The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-20
Of Experience
in Red River Valley
in Winter of 1857
D.. 5. B. Johnston Of ST. Paul Tells Thrilling Experiences-Ex
citing Hunt for Buffalo for Foed-After Bitter
Storm Floods Descended

place. The guides, followed by Moul-
ton, English Bill and /, started to cir
Gle around the meadow where the buff
a had been feeding. Abou two
miles farther away we found where
the animals, evidently heightened, had
gone out to the prairie on the jump.
The guides took the pony and started
on the trail and the rest of us re-
turned to camp, and non too Don A
lively blizzard was sweeping down. All
hands cut and dragged the dryest
wood we could find while the snow
drove in great blanket sheets f~iercely
upo us. Gradually it put out our fire
and wet and exhausted, our tent blown
down, we were doubtful what to do.
At this j%uncture the guides returned.
Spread out the bed and get into it as
quick as you can, shouted Pierre, and
we obeyed. .
pierre walked me about 8 in the
morning, trying to start up the fire
from a few Goals that were still alive
under the logs of the afternoon fire.
The guides had oVertaken the two buff
falo and put four shotgun bullets into
them. They evidently were severely
wounded, n had to be left because
of the rapidly approaching blizzard.
Sunday dawned clear, but intensely
cold. Usually we did not travel on
outlay, DuI III ILLS IJIlS vi SuuuSI
storm We felt called On to push on.
Cattle Become Weaker.
"Our cattle also were growing weak,
and the ankles of some of them were
as large as tea kettles, having
been cut by sharp snow crusts and in
famed by freezing. We were some
thirty-five miles from our destination
on the Red river, and there was only
one reliable patch of timber on the
way. This was at Lightning lake. We
were ten miles distant from that lake.
n we did not know what deep drifts
Of snow might obstruct our way. The
guides said our safety lay in pushing
on as fast and direct as we were able.
After we had gone about five miles
Moulton and Charlie Bottineau con-
to go after the wounded buffalo.
TUESDAY started in clear and cold.
Shortly after we started we saw two
buffalo off to the left. Pierre and
Moulton started after them. Charlie
and l Wen on ahead of our teams.
We were soon met by Pierre with the
information that one of the animals
that he and Charlie had wounded was
near. Charlie and I started on a trot
in the direction Pierre pointed. The
snow was more than a foot deep, with
a crust on top, through which we
broke about every fifth step. In that
way we ran over a mile. Reaching
the last bench of lane we crawled
carefully up until w reached the sum-
nit of the bench. About forty rods
away we saw the buffalo lying in the
snow. The buffalo dragged himself
on three legs about twenty rods fur
Their and then gave up. Charlie reach
ed him first, and emptied both bar
rels of his gun into him. without
bringing him down. Nearly GREATNESS
from wallowing through the snow, l
reached the buffalo just as Charlie
went wild, but I had a cartridge in
before Charlie could get a ball down
one barrel.
Tackle Wounded Buffalo.
I'VE tried to get around to his side,
but, snorting, and his bead-Iike eyes
glowing like Goals of fire through the
shaggy hair of his forehead, the buff
falo swung on his crippled hips and
faced me. l told Charlie. to attract
his attention in front and keep on
loading his gun. I stepped around to
his left side and put a bullet in his
heart, which killed him. Hearing the
brought the teams around, and we
were all highly pleased that we would
not have to eat pork for supper
Thursday, the 29th. We started for
the junction of the Bots DIES Sioux and
Otter Tail rivers, where we were
to make u first town, called
Breckenridge. Near the junction
of the two rivers we saw fresh
buffalo tracks. We followed them
to the mouth of the Bots des
Sioux river, when the guides left us
with Instructions to keep down by the
river out of sight and keep quiet while
they went after the buffalo, which evil
IDENTIFY were quite numerous. In about
an hour we saw a herd Of fully eighty
buffalo back on the prairie east of the
river, with the: guides crawling through
the snow to get up to them. Moulton
and 1 started up the river on the run,
wallowing through -four foot drifts, to
stop the teams, which were not more
than three-quarters of a mile away,
and in a direct line with the buffalo. |