282 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



\ 



we reached this place, General Leavenworth, Colonel Dodge, Lieutenant Wheelock, 

 and myself were jogging along, and all in turn complaining of the lameness of our 

 bones from the chase on the former day, when the general, who had long ago had his 

 surfeit ( of pleasure of this kind on the Upper Missouri, remonstrated against further 

 indulgence in the following manner : " Well, colonel, this running for buffaloes is bad 

 business for us; we are getting too old, and should leave such amusements to the 

 young men ; I have had enough of this fun in my life, and I am determined not to 

 hazard my limbs or weary my horse any more with it ; it is the height of folly for us, 

 but will do well enough for boys." Colonel Dodge assented at once to his resolves, 

 and approved them ; whilst I, who had tried it in every form (and, I had thought, to 

 my heart's content), on the Upper Missouri, joined my assent to the folly of our de- 

 stroying our horses, which had a long journey to perform, and agreed that I would 

 join no more in the buffalo chase, however near and inviting they might come to me. 



In the midst of this conversation and these mutual declarations (or rather just at 

 the end of them), as we were jogging along in Indian file, and General Leavenworth 

 taking the lead, and just rising to the top of a little hill over which it seems* he had 

 had an instant peep, he dropped himself suddenly upon the side of his horse and 

 wheeled back, and rapidly informed us, with an agitated whisper, and an exceeding 

 game contraction of the eye, that a snug little band of buffaloes were quietly grazing 

 just over the knoll in a beautiful meadow for running, and that if I would take to the 

 left and Lieutenant Wheelock to the right, and let him and the colonel dash right 

 into the midst of them, we could play the devil with them. One-half at least of this 

 was said after he had got upon his feet and taken off his portmanteau and valise, 

 in which we had all followed suit, and were mounting for the start, and I am almost 

 sure nothing else was said, and if it had been I should not have heard it, for I was 

 too far off, and too rapidly dashing over the waving grass, and too eagerly gazing 

 and plying the whip to hear or to see anything but the trampling hoofs and the 

 blackened throng, and the darting steeds, and the flashing of guns, until I had crossed 

 the beautiful lawn; and the limb of a tree, as my horse was darting into the timber, 

 had crossed my horse's back and had scraped me into the grass, from which I soon 

 raised my head and all was silent, and all out of sight save the dragoon regiment, 

 which I could see in the distance creeping along on the top of a high hill. I found 

 my legs under me in a few moments and put them in their accustomed positions, 

 none of which would, for some time, answer the usual purpose ; but I at last got 

 them to work and brought " Charley" out of the bushes, where he had "brought 

 up," in the top of a fallen tree, without damage. 



No buffalo was harmed in this furious assault, nor horse nor rider. Colonel Dodge 

 and Lieutenant Wheelock had joined the regiment, and General Leavenworth 

 joined me, with too much game expression yet in his eye to allow him more time 

 than to say, "I'll have that calf before I quit," and away he sailed, "up hill and 

 down dale," in pursuit of a fine calf that had been hidden on the ground during 

 the chase and was now making its way over the prairies in pursuit of the herd. 

 I rode to the top of a little hill to witness the success of the general's second effort, 

 and after he had come close upon the little affrighted animal it dodged about in 

 such a manner as evidently to baffle his skill and perplex his horse, which at last 

 fell in a hole and both were instantly out of my sight. I ran my horse with all possible 

 speed to the spot, and found him on his hands and knees endeavoring to get up. 

 I dismounted and raised him on to his feet, when I asked him if he was hurt, to 

 which he replied, "No ; but I might have been," when he instantly fainted and I laid 

 him on the grass. I had left my canteen with my portmanteau, and had nothing to 

 administer to him, nor was there water near us. I took my lancet from my pocket 

 and was tying his arm to open a vein, when he recovered and objected to the opera- 

 tion, assuring me that he was not in the least injured. I caught his horse and soon got 

 him mounted again, when we rode on together, and after two or three hours were 

 enabled to join the regiment. 



