TO THE LAND OF THE BUFFALO. 25 



Cloud Of dust Which hid him from our sight, he out-distanced 

 his pursuers, and was soon lost from view among the rtricate 

 system of hills which bounded our vision on th! south Ou 



=;;::; tXs."^ '- -'-- -^ -" --^- 



An hour before sunset M'e saw scattered bands of buffaloe. to 



Z:LhT' ""' '"'^' ^"' ^'"'^'^^ *'-* - should ha 

 some spoit, the wagon-master allowed us to halt earlier th«n 



com.,on. About a dozen of us shouldered our r fl and I' h 



a few rounds of f^xed ammunition started on our buffalo hunt 



As we neared the bellowing and already excited band we 



par ed each man taking a different route' I picked out a big 



bu 1, as a foeman worthy of my gun, and started after him^ 



but he led me a weary race, and before I had a chance to 



draw on hn., we were in the midst of the sand hills He wis 



a cunning old fellow, and all the time, by adroit managtent 



kept at a respectful distance. I, at last, got within rffle-sho 



and fired but the report only frightened hL, and lie gal oped 



away and was soon lost to view. Although it was now after 



sunset, and I was a long distance from cam,^, I was not yet sa^s- 



11 . /''"t'^' "' '''' expedition, and ramming home 



another cartridge, I started after fresh game. Moving on a shorl 

 distance among the sand hills, I came across a hefd of bu 

 oiaby grazing together. Always on the watch for hurTan 

 ntruders, as these animals are, they started off in a bodv upon 

 eemg ,«e, but resting my rifle scientifically on my kne I 



o the h rd dashed madly forw*«l, scared by the report, my 

 buffalo stopped ; but, alas ! for my skill as a marksman, he did 

 not drop as I wished him to, either because the ball did not 

 enter a vital part, or because he had scruples about giving "ip 



t^/ZlZ 7r"'"" r' """• ' «^^^ "^-"> and^oundeS 

 ?r;t ,^ t' ? '-^^knowledgment, except to move on a 



few steps, while I reloaded my rifle. Again and again did the 



