The Bison or American Buffalo 21 



lowed him. Probably they were simply stam- 

 peded, and had no hostile intention; at any 

 rate, after the death of their leader, they 

 rushed by without doing any damage. 



But buffaloes sometimes charged with the 

 utmost determination, and were then danger- 

 ous antagonists. My cousin, a very hardy and 

 resolute hunter, had a narrow escape from a 

 wounded cow which he followed up a steep 

 bluff or sand cliff. Just as he reached the 

 summit, he was charged, and was only saved 

 by the sudden appearance of his dog, which 

 distracted the cow's attention. He thus es- 

 caped with only a tumble and a few bruises. 



My brother also came in for a charge, while 

 killing the biggest bull that was slain by any 

 of the party. He was out alone, and saw a 

 small herd of cows and calves at some dis- 

 tance, with a huge bull among them, towering 

 above them like a giant. There was no break 

 in the ground, nor any tree nor bush near 

 them, but, by making a half-circle, my brother 

 managed to creep up against the wind behind 

 a slight roll in the prairie surface, until he 

 was within seventy-five yards of the grazing 

 and unconscious beasts. There were some 

 cows and calves between him and the bull, 

 and he had to wait some moments before they 



