In Buffalo Days 



turn a somersault, and almost at the same 

 instant heard Charley shoot twice in quick 

 succession, and saw two buffalo fall. I fired 

 at a fat young cow that I had pushed my 

 pony up close to. At the shot she whirled, 

 my horse did the same, and she chased me as 

 hard as she could go for seventy-five yards, 

 while I did some exceedingly vigorous spur- 

 ring, for she was close behind me all the time. 

 To do my horse justice, I think that he would 

 have run as fast as he could, even without the 

 spurs, for he appreciated the situation. At 

 no time was there any immediate danger that 

 the cow would overtake us; if there had 

 been, I should have dodged her. Presently 

 the cow stopped, and stood there very sick. 

 When I rode back, I did not find it easy to 

 get my horse near her; but another shot was 

 not needed, and while I sat looking at her 

 she fell over dead. The three buffalo first 

 killed had fallen within a hundred yards of 

 the trail where the wagons afterward passed, 

 and my cow was but little farther away. The 

 command soon came up, the soldiers did the 

 butchering, and before long we were on the 

 march again across the parched plain. 



J 4 209 



