224 The King of the Thundering Herd 



Shep did look, and wasn't Buck as big as a 

 mountain ! " 



At first Mr. Bennett thought the boy had 

 gone daft but Bennie finally told him the 

 story of Buck and Shep, and how he had 

 last seen them several months before, Buck 

 galloping away to the creek, going for a 

 drink, as he thought, and faithful Shep go- 

 ing to bring him back. To all of which the 

 old engineer could only ejaculate, " Well, 

 I'll be blowed ! I'll be blowed ! " 



For nine hours the splendid express train 

 stood impotent upon the tracks while the 

 countless host from the vast plains thundered 



by. 



The doors at the end of the cars were 

 locked and barricaded and men, their 

 revolvers drawn, stood in readiness to repel 

 any attempt on the part of the bison to in- 

 vade the train. Occasionally a venturesome 

 bull or a frenzied heifer would clamber 

 wildly over the platforms between the cars, 



