THE BISON, on BUFFALO. 261 



the distance I see a place which is often frequented 

 by the creatures. I remember two years ago, when 

 I was last this way on a hunting expedition, I was 

 in the middle of that valley which you see down 

 there, and which looks like a kind of irregular 

 circus which you can see all over at the same time, 

 when I heard a loud noise in the distance. Whilst 

 I was puzzling myself to think what this could be, 

 and before I could ask a question of the Indians 

 who were with me, I saw a herd of buffalo enter 

 the valley from the other end. Without exaggera- 

 tion, there must have been thousands of them. As 

 swift as thought the eight Sioux who were with me 

 began firing, and I joined them without delay. The 

 firing of our guns and the roaring of the buffaloes 

 caused a scene of confusion not to be described, 

 until the herd, escaping by all the issues, left us 

 in the valley, with ten of their number, — three dan- 

 gerously wounded, and seven dead. We could hear 

 the stamping of the flying herd for an hour after- 

 wards. Oh, you may depend upon it we shall have 

 sport to-morow." 



" So be it," I cried. " I accept the augury. I 

 must confess that I am rather tired at not having 

 had a shot at large game since we left St. Louis." 



As we talked in this manner, we arrived at a place 

 called by the Indians ElUiu Bosiudatah, or " River 

 of the Great King," near an encampment of Sioux, 

 whose wigwams, erected on the banks of the stream, 



