f EB, ^4, 1900.3 
FO:^EST AND STtlEAM. 
bluffs on my side, and again winding away to the opposing 
bluffs which rose in the same chaos of hills and canons 
to the table lands on the other side again. I had climbed 
up there, and looked at it for hours, on more than one 
occasion. The picture still had its charms, and I stood 
looking down and across at it for some time, oblivious to 
all else, and then I was startled out of my reverie again 
by the unmistakable rumble of hoof, and turning saw the 
table land behind me black and swarming with buffalo. 
There were not in compact mass, but scattered over a 
good deal of ground, and my position was in the center of 
the advancing column. Had they been in close rank I 
should have hesitated to do what I did, but straggling as 
they were, I felt no fear. 
Taking a position at the end of the very last little break 
in the table, I lay flat on the prairie with my arms and 
gun resting on a rise of some six inches just in front, 
which rise included the depth of my rifle pit. The buffalo 
were half a mile away when first sighted, and were com- 
ing rather slowly, so that I had ample time to get com- 
posed, and my nerve well in hand before they came within 
gun shot. 
There was an old bull well in front of the line just 
opposite of me. His course led slightly to the right of my 
position, and he came to the verge of the table some sixty- 
yards away. He stopped to look about as he reached the 
crest, which was just what I wanted him to do, and which 
was fatal to his further reign as lord of the prairie. 
I knew how the hunter was supposed to operate to get a 
stand on a herd of buffalo, but had never yet succeeded in 
doing it. The idea was to break the back of the leader 
without killing him, so that he might bellow and call the 
rest to his aid. 
A retired buffalo hunter by the name of Hill, who 
kept a store at Stockton, Kan., some twenty-five years 
ago, told me he shot a bull in this way, and that the others 
gathered round the fallen bull and pawed and bellowed 
until he shot sixty-five of them. I never believed this 
story, but from what I have seen and heard, think the 
principle correct. 
At the crack of my gun the old fellow went down in ' 
a heap, but after some little struggle regained his front 
feet and bellowed like a "mad bull." At the sound the 
buffalo in the long, straggling line for a couple of hundred 
yards, began to verge toward that point. Some of them 
passed within fifty yards of me, but I let them go, and 
watched to see what the result was going to be. VVhen 
the first one arrived at the wounded bull it stopped and be- 
gan to bellow, and seemed to be trying to help its wounded 
comrade to his feet with its horns. The next one did 
likewise, and so on until there was a dozen bellowing 
round the struggling bull. It was now time for me to be- 
gin operations, and I opened fire on a fat cow. The first 
shot brought her down, and then partially struggling to 
her feet she plunged forward over the breaks and rolled 
full two hundred feet to the. bottom of a canon, where 
the men found her in the evening when they came out to 
do the skinning and dressing, 
The result of the shot was doubtless unfortunate in that 
it divided the attention of the buffalo, some of them 
following the cow, and by the time I had got in two more 
counters, the bull had ceased to bellow and was lying 
quiet. The buffalo that had gathered about him began to 
move on with the passing herd, and my stand was at an 
end. 
It was an imposing sight to see that rolling mass of 
black hulks come sweeping up to the verge and plunge 
over like a gigantic water fall, for the line extended as 
far as I could see east and west. Their gait at first had 
been leisurely, but they broke into a rolling gallop one by 
one as I began shooting, until the whole plain seemed a 
tossing black mass. Not a compact mass by any means, as 
there were places where one, two and even three hundred 
yards separated one buffalo from another, but looked at 
horizontally they seemed a compact mass. 
As the buffalo neared the break, they concentrated and 
went over in long, black lines to accommodate them- 
selves to the grade just as water that has fallen on a 
common level gathers in streams as it flows down the 
hillside. Indeed, at that time all the rougher lands on the 
Western plains were seamed all over with buffalo paths 
following the easier grades from the highest tables down 
through the broken ground to the streams ; and also up 
and down the streams. One need be at no trouble to find 
the easiest way if his course lead him from the upper table 
to the nearest stream, or vice versa, as the bultalo paths 
would take him the most direct and the most feasible 
route. 
