FAIRY RINGS 



367 



Armed only with a bow and five or six arrows, or else 

 with long lances, they mount their strong and swift little 

 horses, and dash off at full speed to the grazing ground 

 of the buffaloes. 



As the hunters draw near the herd they divide into 

 two parties, so as to surround the animals completely. 

 If the buffaloes were to form in line and charge the enemy 

 their great strength and bulk might tell, and they would 

 stand a good chance of getting through. But, instead, 



: X 



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HUNTING THE BISON 



they lose their heads and are thrown into confusion ; they 

 tumble over each other, and cannot get up again, and the 

 Indians close in, and, galloping past, plunge the lance or 

 aim the arrow straight at the heart, and the buffalo falls 

 dead where he stands. 



If the Indian is hunting alone he carefully chooses 

 some large fat bull, and manages to separate him from 

 the rest by heading him off in the opposite direction. The 

 horse knows quite well what its master wants, and when 

 the buffalo is well away, gallops close to it on the right 



