TEN DAYS IN MONTANA. 167 



they were not there. They had fled into the bad lands, and 

 nothing remained for us but to acknowledge defeat and 

 retrace our steps. 



All this time we had heard firing on our right and knew that 

 the other boys were having their sport. We rode over to them 

 and found that Judge Souther, Hill and Lance had each killed 

 one. We cut them up as quickly as possible, loaded them 

 onto the wagons and again started in the direction of camp. 

 We had gone but a few miles when we saw still another herd 

 of about two hundred. We were already to leeward of these 

 and had no trouble in getting a choice position for the first 

 shot. Nearly all the party dismounted, walked cautiously to 

 the top of a hill within about a hundred and fifty yards of 

 the herd, and gave them a volley. Then a number of other 

 shots were fired in rapid succession before the herd got out 

 of range. When the first volley was fired, I rode quickly to 

 the top of the hill to watch the effect and await a cessation of 

 hostilities, so that I could ride in. As the herd started, 

 at the first round, three animals a bull, a cow and a calf 

 fell out of the ranks mortally wounded. 



As soon as the firing ceased, I put spurs to my pony and 

 started in pursuit of the herd. A stern chase is a long chase, 

 and so it proved in this instance. No one who has not seen 

 a practical demonstration of it would believe that the heavy, 

 clumsy-looking animal, the bison, possesses speed equal to 

 that of the horse in general, but such is the fact. It takes an 

 unusually fleet horse, and one of good bottom, to catch a 

 sound buffalo, and a horse, that is not superior to his class in 

 speed will get sadly left in the race every time he under- 

 takes it. 



Waiting for my friends to get all the shooting they could 

 on foot before I started, had given the herd nearly a quarter 

 of a mile the start of me, but the little bronco, when I gave 



