366 ONSET OF THE HERD. 



had taken the alarm, and commenced a stampede. We 

 had arrived almost within range of the noble animals, and 

 yet they had not discovered us j but the Redskins, who 

 had made a circuit to windward, had been seen and scented 

 from afar, and hence, by a fortunate chance, the " retreat 

 of the six thousand" took place in our direction. Never 

 had the famous line of the Mantuan bard, 



" Quadrupedante putrem sonitu quatit ungula campum," 



produced upon me a euphony so full of reality. The 

 noise made by the bisons, who shook the soil with a short 

 regular trot, like that of an army on the march, rever- 

 berated on the air, and echoed sonorously in. our ears. 



Rahm-o-j-or had bent his bow. 



In his right hand he held an arrow, with an iron nail 

 at its tip, a weapon rude and rough, but in reality very 

 formidable. 



As for us Europeans, we sighted our rifles, and renewed 

 their caps. 



" Attention ! " cried the chief, in a half-stifled voice ; 

 " the moment is come !" 



He had scarcely uttered the words before the whole 

 mass came swooping upon us, with a noise like that of a 

 clap of thunder. 



It was a critical moment ; we were compelled to show 

 ourselves, so as to force the bisons to retrace their course. 

 Following the movements of the Sioux chief, we sprang 

 forward into open ground, so as to find our force full in 

 view of the astonished herd. 



Oh ye, my beloved brothers in the honourable guild of 

 St. Hubert, may your patron, before ye die, favour ye 

 with a spectacle such as dazzled and delighted my wonder- 



