ON THE PRAIRll I2 g 



lying out in the open, under a heavy 

 roll of furs, the wagon sheet over all. Dur- 

 ing the night a small herd of stampeded 

 buffalo passed by, and one of them jumped 

 on the bed, almost trampling on the sleeper, 

 and then bounded off, as the latter rose 



11. The others of the herd passed al- 

 most within arm's length on each side. 



Occasionally these panic fits have the op- 

 posite effect and make them run together 

 and stand still in a stupid, frightened man- 

 ner. This is now and then the result when 

 a hunter fires at a herd while keeping him- 

 self concealed; and on rare occasions (for 

 buffalo act very differently at different 

 times, according to their moods) it occurs 

 even when he is in full sight. When they 

 are made to act thus it is called in hunters' 

 parlance getting a " stand " on them ; and 

 uften thirty or forty have been killed in one 

 such stand, the hunter hardly shifting his 

 position the whole time. Often, with their 

 long-range heavy rifles, the hunters would 

 fire a number of shots into a herd half a 