For fifteen minutes the buffalo were passing, and after 
the failure of my plot I directed my shots at favorable 
offerings from these, and when the last of them had gone 
' over the break I found I had accounted for seven of 
' them. The last of these was a grizzled old bull who, 
though of giant stature, had evidently been whipped into 
submission by the younger bulls, as he came loafing along 
far in the rear. He came along within easy range of my 
position, and as I swung the gun on him, his eye caught 
the motion, and he stopped to look, turning his head in my 
' direction he gave me a fair shot at the curl in the center 
'of his forehead. 
I had always heard that a rifle ball would not penetrate 
the hair, sand and skull of a buffalo, yet I determ.ined to 
try. I heard the bullet spat, as if it might have struck a 
pine board or even a sheet of paper, and then go yowling 
away into the further distance, while the bull dropped in 
his tracks. Investigation showed that the bullet had 
struck fair in the center of the bulge of the forehead, and 
came out along the neck, just back of the ear. 
A needle gun would usually drive its lead entirely 
through the body of a buffalo, but two out of three would 
lodge against the. hide opposite where they entered, just 
as one finds No. 6 shot lodged against the hide of a 
squirrel after having gone through the body. Now and 
then when a bullet came out at some part of the body 
where the skin is tightly drawn,_ it would cut its way 
through and again it would lodge in the flesh after having 
been flattened on some large bone, but the hunter usually 
got the greater part of his lead back on skinning his 
game. The same bullet would often lodge in the body 
of a deer in the same way when shot through some 
flexible part. 
I have been much interested in the debate as to "What 
is the best gun for moose?" In some cases I have been 
amused at the evident belief of the writers that everything 
hinged on some particular brand of rifle, and nothing on 
the placing of the lead. Now I can take any rifle made, 
between a .32-40 common, and a .30-40 nitro, and kill 
moose or grizzly with it at 50 to 100 yards' range, pro- 
vided I have sufficient time for sighting and a fair shot. 
If my life depended on a single shot, however, I should 
prefer to make it with one of Capt. Clark's 13-inch 
cannon. 
The best gun for big game is the one the shooter 
can place his lead to the best advantage with. Outside 
of this the advantage goes to the greater penetrative 
force and the greater weight of lead. I do not intend 
that all argument shall stop here by reason of this con- 
clusive statement; I only make it as having occurred to 
me on reading some of the experiences with different 
rifles. 
Some may wonder at the foolhardiness of lying down 
on the prairie in front of an advancing herd of buffalo, 
but there was nothing foolhardy about it. The lay of the 
land was my protection. The little hollow I occupied 
was the first break leading to a deep canon. A few paces 
further on there was a sheer drop of twenty feet. Buffalo 
don't go over such places, but avoid them as a bird avoids 
any object in the line of its flight. The game paths led 
at least thirty yards to the right and left of me. Another 
thing that was a reliable protection is the fact that nothing 
outside of absolue force can drive buffalo or domestic 
animals over a man lying prostrate on the prairie. 
For some time after all the buffalo had crossed near 
me, I could see them crossing the table land a mile to the 
west, and having a pony picketed at the foot of the bluffs, 
ran down and mounted him. Riding up stream as fast as 
the nature of the ground would permit, I crossed the south 
branch of the creek near the forks and got in ahead of the 
last of the herd. 
The country between the forks of the creek was a sandy 
prairie, with low hills, over which one could ride at full 
.speed without danger, there being no sharp hreaks for a 
horse to stumble over, and only yielding sand to fall on in 
case of a tumble. Noting these conditions, I headed the 
pony for the nearest buffalo, dropped the reins on his 
neck and bade him go. 
The pony had been recommended to me as a trained 
buffalo hunter, and proved to be just what he was recom- 
mended to be. The ease and grace with which he carried 
me alongside one after another of those buffalo was very 
gratifying. I had had but little practice at shooting from 
horseback, and could not hit a buffalo more than half the 
time at ten yards range, but Avhen I got close enough so 
that I could burn the hair on their sides, I could usually 
place my shot right. When I had six down the rest were 
well scattered, and my pony beginning to breathe heavily, 
so I drew rein and rode back to camp. 
