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back a short distance and thought we would waite (sic) till he went away as we did not want to shoot him for it would stampede the herd but he would not stir.
John said, "I wish I had him by the horns. I would hold him and you cut his throat, and I believe (sic) I could catch him while he is asleep his head is this way and so close to that bend in the draw"
(It struck me to have some fun) I can fix him so you can get hold his horns, I said.
"All right," said John, "I will hold him.'' So I took nearly all the powder out of a shell, replaced the bullet and was ready to knock him down.
John was in the crook in the draw not more than 25 feet from a good deal higher job than he expected.
But he said all he was afraid of was that I would not knock the buffalo down.
I knew that it was a sure thing if I could keep from laughing long enough to make a good shot, for I was imagining a lot of fun near at hand.
Bang went old Mary Ann (that was the name of my Sharp's rifle), and down went the buffalo and up he jumped about as quick as he went down.
But John got a firm hold on both horns and then the fun began. At first John laughed as he held the bull by the horns as he staggered in the draw, but in about two minutes he begun to hurry me up to cut its throat, and about that time the buffalo ran out of the draw with John and I will bet there was the liveliest time on record.
The bull would lunge at John and toss him arms length in the air, then wound around and around, John swinging parallel in the air and yelling to me, "Jim shoot, d-- it, shoot."
I stood by with Mary Ann to my face but just as I was thinking I would kill the buffalo as soon as that round ended, for it was getting too dangerous to be fun for me any longer, the bull fell in a deep trail and John held him by getting his thumb and fingers in his nose and I cut his throat.
After John got through cursing me for not shooting when a feller was in such a d--d fix, we went on to the herd, (the show had not disturbed them yet) but John stayed back saying he had got enough buffalo for one day.
I got a stand on the herd and got fourteen, the most I ever got on a single stand."
The accompanying cut is a facsimile of the bull John Campbell held and killed.
James Campbell was a captain of state |
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