122 SURPRISED BY INDIANS I 



Fox and I had some very exciting gallops after them, getting 

 into the middle of a big herd, and having them so close all 

 round us that sometimes we could have touched them with our 

 hands. A false step on the part of one's horse, and our buffalo- 

 hunting would have been at an end, as we should have been 

 trampled to death by those behind ; the only drawback was 

 the dust, which hid everything outside the radius of a few 

 yards. 



I had gone out by myself one morning on the mare, and had 

 ridden about five miles due south, when I saw two white-tailed 

 deer feeding on the other side of some timber, on the edge of a 

 small stream. They were about two hundred yards out on the 

 prairie much further from cover than they are usually seen. 

 I tied up the mare on the near side of the timber, loosened 

 the girths, and taking off the bit hung it on the saddle, leaving 

 the head-stall on, and fastening the saddle-rope to a bush. I 

 then crawled out towards a small rise, from which I could see 

 the deer, and on reaching it raised my head, and as I did so I 

 saw two Indians raise theirs. I jumped up at once, and ran 

 to where I had left the mare, making capital time, slung my 

 rifle on my back as I ran, and drew my knife, with which I cut 

 the rope, jumped on the loose saddle, and, guiding the mare 

 with my hands, galloped out of the timber and on to a ridge. 



Here I looked round and saw that the Indians were not 

 coming, but that they had gone some way down the timber to 

 where their horses were, and were now mounting. I got off, 

 put on the bit, fastened my girths, and remounting, galloped 

 off the prairie as I thought for camp, wondering very much 

 that I was not pursued; but on reaching a high point the 

 apparent mystery was explained as I was going straight away 