I had a complete scoop on the rest of the hunters, as 
they had been so deeply absorbed in the seven-up that the 
buffalo had not been discovered until they were past the 
camp. This left them nothing to do but make a stern 
chase through the rough hills to the east of the north 
branch of the creek. Under such circumstances it was 
well nigh impossible to accomplish anything. 
Wit'n thirteen buffalo down and five teams in waiting 
for a load, I was the hero of the camp until they were 
loaded and off for home. The Parson. 
A Tragedy of the Kipewa. 
The sight I witnessed some years ago is so unique that 
I think it will prove interesting to the readers of Forest 
AND Stream. 
I was at the time stationed right in the moose country, 
having for its center the great Kipewa Lake. One day 
toward the end of November, when, as yet only the bays 
of the big lake were frozen, I started to visit some mink 
traps in my qanoe, accompanied by a small little rat of a 
dog. It was still open water in the body of the lake, but 
as I have said, the bays were frozen a couple of inches 
thick._ There is a long point of land jutting into the 
lake. Open water washed the beach on my side of this; 
but on the other side was a frozen bay. I landed about the 
middle of the point to fix up a mink trap. The little dog 
ran up into the timber, and a minute or two after I heard 
him giving tongue in a savage manner for so small a beast, 
and I knew he must have started up something extraordi- 
nary, possibly a bear. I ran down to the canoe for my 
gun, and started off in the direction of the barking, which 
by that time was becoming more remote. Pushing on, I 
came out to the shore on the opposite side of the point. 
Here I witnessed a sight never before nor after seen by 
mc during a residence of over thirty years in the wilds 
of Canada. 
A large coav moose was slipping about on the glare ice 
trying to make her way to the other side of the bay. I 
was so spellbound for a few moments that I let the op- 
portunity pass to shoot. The ice was so glare that it 
was with difficulty the large animal could make headway 
at all. 
My little dog had now come up with her, and very 
pluckilj' nipped her heels. The huge beast tried to turn 
in her headway to face the cur. In doing so, her four 
feet all slipped at once from under her, and her great 
weight coming down so suddenly on the thin, ice caused it 
to break in fragments, and the moose was in the water. 
To get out of that hole with no bottom to spring from 
was more than that moose, or any other, could do, but the 
poor beast did not reahze this, and continued swimming 
around, and every now and again getting its front hoofs 
on the slippery edge, only to fall backward again into the 
ice waters. 
The dog followed it about the opening, barking con- 
tinually, but the moose had more pressing business than 
to bother with a small dog. I saw that the creature would 
never succeed in extracting itself, and thought to end its 
misery. From where I stood the distance from the shore 
was about two hundred yards. I therefore started to load 
my gun (it was before the days of breechloaders), but 
when I got to the final of putting on the percussion 
cap, there was none. 
Although I was positively sure the moose would be 
frozen stiff in that hole in the morning, the fascination 
of the sight kept me standing there on the rocks watching 
her struggles. 
I must have stood there for two full hours, as the sun 
of the short November day began to get near the tree- 
tops, and a cold, cutting north wind began to blow. 
The poor moose was now swimming about very slowly, 
and at times turning up on her side. This told me the 
end was not far off. 
The last look I gave she had part of her head resting 
on the ice, and her body floating on its side. Then I 
recrossed the point and paddled home as fast as I could. 
Next morning we got a large canoe out of winter 
quarters, and with my two men we paddled back to the 
point, supplied with ropes and axes. The night had been 
a cold one, and had increased the thickness of the ice 
sufficient for us to walk upon. We cut a couple of 
long pines, or levers, and went out to the hole. The head 
was frozen just in the position I had last seen it, and this 
kept the body from sinking. Our first precaution was to 
chop the ice away about the carcass and get ropes about 
It. Then we got another around the neck and chopped the 
head clear. 
We dropped it as it was to the shore, and there cut it 
up in quarters. All of the breast, neck and front legs 
were quite u.seless, being a mass of conjected blood and 
bruised flesh, caused by the moose's contact with the ice. 
These condemned parts, however, were not altogether use- 
less, because I used them to bait my traps. Besides the 
eatable part of the meat, I got twenty pairs of shoes out 
of the hide. AIartin Hunter. 
