- 1846 Buffalo Hunt – Installment 2 of 2 -
George A. Gordon was born in 1821 in Warren County, Ohio. His family moved to Indiana and he was a member of the Indiana Constitutional Convention and late in his life was the last surviving member of the Constitution that made Indiana a state. He later moved to Iowa and became a member of the Iowa Legislature. In 1867 George and his family moved to Greenwood County and he acquired land west of Eureka. This land was west of Fall River as you go across the Seventh Street low water crossing. In 1868, George Gordon was one of the ten original members of the Eureka Congregational Church. In 1902, George left the farm and moved into Eureka where he lived until he died in 1925, at the age of 104.
“When they had come within about one hundred feet of me those in front for a width of forty or fifty feet saw my horse and attempted to halt, but in the twinkling of the eye were overwhelmed by the pressure behind. I never saw two railroad trains come in collision, but one who has seen cars piled upon each other in a wreck can imagine how the buffalo were heaped up in an immense pile by pressure from behind. This did not in the least check the progress of the great host, but they swept by on each side of me like a torrent. It did, however, make an open space, or lane, for my horse. He, poor fellow, had stood shaking with fear, and perhaps shared with me the feeling of relief this fortunate occurrence gave me. I could now enjoy a spectacle which I fancied neither white man nor Indian had ever before seen. The front rank as they passed was as straight as a regiment of soldiers on dress parade. The regularity of their movements was admirable. It appeared as if they had all been trained to keep step. If one had slackened in the least in his speed he would have been run over. But while my gaze had been fixed on this magnificent scene, the open space had been growing narrower, and I was surprised to see how near the buffalo were getting to my horse. The cause was readily perceived. The buffalo were continually dropping from the top of that pile into the open space, and though they were doing their best by crowding to keep at a respectful distance, their efforts availed but little, and the lane was rapidly filling up. My situation had again become alarming. If the open space should fill up, my horse would be lost. I could now have whipped the buffalo on each side of me with a buggy whip, and the heap itself had been slowly approaching me. The buffalo on the top of it were higher than the fork of the tree in which I was. My fate depended on the number yet to pass. The open space must soon be filled and I must soon be crushed by the falling buffalo if present conditions continued. It was a great relief to my anxiety when I observed that the roar had greatly lessened, and after fifty-five minutes of alternative terror and pleasure, the mighty host had passed. Numerous small bands followed in its wake.
“My thoughts now turned to my companions, and how to attract their attention if they were within seeing distance. How better could this be done, thought I, than by chasing a band of buffalo along that high ground? This plan was immediately adopted. As a small band, running in loose order at no great distance, came opposite to me I gave chase, and was soon among them. There were no intentions to shoot, for the bullet in my gun must be reserved as a last resort. My horse appeared delighted with the sport, and must have laughed, if a horse can laugh, to see what fright he was giving to the same kind of creatures that had, but a little while before, given him such terror: and when a buffalo, whose rump he nipped, would turn his head as if to resent with his horns the indignity, he would dart out of his way without any guidance of the bridle. A buffalo seems never to get tired by running, but will maintain his speed indefinitely. They had gained some rods on my horse when crossing the deep bed of a dry stream. I found them ranged in single file on the opposite bank at a distance of seven or eight steps, facing the point where they expected me to come up. My horse, not liking the appearance of so many horns, wheeled suddenly to the edge of the bank, and a stiff breeze blowing, my hat was landed under the nose of a buffalo about the center of the file. Taking this, perhaps, as a challenge, they all bowed their necks and began pawing the ground, filling the air with dust and acting as if about to make a dash at me, when a yell from me would cause them to raise their heads and take another look. This action was repeated so often that it became no longer funny to me. I wanted my hat. At length they broke rank and one, then another, turned and walked slowly away, except the one that was keeping guard over my hat, who seemed determined that I should not get possession of it, by threatening to gore me, or to demolish the hat, but would be diverted by a yell. After my patience was about exhausted, he too walked slowly away after his companions, and I got my hat, not in the least damaged.
