A RUN WITH BUFFALOES. 21 



about four hundred yards of the " pickets," as we called the 

 old fellows, who were on all the high ground and were evidently 

 guarding the herd. 



As there was no further cover we came out of the ravine, 

 and made for the buffaloes at a sharp gallop ; they allowed us 

 to get a hundred yards nearer, and then went off at what looked 

 like a clumsy canter, but was really a pretty good pace. A 

 race of a mile laid us alongside of the hmderrnost, but we were 

 riding that day to get into the herd and see how they looked 

 at close quarters, so urging our horses to do their best, and 

 shouting to clear a road, into the middle of the mass we went, 

 it being rather nervous work, as they could not scatter much 

 at once, the outside of the herd not knowing what the matter 

 was on account of the dust, which was awful. After being 

 among them for some minutes the panic seemed to spread, and 

 the mass scattered right and left, going off in two bands, and 

 we pulled up and let them go, as we had plenty of meat in 

 camp and did not come out to kill. I think this was the most 

 exciting gallop I ever had, being my first, and not knowing 

 how the animals might behave. It is curious to watch the tail 

 of a buffalo while you are running him. It hangs down when 

 you start and remains so for perhaps half a mile, then it begins 

 to rise in the air by a series of little jerks, and when it is erect 

 and the end begins to shake the head will go down, and he is 

 going to charge, in which case, after running from him for 

 thirty or forty yards, if you turn off at right angles, he will 

 almost invariably go straight on and leave you. 



C was once chased for more than a mile by an infuriated 



bull, as his pony was slow and only just able to keep ahead of 

 the bull. 



