THE FIRST RUN AT THE BISON ? S. 243 



could have depicted, and, instead of being lost or 

 lessened in the infinity of space around them, they stood 

 forth out of it in such black, bold relief, their long 

 manes and beards flowing in the wind, that in size they 

 seemed to resemble elephants more than bisons, and 

 were, indeed, to me a most novel as well as a splendid 

 picture of the largest and wildest-looking game ! 



Bayard and myself (I confess to have been in a 

 charmed delight) then set off towards them gently and 

 without noise, availing ourselves of any inequality in the 

 ground there might be to cover our approach, and in 

 order to give the bisons as little the start of us as pos 

 sible ; but when we came to within about half a mile of 

 them, off they set in that peculiar up-and-down canter 

 in which they invariably commence their retreat. This 

 canter of theirs gains its appearance of height from the 

 hump on the shoulders and the tossing up of the long 

 mane, more than from any high action in the legs. The 

 instant we set off at a gallop in our run to the game, 

 Taymouth was all on fire to keep ahead, and when he 

 saw the retreating mass of beasts flying from him, ignor 

 ant of what they were, it increased his. anxious desire 

 to overtake them. Having heard that horses were terri 

 fied at even the smell of as well as the sight of bisons, 

 I drew Taymouth into the wake of the retreating ani 

 mals, in order to encourage his approach, and to let him 

 know they were in retreat. He soon overtook them ; 

 but when he came up to within about fifty yards of the 

 rearmost bull, while he slackened his pace a little, he 

 pricked his ears and made such a stare that I knew, as 

 well as felt, he was very much scared, and inclined to go 

 to the right-about. A slight touch of the spur, however, 

 and that clasp of the knees which horses so well under- 



