The Last of the Buffalo 



quick motion of the horse, the rough 

 ground to be traversed, and the feeHng 

 that there was something ahead that must 

 be overtaken and stopped, made the ride 

 attractive. There w^as the very shghtest 

 spice of danger; for while no one antici- 

 pated an accident, it was possible that 

 one's horse might step into a badger hole, 

 in which case his rider would get a fall 

 that would make his bones ache. 



The most exciting, and by far the most 

 interesting, hunts in which I ever took 

 part were those with the Indians of the 

 plains. They were conducted almost noise- 

 lessly ; and no ring of rifle-shot broke the 

 stillness of the air, nor puff of smoke rose 

 toward the still, gray autumn sky. The 

 consummate grace and skill of the naked 

 Indians, and the speed and quickness of 

 their splendid ponies, were well displayed 

 in such chases as these. More than one 

 instance is recorded where an Indian has 

 sent an arrow entirely through the bodies 

 of two buffalo. Sometimes such a hunt 

 was signalized by some feat of daring bra- 

 vado that, save in the seeing, was scarcely 

 credible, as when the Cheyenne Big Ribs 

 rode his horse close up to the side of a 

 huge bull, and, springing on his back, 

 rode the savage beast for some distance, 

 247 



