I at once guessed
to be buffalo. It was evident that they were making for the river. The
Indians, urging on their horses, dashed forward to try to intercept the
herd before they could cross it. It seemed to me, however, that we
should be too late to do that.

I could see the scouts galloping along the flank of the herd nearest us,
trying to find an opening among them into which they might penetrate;
while every now and then they let fly one of their arrows into the neck
of an animal. As to turning the herd, or preventing it from crossing
the stream, they might as well have attempted to stop the falls of
Niagara in their downward course. With a tramp which shook the earth,
and terrific bellowings sounding far across the plain, onward rushed the
seemingly maddened creatures, tossing their heads, throwing high their
tails, and turning up the earth in their course.

The river was reached before we could get up to them; and their leaders
plunging in, they began to swim across, the animals in the rear driving
those in front into the water. The former would have treated the latter
in the same way had they reached the edge of a precipice, when all would
have gone over together. As it was, they proved themselves good
swimmers, quickly gaining the opposite bank, and rushing forward as at
first.

Before we got within shot of them, the greater number had crossed; but
the hunters, urging on their well-trained steeds, rode boldly up,
shooting their arrows within a few feet of the creatures. Three or four
only fell; others seemed to take no notice of their wounds; and several,
springing out of the herd, with heads lowered to the ground, plunged
forward furiously at their assailants. The nimble horses wheeled as
they approached, and escaped the attack made on them; their riders never
failing to discharge one or two arrows in return at the infuriated
buffalo. Had we possessed firearms, many more would have been killed.

The Indians had no intention of giving up the pursuit. Where the herd
had crossed the river, the water was too deep to allow us to wade over.
At a signal from their leader, however, the hunters turned their horses,
and galloped back in the direction from whence we had come; soon we
reached a ford, where we all crossed, though the water almost covered
the backs of our short-legged ponies. The herd could still be seen in
the far distance, so we immediately galloped on to overtake it.

Though called buffalo