Just after the above account of the very unusual occur- 
rance was received, a press dispatch telling of a some- 
what similar happening appeared in the New York news- 
papers. There is no doubt that accidents of one sort and 
another are responsible for the death of large game much 
more frequently than we imagine. It is certain also that 
among the young of such animals there is a considerable 
mortality, although we do not know that any observations 
on this subject have been recorded. Every man who has 
hunted much, however, has probably seen something of 
this, and we should be glad to record any such experiences 
of this sort which out readers have had. We ourselves 
have not infrequently found young deer and antelope that 
had evidently died from disease, and more seldom have 
seen young elk, and on two occasions, voung mountain 
sheep, dead, for whose taking off there seemed to be no 
reason to be advanced except sickness. It is well known 
that on the fur seal islands of the north Pacific and the 
Bering Sea, thousands of pups die annually from disease, 
in addition to the vastly greater number which starve to 
death through the killing of the mothers by pelagic 
sealing. 
The Sun account above referred to reads as follows : 
Captains Wisner, Verity and Ira Udall, who have been 
across the bay to Fire Island beach, arrived here to-day. 
They say that two deer, one a fine large six-year-old buck 
and the other a doe, had walked out on the ice and had 
broken through. They had been unable to get back to 
the mainland and were carried with the current. They 
drifted across the bay a distance of nearly ten miles and 
were being taken out into the ocean when seen by Captains 
Udall and Verity from the State wharf east of the light- 
house. 
The two men put off in a lifeboat and succeeded in driv- 
ing the buck ashore. The doe was almost dead by that 
time. Every effort was made to get her ashore and save 
her life. A rope was fastened around her body and she 
was soon on .shore, although after no little effort. She 
soon, however, died of exhaustion. The buck ran off east 
on the beach, but unless its instinct is strong enough to 
teach it to follow the beach east to the mainland, seventy ■ 
miles distant, it will soon starve, as the sand hills and 
meadows are now bare of vegetation. 
The German Antarctic Expedition* 
In the autumn of igoi the German Antarctic Expedi- 
tion will leave Europe to endeavor to penetrate as far as 
possible the ice covering the Antarctic waters south of 
the Indian Ocean. 
The expedition will consist of a single wooden ship, 
especially prepared to resist ice pressure, of model suit- 
able for encountering the storms of the Antarctic Sea, and 
rigged as a three-masted schooner, provided with an en- 
gine and boilers of power sufficient to give a speed of 
seven knots an hour, or more. She has been especially 
designed to accommodate the force of the scientific men, 
the officers and the crew, and their supplies of various 
sort, for three years, although the intended absence of the 
expedition, however, is to be only two years. 
It is proposed to enter the x\ntarctic from the direction 
ot Kerguelen, and to make extended observations with 
regard to the boundaries and connections of various re- 
ported Antarctic lands. A scientific station is to be es- 
tablished, at which a year may be spent in geogrophical 
and biological work, and which will be the headquar- 
ters from which land journeys will be made. Besides 
work done by the five members of the scientific staff, the 
five officers of the ship, including captain and chief en- 
gineer, will be detailed during this vear to perform as- 
tronomical work and to make topographical and hydro- 
graphical surveys. 
Aside from the interesting results likely to be made in 
physics, the study of the ocean and the investigation of 
the geology and chemistry of the Antarctic, there prom- 
ises much of interest in zoology and botany. There will 
be some dredging but chiefly in shallow waters— less than 
500 fathoms deep. 
While the German expedition is working on the Indian 
Ocean side of the Antarctic ice, the British will be work- 
ing on the Pacific Ocean side. The British expedition al- 
ready has in view the establishment of a scientific station 
m New Zealand, and observations taken on such a sta- 
tion would be of great interest in connection with those 
at the German station, which, if possible, will be estab- 
lished on the west side of Victoria land, where it is hoped 
tnat an extensive land surface will be found. Other 
branch stations may be established. 
There is a general wish among the scientific men of the 
world to haA'e international co-operation established 
among all the expeditions attacking the South Pole and 
it is earnestly hoped that such co-operation might be 
