40 MR. PALLISER'S STORY. fc 



me amidst the surrounding snow, and enabled me to ap- 

 proach until I came within shot. I continued creeping 

 around them, singling out the best and the fattest of the 

 cows for upwards of an hour, arid it was not until I had 

 laid five of their number low that they smelt a rat, and 

 bolted off unanimiously, shaking their shaggy heads and 

 ploughing up the snow. 



" In two days all the fresh meat I had brought in that 

 evening was gone, and the buffaloes were four or five miles 

 off; taking my friend, the little gray, I stole out with 

 him unperceived, and had a splendid run, flooring a cow, 

 and wounding a bull, which I left for the present, and 

 stretching away at full speed, I pursued after another 

 uncommonly fine fat cow. She gave me an awful chase, 

 turning and doubling immediately. My little horse was 

 sorely at a disadvantage in the snow, and began to show 

 symptoms of distress ; but I could not manage to get a 

 broadside shot. At last making one more push, I got 

 pretty close behind her, and raising myself in my stir- 

 rups, fired down upon her. The effect was grand. She 

 dropped down at the report, the bullet breaking her 

 spine. My little horse unable to stop himself rolled 

 right over her, making a complete sommerset, and send- 

 ing me, gun and all, flying clean over both of them into 

 a snow drift. I leaped up, ran back to my horse, which 

 I caught without onuch difficulty, and was glad to find no 



