﻿. 
  ALLBN.] 
  HABIT8 
  OF 
  THE 
  BifcON. 
  471 
  

  

  desperatelj 
  engaged 
  iu 
  the 
  effort 
  to 
  take 
  his 
  life. 
  But 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  since, 
  

   as 
  one 
  of 
  mj 
  hunting 
  companions 
  and 
  myself 
  were 
  returning 
  to 
  our 
  en- 
  

   campment 
  with 
  our 
  horses 
  loaded 
  with 
  meat, 
  we 
  discovered 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  

   a 
  huge 
  bull, 
  encircled 
  with 
  a 
  gang- 
  of 
  white 
  wolves; 
  we 
  rode 
  upas 
  near 
  

   as 
  we 
  could 
  without 
  driving 
  them 
  away, 
  and, 
  being 
  within 
  pistol-shot, 
  

   we 
  had 
  a 
  remarkably 
  good 
  view, 
  where 
  I 
  sat 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  and 
  

   made 
  a 
  sketch 
  in 
  ujy 
  note-book 
  (plate 
  csiv) 
  ; 
  after 
  which 
  we 
  rode 
  up 
  and 
  

   gave 
  the 
  signal 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  disperse, 
  which 
  they 
  instantly 
  did, 
  withdraw- 
  

   ing 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  fifty 
  or 
  sixty 
  rods, 
  when 
  we 
  found, 
  to 
  

   our 
  great 
  surprise, 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  had 
  made 
  desperate 
  resistance, 
  his 
  

   eyes 
  being 
  entirely 
  eaten 
  out 
  of 
  his 
  head, 
  the 
  gristle 
  of 
  his 
  nose 
  mostly 
  

   gone, 
  his 
  tongue 
  half 
  eaten 
  off, 
  and 
  the 
  skin 
  and 
  flesh 
  of 
  his 
  legs 
  torn 
  

   almost 
  literally 
  into 
  strings. 
  In 
  this 
  tattered 
  and 
  torn 
  condition, 
  the 
  

   poor 
  old 
  veteran 
  stood 
  bracing 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  his 
  devourers, 
  who 
  

   had 
  ceased 
  hostilities 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  to 
  enjoy 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  parley, 
  recov- 
  

   ering 
  strength 
  and 
  preparing 
  to 
  resume 
  the 
  attack 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  

   again. 
  In 
  this 
  group 
  some 
  were 
  reclining 
  to 
  ga*in 
  breath, 
  whilst 
  others 
  

   were 
  sneaking 
  about 
  and 
  licking 
  their 
  chops 
  in 
  anxiety 
  for 
  a 
  renewal 
  of 
  

   the 
  attack; 
  and 
  others, 
  less 
  lucky, 
  had 
  been 
  crushed 
  to 
  death 
  by 
  the 
  feet 
  

   or 
  the 
  horns 
  of 
  the 
  bull. 
  I 
  rode 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  pitiable 
  object 
  as 
  he 
  stood 
  

   bleeding 
  and 
  trembling 
  before 
  me, 
  and 
  said 
  to 
  him, 
  'Xow 
  is 
  your 
  time, 
  

   old 
  fellow, 
  and 
  you 
  had 
  better 
  be 
  off.' 
  Though 
  blind 
  and 
  nearly 
  de- 
  

   stroyed, 
  there 
  seemed 
  evidently 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  recognition 
  of 
  a 
  friend 
  in 
  me, 
  as 
  

   he 
  straightened 
  up, 
  and, 
  trembling 
  with 
  excitement, 
  dashed 
  off 
  at 
  full 
  

   speed 
  upon 
  the 
  prairie, 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  We 
  turned 
  our 
  horses 
  and 
  re- 
  

   sumed 
  our 
  march, 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  had 
  advanced 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  we 
  looked 
  

   back, 
  and 
  on 
  our 
  left, 
  where 
  we 
  saw 
  again 
  the 
  ill-fated 
  animal 
  surrounded 
  

   by 
  his 
  tormentors, 
  to 
  whose 
  insatiable 
  voracity 
  he 
  unquestionably 
  soon 
  

   fell 
  a 
  victim." 
  

  

  The 
  buffalo, 
  when 
  taken 
  young, 
  is 
  easily 
  tamed, 
  and 
  soon 
  becomes 
  

   thoroughly 
  domesticated. 
  With 
  this 
  fact 
  so 
  well 
  known, 
  it 
  seems 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  that 
  this 
  animal 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  long 
  since 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  

   our 
  list 
  of 
  domesticated 
  and 
  useful 
  animals. 
  The 
  few 
  experiments 
  that 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  encouraging 
  results, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  

   shown 
  in 
  a 
  later 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  memoir,* 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  failed 
  

   simply 
  through 
  lack 
  of 
  interest 
  and 
  persistency. 
  Through 
  crossing 
  

   them 
  with 
  domestic 
  cattle 
  they 
  have 
  even 
  given 
  promise 
  of 
  improved 
  

   breeds, 
  and 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  propagate 
  them 
  in 
  confinement 
  by 
  an 
  enter- 
  

   prising 
  stock- 
  raiser, 
  either 
  as 
  pure 
  stock 
  or 
  as 
  a 
  mixed 
  race, 
  would 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  prove 
  remunerative. 
  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  range 
  of 
  

   of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  tame 
  individuals 
  are 
  frequently 
  met 
  with, 
  which 
  are 
  

   reared 
  and 
  kept 
  simply 
  as 
  pets 
  or 
  objects 
  of 
  curiosity, 
  just 
  as 
  occasional 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  deer, 
  elk, 
  or 
  pronghorn 
  are 
  kept. 
  A 
  young 
  buffalo 
  

   that 
  was 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  sutler 
  at 
  Fort 
  Hays 
  in 
  1871, 
  then 
  about 
  two 
  

   years 
  old, 
  iiroved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  most 
  eccentric 
  and 
  amusing 
  beast. 
  Through 
  

   the 
  attentions 
  of 
  visitors 
  he 
  acquired, 
  among 
  his 
  other 
  accomplishments, 
  

   a 
  great 
  fondness 
  for 
  beer, 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  vv^ould 
  sometimes 
  partake 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   cess, 
  when 
  he 
  would 
  occasionally 
  perform 
  rather 
  strange 
  antics. 
  He 
  

   was 
  usually 
  inoffensive 
  in 
  his 
  manners, 
  though 
  latterly 
  his 
  behavior 
  to 
  

   strangers 
  was 
  rather 
  too 
  familiar 
  to 
  be 
  always 
  agreeable, 
  and 
  gradually 
  

   he 
  became 
  somewhat 
  irritable 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  constant 
  teasing. 
  But 
  

   on 
  these 
  occasions 
  of 
  inebriety 
  he 
  sometimes 
  took 
  it 
  into 
  his 
  head 
  to 
  

   clear 
  the 
  so-called 
  "officers' 
  room" 
  at 
  the 
  sutler's, 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  often 
  

   admitted, 
  of 
  its 
  occuT^ants. 
  On 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  occasions 
  he 
  is 
  reported 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  " 
  The 
  Domestication 
  of 
  the 
  Buffalo." 
  

  

  