was getting along toward midnight when all at once
we became aware of a roaring noise in the north like thunder, slowly
growing louder as it approached, and I said to the boys that it must be
a buffalo stampede. We immediately gave the alarm and started for our
herd to get them out of the way of the buffalo, but we soon found that
despite our utmost efforts we would be unable to get them out of the
way, so we came to the conclusion to meet them with our guns and try and
turn the buffalo from our direction if possible, and prevent them from
going through our herd. Accordingly all hands rode to meet the oncoming
stampede, pouring volley after volley into the almost solid mass of
rushing beasts, but they paid no more attention to us than they would
have paid to a lot of boys with pea shooters. On they came, a maddened,
plunging, snorting, bellowing mass of horns and hoofs. One of our
companions, a young fellow by the name of Cal Surcey, who was riding a
young horse, here began to have trouble in controlling his mount and
before any of us could reach him his horse bolted right in front of the
herd of buffalo and in a trice the horse and rider went down and the
whole herd passed over them. After the herd had passed we could only
find a few scraps of poor Cal's clothing, and the horse he had been
riding was reduced to the size of a jack rabbit. The buffalo went
through our herd killing five head and crippling many others, and
scattering them all over the plain. This was the year that the great
buffalo slaughter commenced and such stampedes were common then. It
seemed to me that as soon as we got out of one trouble we got into
another on this trip. But we did not get discouraged, but only wondered
what would happen next. We did not care much for ourselves, as we were
always ready and in most cases anxious for a brush with the Indians, or
for the other dangers of the trail, as they only went to relieve the
dull monotony of life behind the herd. But these cattle were entrusted
to our care and every one represented money, good hard cash. So we did
not relish in the least having them stampeded by the Indians or run over
by the buffaloes. If casualties kept up at this rate, there would not be
very many cattle to deliver in Wyoming by the time we got there. After
the buffalo stampede we rounded up our scattered herd and went into camp
for a couple of days' rest before proceeding on our journey north. The
tragic death of Cal Surcey ha
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