THE BUFFALO. 223 



altered their antics by a sudden stampede, and went thun- 

 dering to the windward. We were disappointed before; 

 we were disgusted now, and our disgust was increased 

 by seeing the " Teutonic Indians " of the previous evening 

 rushing after them pell-mell, and, though far in the rear, 

 keep firing at them with rifles aimed from the nose. The 

 bullets could not reach half the intervening distance, yet 

 they kept up the firing until they sunk from our sight be- 

 hind a bluff. The imprecations hurled at such sportsmen 

 by our party was a caution, and one went so far as to sug- 

 gest that they should be pursued and shot at as nuisances 

 run wild. The suggestion was not acted upon, however, 

 and we wended our way in an opposite direction. 



On reaching the top of a bluff, we espied a large herd 

 grazing in a ravine ; and to be sure this time that our la- 

 bor was not in vain, we dashed across an intervening plain, 

 crawled slowly up the declivity of the ravine, and when we 

 reached the summit found that we were actually right on 

 the herd. We dashed at it promptly as it tore away in a 

 solid mass, and in a few moments our leader and the best 

 mounted of the party were ranged along-side it and firing 

 away for dear life. The experienced hunters cut off the 

 rear-guard and turned it to the right ; I followed the main 

 column and tried to get a shot, but my famous runner 

 would not take me close enough to enable me to shoot 

 with any degree of accuracy. Seeing no other resource 

 left, I threw the reins on his neck and commenced banging 

 away at the herd in hopes that I might wound one, but, 

 though watching closely, I could not even tell where the 

 bullets went. My steed decidedly helped me in this ill- 

 luck, for, as soon as he ceased to be directed by the reins, 

 he swerved away at right angles, and in a few minutes car- 

 ried me beyond rifle range. I was so furious that I felt 

 like killing him ; but I thought better of it, and turned 

 back toward my party with feelings of shame and disgust. 

 I had not proceeded more than a hundred yards before an 

 old bull, with a splendid head, came rolling out of a ravine 

 with a gait not unlike that of a sailor on shore, and at- 



