RIDING A BUFFALO.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 100, 28 April 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

RIDING A BUFFALO.

In November, 1832. north of tho Yellowstone river, between Dry Fork 'and Red Water streams, buffaloes were very plentiful and the slaughter of them was prosocuted with unrelenting viirour. That was the section where Vio Smith, Doc Ynhl, " Missouri Jim,"-Jim Blake, George Brown, and nvmy others followed the buffalo like an avenging Nemesis, and rnxd to say, never let up until this noble game was wiped out. Charles \V. Rock, bettor known as Dick Rock, was acknowledged the quickest bufVnlo skinner on the rangy, lie could easily skin forty-live bnffaloe-i in one day—n well-proportioned .six-footer, arid the best horseman I ever saw. He claimed that he could ride and "stick" anything that wore hair, unless it was a grizzly bear. It was seldom that he spoke ot his prowess unless bantered by sonic of his companion?. At that time he was hunting on a tributary of Dry Fork, close to Nic Smith's camp.

Ono evening in camp the subject of breaking horses and wild animals to ride came up, aivl Dick offered to heb §50 that ho could ride a buffalo. His money was i quickly covered, and S.im Bicknoll wan chosen referee and stakeholder. The conditions were that he should ride a buffalo half - an-hour, burring accidents, such as the buJ'falo falling down or running under limbs of trees that skirted the small streams. Tho next morning one of the party rocle over to Smith's camp and acquainted him with the facts ol the wager, and required his assistance in securing the animal on which Rock was to ride. Vie acquiesced, and soon all hands rode out in search of the fjame. They approached within about 200 yards of about a dozen buffaloes, and all hands stopped with the exception of Vie, who crawled on hands and knees within 100 yards, and, selecting a fine, fat cow, took careful aim and accomplished what was intended—that is, phot her through the muscles of the nock and ' knocked her down, a feat that is called 'creasing.' At the crock of the rifle Rock, on his horse, sped like the wind to tho fallen cow, and quickly dismounting sprang upon the brute's back, who had already re - covered consciousness, and away they went full tilt after the balance of the herd, which was about a quarter of a mile distant. His large spurs, which he had sunk deep in the cow's sides, served to enable him to keep his seat, while they al.-<o served to irritate the bruto. She bellowed and bucked in a frightful manner, while Rock applied tho 'quirt.' They were soon among the herd of bufbtloes, and. remarkable as it may appear, the other buffaloes did not seem frightened at coming in contact with man, but, on the contrary, endeavoured to unseat him by hooking viciously at his logs. The balance of the boys soon separated Rock and his animal from the rest of the herd and ran them in a circle till time was called, when a halfbreed named Buptiste shot the buffalo, and Rock lay down on tho ground for about twenty minutes to search for his lost wind that hfi.i boon completely pumped out of him by the terrible bucking and jolting that he had received. His legs were badly bruised from the horns of the herd.