillows,
moving northward at the rate OF a mile
minute. A lurid glare lit up the southern
horizon. AntelOpes and more buffaloes
bounded away to the north. Coyotes came
out Of the darkness and, terrified at the
smoke and hot air. Rugged close about the
base of the butte upon which we were in
camp.
The gale of hot wind grew even harder.
The smoke, in gigantic waves. rolled past
us faster and faster. The whole valley was
now burning. AS far as the eye could reach
wall of flame from ten TO twenty feet high.
Away to the west, where the plumes of tall
grass grew abundantly, the flaming wall
was much higher. The sullen roar of the
advancing flames reached our ears. In half
an hour the whole air as far we could
see in any direction was as light as noon
day. The prairie fire seemed like a titanic
dreds of miles long from the south to the
north. 1t was the most Strikingly colossal
thing / have ever seen. When the smoke
rose. il did on the wind every minute
We saw the flaming cataract as II tossed
and leaped fell and shot suddenly 10 great