252 MR BAYARD CATCHES A FALL. 



of bisons, but at some distance ; they soon saw us, when 

 just as we started at them, and were going at full speed, 

 Bayard riding a horse of Major Martin's, again one of 

 those old winter watercourses intervened, grown up with 

 long grass, but having no great rill of water in the middle. 

 Bayard and myself came at a close together ; I kept my 

 mare well in hand, but he went into it at tip-top pace, 

 and by the continuation of his speed was a few lengths 

 in front of me, when I was pained to see his horse, from 

 the blind inequality of the ground, throw a complete sum 

 mersault on his rider, w r ho was cumbered with a second 

 heavy pistol iu his belt, and then, in rising, tread on his 

 hand and leg. Sylph, held well in hand, made no mistake, 

 and ere Bayard's horse had gone twenty yards I caught 

 him, when, on seeing that Bayard, though apparently 

 shaken, was not seriously hurt, and that Mr Canter all had 

 come up, I handed him Mr Bayard's horse, ordered him 

 to attend to him, and then gave Sylph her fling at full 

 speed to overtake the herd of bisons, who had thus gained 

 a considerable start. How pleased I was with her fast 

 smooth action, though she was neither so fast nor so well 

 up to my weight as Taymouth, and oh, how beautifully 

 she gained and reached the herd, consisting entirely of 

 large old bulls ! but when she began to close with them, 

 at first she was more frightened than Taymouth. How 

 ever, I forced her to within twenty-five yards of the long 

 string of retreating beasts, and delivered my six barrels 

 from my revolver, as close as I could induce Sylph to get, 

 to ' a sly-looking old bull, who more than once slackened 

 his pace with a very wild leer at me, and that ominous 

 crook of the tail as I came near him which ever portends 

 a charge. I could not see that my shots took any effect, 

 though I felt sure I had hit him, but the noise of a hun- 



