Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1903-02-20

then. They were heaued directly
for the bluff and I did not shoot as
often as usual. but I had them
thoroughly frightened and they thun-
dered on for the bluff, making the
ground fairly tremble with their
weight
''You know, a BUTLER always runs
with his head down and ths leaders
Of the band were fairly in the trap
before they saw it. The leaders tried
to check the rush and swerve to the
fringe Of pines in an effort to prevent
going over the cliff, but the weight Of
beef coming behind was so great that
they could not stop and over they
went, AS soon as I saw they were
headed right I turned my horse to one
side and rushed him to the top of a
high butte in order to avoid being
trampled by the rush Of the survivors,
should any succeed in escaping from
the crush. It is we'll I did, for in a
few minutes after I had left the trail
fully 100 maddened animals plunged
back along the back trail, fairly blind
with terror.
"From my station OIL the butte top
I had an excellant view Of the ava
lanche Of buff lers as it poured over
the edge of the bluff. 1t was nearly 100
feet to the frozen surface OF the Vel
lowstone and the majority Of them
were killed as they fell. Some Of the
last ones that went over apparently
escaped with little injury, their less
fortunate herd-mates serving as a
cushion to break the fall, and after
being stunned they dragged them
selves across the. slippery ice and
crossed the river to safety.
"Some of the animals were Grip
pied SO badly that they could not get
up and after watching with chagrin
over fifty head cross the river to safe
ty I went down to the river to put
the wounded animals out of their
misery. My pony I had left on the
river bank grazing, and was soon
busy shooting the crippled brutes. 1
counted over. 200 carcasses on the ice
and was looking owe the bunch when
I heard something spet in the ice i'm
mediately in front of me. An in
slant later I heard the report Of a gun,
and looking across the river I saw
that I was the target for a dozen red
skins, and they we're apparently
bound to have my scalp and the i'm
mense pile of meat I had killed.
The next instant I saw them I lodged
behind the carcass Of a big bull and
opened fire ia return. I had an old
Sharps rifle which would shoot and
kill nearly a mile, and with the buff
lers as barbados I managed to keep
my skin intact until darkness came,
laying out n or two reds in the
meantime. During this time one of
the red men, while the others held
my attention in the front, crossed the
river a mile or more above and stole
my horse, which left me afoot. This
I discovered after dark when I reach
ed the bank and whistled vainly fol
the pony.
"By keeping close to the bank l
managed to reach camp, but found
not a sign of life about the place.
The SINNERS had not returned and
the camp cook I found tomahawked
a short distance from the cold camp.
fire. Afterwards I found that all Of
my SINNERS had been surprised and
murdered, and 1t was only by the
greatest scratch in the world and af.
ter enduring almost unheard of priva.
lions that I reached old Fort Ellis,
footsore, frost bitten and in rags, 8
month later.
IT had nearly 200 prime hides il
that camp which I was compelled tx
abandon and the thought Of the othe,
300 hides waiting to be stripped of
the %rcass on the river made m,
sick to think about.
The following spring I accom-
panied a government party down tn
J river and after considerable searcl
we fouond the bodies of my thre'
other SINNERS, but I never found
trace Of the hides I had sailed ava,
in the camp.
. "Some years afterwards, after til
Crows had been licked out Of thei
. boots and had concluded to be peace
full, Old Plenty Goes told me how b
surprised a white man who had chas
ed a lot Of buffers over the cliff an
how the white man had drowned him
. self in an air hole rather than tax
6 tchances of being an Indian captive
a Plenty Goes said that the Indians {
9 Grow tribe camped on the river a
d winter and had buff Ter meat all wiz
ter long. In the spring he says the
sold $50 hides to a white trader VII
it came up the river on a fire boat. Oh
l. Plenty Goes was a wealthy India
l. then. and told him those b;5,tu,