Year: 1871




themselves surrounded by these strangely ven.
omous serpenis, while riding through a vii
lage, and stopping, shot Four large ones with
REVIEWERS and were finally glad TO beat re-
treat. myself came Upon one where could
| find nothing with which TO kill him, being nj
the time unarmed; and though have killed
many, the fearful venom Of this village senti-
mel sent through me, a thrill of horror and I
gladly rode away, no more TO disturb them or
their fellow dodgers.
But to return TO the subject Seeing no i'm.
mediate hope of the water falling. we deter
mined 10 pass the stream and go on 40, some
one crossed on the trunk Of fallen tree, and
caught the end OF a rope thrown IN him, by
means of which 1t was proposed to cross this
now deep and angry stream. BY fastening
the halter OF q horse or a mule to loop in
the middle of the rope and drawing part of
the length Of the rope, with the halter attach
cd, over, unhitcling the animal and drawing
back from the other end, we were finally ena-
! bled TO swim all our stock over in safety N.
Daly fastening down the wagon box and Sc
curely packing in it what was not already
carried across the log, we drew Il tao, over,
and were soon on our way toward the promis.
| cd land.


Camping on the Menescah-"good rver"-
we posted the first camp guard since starting.
No need TO remind the weary guard 10 be
wakeful, for he had much wakeful company
that niRht-a myriad Of great grey wolves,
looking with their bright cruel eyes on his
every notion Never was camp more vigi.
lantly guarded-never were sleepers aroused
by hoarser or more sullen music. A legion of
fiends might fail to initiate it, and yet, to me.
the deep bass of their long drawn howls, is
strangely musical.


Why, oh Boston, do ye rest content with
the ringing of bells and the firing of cannon ?


Thus far the PLAIN gradually changed from
an almost perfect level at the Arkansas, TO
gentle undulations, and from undulatlng to
hiily, as we passed westward. Still further
on rising in long, gentle slopes from the
stream into majestic heights miles and miles
away crowned with dclusivc lakes and
streams, or with hazy glimmcrings of blue
aud gold, stretched the boundless plain, the
grandest solitude of earth


No living creature, no habitation, no rock,





the endlcsss view, which fails at last, only
with the failure of human sight. A reach of
of scar, yelow-brown grass-nothinS but
grass-thc breeze luled to sleep, the warm,
yellow rays of noon-day sun combined in
silence deep in this profoundest solitude.


AT earliest dawn, the party, eager as the
savage children of the desert moved toward
the forks of the Mcnescah, where we expected
to find our game.


Up the long assent we slowly rode, until
from It's highest ridge appeared a fairy valley,
Tar away, where we knew from the contour of
the country, was another stream though no
dark fringe of trees marked its course, as is
usual in Kansas. And away beyond the val
ley, half way up the distant slope, clear cut
and distinct against the lighter ackground,
we saw myriad of moving black objects
nay, speeks-so very, very small, that an eye
unframed on the great lakes or broad prairies
of the West, might never have noticed them.
Miles and miles away, but buffalo all the same,
and we could reach them in two hours


All! nearer yet Scarcely mile away, on
a hill to the right, few showed their shaggy,
black forms, marveously plain to see in that
dry, clear atmosphere.


| In the account of the hunt am cempelled
to give merely a story Of my own personal
ransactions-poor as it may be in comparison
with Othrrs-flom the fact that hunted large
lY alone.


half mile nearer / rode and then dis
mounting, fastened the reins to the grass and
advanced cautiously behind an intervening
hill, hoping thus TO creep within gun-shot of
the group, for we had decided upon "still
hunting as ii is called But it was early IN
the day, and they were feeding in the opposite
direction faster than could creep toward
them, and found the sights of the old carbine
so coarse as to cover the whole herd, at dis.
tance which now doubt not was a quarter
of mile, 80 after long trial, the buffalo saw
me and fled in long, plunging gallop. Re-
turning Tor my ony, soon after commenced
another advance against herd down smooth
slope, across buffalo grass" scarce twice the
length of the hair of the noble beasts that fed
upon it-or no more than an inch and half
long, thick and soft as fur And dull of sight
MS the buffalo certainly is, this was a difficult
task. which resulted much as before


Now, grown desperate by faiiure,I deter
mined 10 try the experiment had longed for
Ian open chase, fair race with these burly
princes of the dcsert-so creeping back to my
faithful pony, which had carried me in many
a chase after the long g-horned Texas cattle, l
sprang into the saddle and commenced the
desperate run, 80 long, so fierce, that one
might fairly hold his breath to see tAe effort it
cost, for much ground had to he gained ere
the run became rnce for life with the buffa-
10, And gallantly the pony gained that
ground, gallantly carried me into the midst of
fhat herd of frothing wild beasts, within dez-
en- feet of kingly brute, on which / fired,
wounding him, as suppose, for he lefi the
herd On and on We almost flew, still vainly
trying the tTeaeherOus old csrbine, until the
buffalo's tongues were out and my pony ready
10 drop from exhaustion, but no more would
1t shoot.


Then springiDg from my pony, i fixed the
carbine, and followed the buffalo on foot, into
the hills towards which we had been running,