“As I had hoped, the chase had been seen by the doctor from a great distance, whom, shortly after, I saw coming rapidly towards me. Our meeting was mutually agreeable, but his reason for not returning to me in the morning I did not credit. Perhaps he had become bewildered and lost, but did not like to acknowledge it. We immediately started in search of our companions, whom we found after a ride of several miles on the back trail, passing on the way one young buffalo badly crippled. I held him by the horns and the doctor ended his suffering with his bowie knife. Our companions were in a panic, the old hunters declaring that the Indians would soon be upon us, and to save ourselves we must make a rapid flight. I gave them my opinion that no Indians were following the buffalo, and that we were in no greater danger than we had been in for several days, but as I had lost my bullets, was ready to commence an immediate retreat, but no unusual speed was necessary. N o argument, however, had any influence with them. They were of the opinion that the Indians were close at hand. It was now almost three o’clock p.m., and we rode rapidly till after sunset, then halted for about an hour, when our retreat was resumed at a moderate gait. I cannot remember that we halted during the night, but think that we traveled steadily till late in the forenoon, when coming to a suitable camping place, we stopped and preparations were begun to break our fast, for we had eaten nothing since early in the morning of the previous day.
“It was now sometime in April, perhaps the 10th, and I had not heard a word from my wife and two little boys since setting out on my long journey from Indiana in December, and my love of adventure now being fully satisfied, I determined to return by the speediest route- by the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans, and with this object in view, to separate from my companions as soon as we reached a point where it appeared practicable for me alone to reach the home of the white men. When this point in my opinion had been reached, I returned Long Tom to his owner, and bidding adieu to my kind companions, with a little roasted buffalo meat for food, and my pen knife as my only weapon of defense, I turned my horse’s head toward the gulf. One morning while following a trail made plain by the passing of many buffalo, I fell asleep on my horse, being overcome by fatigue, when he stopped short of pitching me forward, but fortunately for me had thrown up his head at the same instant, and I lodged against his neck. Upon righting myself in the saddle, there met my sight an object that filled me with terror. In the trail just a few feet in front of my horse and facing him, stood a monster buffalo bull, with his head higher than I had ever before seen a buffalo raise his head; his eyes glaring, his shoulders and sides denuded of hair, his long wool in rolls hanging almost to the ground, he certainly was a frightful looking brute. He had evidently just come off, second best, from a contest with a rival, but was now ready to try his fortune in another battle. I was completely in his power, one lunge forward of that huge animal, both rider and horse must go to the ground. Escape seemed impossible. Many thoughts rushed rapidly through my mind, the most painful of which was that no word of my fate could ever reach my wife, whom I was hoping soon to meet. My horse realized the danger. He stood motionless as a statue, with ears stuck forward and eyes doubtless starting the buffalo in the face. How long we stood facing each other I know not, to me it seemed an interminable time. The buffalo, however, after satisfying himself that I was an enemy too powerful for him to attack, lowered his head, wheeled, and dashed up the trail, the worst frightened buffalo that ever scampered over the plains. He kept to the trail, and I saw him till he appeared but a speck in the distance. How this unexpected meeting happened I cannot tell, for the horse and buffalo were equally astonished. I think however it can be accounted for on the part of the horse. He had been ridden up to so many dead buffalo that we had shot, that one lying on the ground, as I think this one must have been, he would take it to be dead, and have gone up to it without fear and its springing to its feet would, of course, astonish him. I had ridden him as near as fifteen or twenty steps of a buffalo lying down, taking their ease, before they would take flight, but how this fellow let my horse get so near him I can only guess.
“In the space of an hour or more after this encounter, I came among buffalo so numerous that they impeded my progress, occasionally I had to stop to let a band of them cross the trail before me.
“Buffalo usually went in bands of larger or smaller size, and when feeding, their faces being all in the same direction, at least two of their number acted as sentinels to give notice of approaching danger. These sentinels were always in the rear of the band and always on the lookout, and perhaps were the bravest of the band, as they were the last to fly when flight became necessary. As I came nearly opposite to a large band feeding at a short distance from the trail they moved slowly off except the two large bulls that were keeping guard, they started towards me in a very hostile and excited manner, I thought, but with what intent I did not stop to inquire, for having been critically examined by a chief buffalo that morning, I did not think another close inspection on the same day at all necessary, and to avoid it, accelerated the speed of my horse, and passed them at a rapid gate. They however, came up to the trail at the point where they had expected to intercept me and stopped, and when last I looked back, they were still standing there.”
