The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1905-03-24


ter holes in some of the creeks had now
disappeared.
We had come upon creek where there
was hole containing little warm and
muddy water Near the north bank OF
the creek we found few punches of
greasewOod for our campfire. A half
dozen scraggy cottonwoods promised US
shade. Altogether we were fortunate,
and we concluded to make long noon
ing and get good rest.
Greasewood was soon hacked off, a
fire was lighted, and several prairie
hens which had been taken in the morn
ing were set to cook for dinner. | re-
member was playing with home made
doll under the ecottonwood-trees when q
low rumbling like deep, far-distant
thunder attracted everyone's attention.
The sky was clear. There were no in
dications of a shower approaching. But
the rumble grew louder every instant,
AMI soon the ground began to tremble.
Its an earthquake" Tobias Tucker
shouted. Truly the continuous jarrinS
did suggest the approach of an earth
quake; but it seemed strange that 1t
came on SO slowly.
The horses all stopped grazing AMI
gazed anxiously off in the direction
from which the sounds came. Ifen
they began to snort and plunge ana
strain at their halters.
Something is wrong that's sure.
said Aunt Louisa's husband, gravely
All at once, while we scanned the
plains, brown cloud rolled slowly up
from behind swell of land mile to the
north of the creek. The next moment
long line of dark objects surged over
the crest.
Its buffalo run. Get to the -wag-
ons, all of you.' Dakes cried.
mo! No. For your lives!" shouted
father and Tobias together. "On to the
horses, double. treble, anyhow, and ride.
Quick or we're lost
The~men jumped for the horses, liftei
on the women and children, and swung
themselves up ahead.
The earth was shaking beneath nus
as the black line of shaggy heads-a mile
wide seemingly. and still pouring over
the ridge in countless numbers-bore
down toward us, nearer. nearer, a thirst
maddened throng turning neither TO
right or left.
Before we could start the horses half
the distance between us had been COW
cred 1t seemed hopeless race, but on
we went clinging for life, clatterlnS
across the rocky creei-bed, taking
southwest and quartering course to get
e Al ,fy,er MN
Dismay filled every heart. The wom-
en- and children shrieked and covered
their heads the men shouted hoarSely
and spurred the frightened horses TO
their utmost speed.
The ground throbbed beneath us, the
air was filled with horrible rumDllnS,
the dust rolled over us in clouds.
On we galloped. and on thundered the
living mass behind. If our horses could
only hold on to take us outside the line
of death dealing hoofs!
Faster we urged the horses and for
little time we kept the distance good.
then. jaded with the long journey and
heavily loaded they began to fall be-
hind. and every moment we expected TO
be blotted out forever.
Nothing could be heard above the roar
of the advancing mass. The dust clouds
choked and blinded us. We could not
see Tobias big roam, whose lead we
were to follow, and each staggered on
for himself in the rush for life.
Now the usually sure-footed gray
horse on which l was seated behind
;ot~ h1Irr
We held our breath. He almost went
down. Then, gathering himself, he
plunged forward again. / was thrown
off my feet by the last sudden lurch. but
| hung with desperate grip to fathers
homespun jacket.
Then all in a moment we found we
were out of reach, and the living torrent
swept by us and went roaring and crash
ing on over the plains toward the Platte
river, their goal of thirsty desire leay-
ing us half dead with the terror OF fight.
After the air cleared we pulled our
selves together and retraced our way to
the midway camp. A wagon-wheel here,
a bit of canvas there, slivered boards and
a few scraps of the iron kettles markell
the place All else ndu Oech S"opeuW" W"y.
The cows and Bouncer and poor old
Peleg had either been borne off bodily
in the laundering herd, or else trodden
down and annihilated in moments
space-a fate we ourselves had narrow
ly escaped.
The sea-chest had gone in the general
wreck, of course, together with the lin
en- and bedding it had taken us SO long q