The New King 177 



So it was with Buck. He doubtless re- 

 called so well the way which he and his mas- 

 ter had journeyed, that he could have gone 

 over the trail with more certainty than his 

 master could have driven him. But when 

 he came near any of the towns or settle- 

 ments where they had stopped before, he 

 made a long detour and came out on the 

 trail beyond the towns. Whether he feared 

 that some one might drive him back home, 

 or whether it was his natural wild instinct 

 asserting itself, who shall say ? 



Having scouted the towns safely he 

 pressed on with all speed, at last reaching 

 the Missouri and following it up into the 

 very heart of the land of the bison. As he 

 journeyed, the impatience that he had felt 

 at the outset grew upon him. There was 

 something in that vast lonely prairie land 

 that he wanted, wanted above all else in 

 the world. It was not feed, it was not 

 water, for he had both in abundance. It 



