1 82 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



and stood in breathless excitement awaiting the attack, yet 

 hoping we should escape it, for we had the strongest objections 

 to losing our scalps and having our bodies mutilated. The 

 horsemen left the hard road when a few yards away from us, 

 and galloped on to the grass. Supposing that our position was 

 actually detected, we wore thinking of opening fire, when they 

 halted, and a strongly accentuated German voice called out : 

 " Veil, poys, I dink ve'el gamp here ; I see dere's oder poys 

 here," The other boys were delighted at this unexpected turn of 

 a Hairs ; but as soon as they were over their surprise, how they 

 blessed that man's Dutch heart, and wished he and his party 

 were transferred to a certain region, where no winter climate is 

 known ! After a short but emphatic verbal battle, we learned 

 that the strangers were a party of Germans from town who 

 were out for a buffalo hunt. After being taunted with not 

 knowing a buffalo from a pig, and classifying any buffalo that 

 would allow them to kill it as an idiot, a truce was declared, 

 and we were once more rolled up in our blankets. The indi- 

 vidual whose hair was pulled was then reviled for his scream 

 of alarm, and he was told that he was anything but a wise 

 man ; and he, to retaliate, said that if he knew who made him 



scream lie would put a bullet in him. "The d n fool did it 



on purpose to skcer me," said he, " for he pulled out a whole 

 handful of hair, and I thought my head would be lusted off 

 my neck backwards." As no person seemed inclined to 

 acknowledge doing the deed, though nearly all except the 

 right one were accused of it, we went to sleep once more, our 

 lullaby being sung by the howling gale. 



We were awake with the first streak of dawn, and after 

 bolting a lew mouthfuls of sandwiches and a cup of coffee, we 

 saddled our steeds and rode away, the waggon bringing up 

 the rear. A\ e marched for three or four miles, but saw no 

 signs of buffaloes where they were reported to be so numerous, 

 and this caused some of the party to think the Indians had 

 been pursuing them ; and as the Sioux were then dangerous, 

 and had been making raids on some of the settlements, it was 

 deemed best that we should be cautious in our movements, and 

 keep together a* much as possible in a run, and, above all, to 



