BUFFALO SINKING IN QUICKSANDS. 37 



The dangers attending the chase of this nohle game are 

 very much overrated. True, a horse may put his foot in 

 the burrow of a wolf, swift fox, or prairie dog, and send his 

 rider skyrocketing. The result may be a broken neck, or, 

 if such a fall took place when in the centre of a large herd, 

 trampling to death might be possible ; but I am con- 

 vinced, from long personal experience, that, so long as the 

 game can keep going, they will seldom or never turn on 

 pursuing man. At the same time, if you fire at a buffalo 

 as you ride past him, without much changing the direction 

 they are pursuing, he or she may slightly deviate towards 

 the pursuer. However, your bridle-hand should invariably 

 sheer your steed from the quarry, not only to avoid this 

 deviation, but to clear the animal if it drop to shot. The 

 majority of horses accustomed to this work do so of their 

 own accord. At the same time, I should particularly 

 caution the tyro that on himself and his own nerve he 

 should invariably rely, not on that of his dumb companion. 

 To be a good horseman, of course, is particularly desir- 

 able ; and the person who can ride bare-back will often 

 come in for a run when a saddle may not be at hand. 

 Many of us, of course, can ride in this primitive manner; 

 but there are very few Americans or Europeans who can 

 compare in this respect with the Indians they appear so 

 perfectly at home on their horses; anywhere and every- 

 where they place themselves, and but seldom get a fall. 



However, the paces of horses are very different ; some I 

 used for running buffalo I preferred riding with blanket 

 and a surcingle ; on others I did not feel sufficiently at 

 home without the saddle. For some months I had an 



