The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-03-18

I l#lEE. AHH Il a
ease on So slowly
The horses all stopped grazing AMI
zaeeH anrously of In the direction
from which the sounds came. Thea
they began to snort and plunge aud
strain at their halters
something is wrong that's sure
sgI8 Auat Louisa's husband. grayely.
An al once. while We scanned the
.a.ns a brown cloud rolled slowly up
from behind a swell Of land a mile to th'
north " the creek. The next moment
q long line Of dark objects surgei 9Yef
the crest.
Its a buffalo run, Get to the Nas-
ems. all Of you,' Dakes cried.
NO, Ne, For your iiyes.' shouted
father aud Tobias together. 'on to tho
horses double treble anyhow and ride
Quick or we're lUst!'
The men Jumped for the horses, httei
on the women and children. and swung
themselves up ahead.
The earth was shaking beneath nus
as he black line of shaggy heads-a mile
wide seemingly, and still pouring owe
The ridge in countless numbers-bore
down toward us. nearer, nearer, q thirst
madaeued tbrong turning neither TO
right or left
Before we could start the horses half
the distance between US had been coy.
crcI /. seemed a hopeless race, but on
SIC went. ]clingiug for life. gathering
across the rocky creek.bed. taking A
southwest and quartering course to get
out Of range Of the oncoming multitude.
Dismay filled every heart. The won'
nn and children shrieked and covered
their heads. the men shouted hoarselg
and spurred the frightened horses 10
their utmost speed.
The ground throbbed beneath us. the
air was filled with a horrible rumbling,
the dust rolled over us in clouds.
On we galloped, and on Numbered 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 a
little time we kept the distance good
then, faded with the long journey and
heavily loaded, they began to fail be-
bind, and every moment We expected 10
be blotted out forever,
Nothing could be heard above the roar
Of the advancing mass. The dust clouds
chohed and blinded Us. We could not
see Tobias big roam, whose lead wa
were to follow, and each staggered on
for himself in the rush for life.
Now the usually sure-footed gray
horse on which / was seated behind
father stumbled into a gopher bUrrow.
We held our breath, lie almost Went
down. Then, gathering himself, ne
plunged forward again, | was thrown
off my feet by the last sudden1urch, but
| hung with a desperate grip to fathers |
hJmespun jacket,
Then all in a moment We found Wa
we're out Of reach, and the living torrent
swept by us and went roaring and crash 4
on over the plains toward the Plarro /
river, their goal of thirsty desire leav-
us half dead with the terror of flight /
After the air cleared we pulled our
together and retraced Il way 10
he midway camp. A wagon-wheel hera,
bit of canvas there, sllyered boards anil
few scraps of the iron kettles markell
he place, All else had been sweptaway.
The cows and Bouncer and poor Old
had either been borne off bodily
n the laundering herd, or else trodden
and annihilated in a moments
.pace-a fate we ourselves had narrow
y escaped.
The sea-chest had gone in the general
wreck, of course, together with the lin
n and bedding it had taken us so long 4
inc to get together. But the silver
milk jug, hurled behind a large stone in
he creek-hed. had m]iraculously escaped
absolute ruin, although its beauty was
.une forever.
Here was an overwhelming calamity.
Got only were our provisions gone. but
'so the guns and ammunition that
have procured meat. But it would
.ot do to wait and mourn over our losses.
We had to push on and find help.
This We did, and two days later fell In
With a government surveying party
rom il we bought three ~wagons-for
1rtuRateIy our men had carried their
money on their persons-some guns. and
roytsionB enough to starve along with
ntil we reached our destination.
Grandmother Decoster died the next
ear. She had given me the battered lit
.e milk jug with the old coat-of-arms.
Keep It my dear she said, 90 remind
On Of that day when Gods kind PROV
lepco brought Us all unhatmed ont of
threatened destruction - Youths Com.