22 HUNTING THE GRISLY, 



charged the smoke, and the whole herd fol- 

 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 escaped 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 

 distance, with a huge bull among them, tower- 

 ing 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 graz- 

 ing and unconscious beasts. There were 

 some cows and calves between him and the 

 bull, and he had to wait some moments be- 

 fore they shifted position, as the herd grazed 

 onward and gave him a fair shot ; in the in- 

 terval they had moved so far forward that he 

 was in plain view. His first bullet struck 



