62 AUDUBON 



faloes, that they stood gazing at us with their heads erect, 

 lashing their sides with their tails ; as soon as they dis- 

 covered what we were at, with the quickness of thought 

 they wheeled, and with the most surprising speed, for an 

 animal apparently so clumsy and awkward, flew before us. 

 I could hardly imagine that these enormous animals could 

 move so quickly, or realize that their speed was as great 

 as it proved to be ; and I doubt if in this country one 

 horse in ten can be found that will keep up with them. 

 We rode five or six miles before we discovered any more. 

 At last we saw a single bull, and while approaching him 

 we started two others ; slowly we wended our way towards 

 them until within a hundred yards, when away they went. 

 I had now begun to enter into the spirit of the chase, and 

 off I started, full speed, down a rough hill in swift pursuit; 

 at the bottom of the hill was a ditch about eight feet wide ; 

 the horse cleared this safely. I continued, leading the 

 others by some distance, and rapidly approaching the 

 Buffaloes. At this prospect of success my feelings can 

 better be imagined than described. I kept the lead of the 

 others till within thirty or forty yards of the Buffaloes, 

 when I began making preparations to fire as soon as I was 

 sufficiently near ; imagine, if possible, my disappointment 

 when I discovered that now, when all my hopes of success 

 were raised to the highest pitch, I was fated to meet a 

 reverse as mortifying as success would have been gratify- 

 ing. My horse failed, and slackened his pace, despite 

 every effort of mine to urge him on ; the other hunters 

 rushed by me at full speed, and my horse stopped alto- 

 gether. I saw the others fire ; the animal swerved a little, 

 but still kept on. After breathing my horse a while, I 

 succeeded in starting him up again, followed after them, 

 and came up in time to fire one shot ere the animal was 

 brought down. I think that I never saw an eye so fero- 

 cious in expression as that of the wounded Buffalo; rolling 

 wildly in its socket, inflamed as the eye was, it had the 



