THE BISON OR AMERICAN BUFFALO. 2 1 



lets loomed dimly through the columns of 

 dust thrown up from the dry soil. The two 

 hunters knew that their only hope for life was 

 to split the herd, which, though it had so 

 broad a front, was not very deep. If they 

 failed they would inevitably be trampled to 

 death. 



Waiting until the beasts were in close 

 range, they opened a rapid fire from their 

 heavy breech-loading rifles, yelling at the top 

 of their voices. For a moment the result 

 seemed doubtful. The line thundered steadily 

 down on them ; then it swayed violently, as 

 two or three of the brutes immediately in 

 their front fell beneath the bullets, while 

 their neighbors made violent efforts to press 

 off sideways. Then a narrow wedge-shaped 

 rift appeared in the line, and widened as it 

 came closer, and the buffaloes, shrinking from 

 their foes in front, strove desperately to edge 

 away from the dangerous neighborhood ; the 

 shouts and shots were redoubled ; the hunters 

 were almost choked by the cloud of dust, 

 through which they could see the stream of 

 dark huge bodies passing within rifle-length 

 on either side ; and in a moment the peril was 

 over, and the two men were left alone on the 

 plain, unharmed, though with their nerves 

 terribly shaken. The herd careered on to- 

 ward the horizon, save five individuals which 

 had been killed or disabled by the shots. 



On another occasion, when my brother was 

 out with one of his friends, they fired at a 

 small herd containing an old bull ; the bull 



