The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1903-12-31
In Front OF a Stampede.

| Last August two men started out o.
their bicycles 10 see the YELLOWSTONE NJ
tionaI Park. They saw some other things
Lssving the railroad st Monids. the rout,
TO the park takes you through the Alssk,
Basic. Ia which are the head waters o.
the Missouri, sbont ionr thousand two
hundred miles from the month Of th,
Mississippi. II was sbCus Eve o'clook
ssys one oi the men, who tells the story
when, after Q long. rough ride, We er
tered the basin.
That was . magnificent sight, the geo,
ly undulsting bowl, sbout teo miles wide
by fifteen miles long, the sides slopins up
TO the snowy mouotai0s, aud toe whole
area dotted with cattle, OF which there
we're probably thirty Thousand 10 sight.
These osttle sre more attractive 10 o pic
ture than 10 personal encounter. Yves
tern steers on ell these great grazing
grounds take no notice OF . man on
horseback bnt be who ventures smone
them on foot risks bis life. 30 unused
sre they TO seeing man without horse
that they attack him as some strange ani
NAL. Whst, then. would be their st,i
tude TO men awheeif We soon found ont
We he'd trouble from the beginning
The Creatures would stand lowering and
believing right in our way. We would
ride straight toward The bunches that
stood in the treck. and 81 the last IN oment
they generally gave way. AT any rate
We msnseed TO get through, although IL
vas close work 10 many cases, Tbrooeb
bunch sfter burca We pnsbes. hoping for
better luck next time. Then, as The grade
begsn to nuke itself felt Ut the head OF
the basin. We ran into . series Of creeks,
the head waters oi the Missouri. They
we're up to thirty isel vide and three
feet deep. sll crossing our direction.
Right ct The point where the road was
worst and the streams .tbiekest . large
bunch Of cattle was feeding. Aiterwsrd
. cowboJ told rs thst they num bered
about seven thousand. They we're 60
solid 10 their ranks snd 90 strenuous 10
their opposition that We were forced 10
ride ous. They stretched 40 lar. however.
that We gave up the attempt 10 ride
Ground them.
We attempted to swing them on . run
~ith the ringing OF bells and shouting
They debsted % TO whether we or they
should do the rauning. Bot u lsst they
began to move di,gonslly across the track,
With much btllowiDg protest. As the
track cleared We rode close behind them.
sitb the thought OF keeping them on the
move. This succeeded very we'll until We
bad passed them ell, although il wss
very hsrd work. Then We discovered
thst the tables we're turned. they we're
sboat TO keep ns on the move. They
we're stsmpediog, end wes ere 10 the
lead.
We we're already thoroughly tired. The
ieep ruts and ,he many creeks furnished
ts9erstIons snlfi sient TO satisfy the
rough rider. Bat We bad sm
pie reasons for moving on. The stamp
81 hoofs behind vas like mtifi ID thunder
md the bellowing unlike sny sound
asd ever hssrd before. Heads down. per
'rirstiou 10 our eyes. over rocks, through |
Ill sorts OF streams We dashed. Yet II
,eemed hopeless TO stteupt to gtt away
rom that beiiowing, stsmpediog herd.
Il seemed impossible 10 mske another
urn to the pedals.
At lsst We crossed the worst OF oil the |
'tresms. rich. where the trail beains 10 |
sind % the pass. AID here. 90 the grade
ifew rapidly sleeper. ode Of the rider,
oppled from his machine. snd tho other
cit vision snd besripg becoming dim snd
'onfused. Toe sheels 10y 10 The trsck.
We ley among the ssse-brnsh. The bsl
owing seemed 10 grow fainter After .
' bile We looked np. to fnd lhs. The berd
bad stopped OF the ether side OF the
iresr. perhaps because they he'd reach
d the end OF their euzlns.zroupd, per
,sps becs1se q r.'yes conid DO longer
nske the pscs, ~ sere not curious 10
Inos the resfos