nded glimpse of the plunging
mass. By hearing rather than by sight he could outline the rushing
huddle at his right hand. And watching it as intently as if it had
been a rattlesnake ready to strike, he galloped on by its side in a
wild race through the darkness, over the plain, up and down hills,
through cactus and sagebrush, over boulders and through treacherous,
tunneled prairie dog towns, plunging headlong into whatever might be
in front of them.

From the rushing herd beside him there came the muffled roar of their
thousand hoofs, overtoned by the constant popping and scraping of
their clashing horns. The noise filled his ears and could not quite be
drowned even by the rattling peals of thunder. Swift drops of rain
stung his face and the water of a pelting shower dripped from his hat
brim and trickled from his boot heels. The beating rain, the vivid
flashes of lightning and the loud peals of thunder drove the maddened
creatures on at a still faster pace. Mead put frequent spurs to his
horse and held on to the side of the mob of cattle, bent only on going
wherever they went and being with them at the dawn, when it might be
possible to get them under control.

They plunged on at a frenzied gallop through the darkness and the
storm, and when at last the sky brightened and a wet, gray light made
the earth dimly visible, Mead could see beside him a close huddle of
lumbering, straining backs and over it a tangle of tossing and
knocking horns. The crowding, crazy herd, and he beside it, were
rushing pell-mell down a long, sloping hill. With one keen, sweeping
glance through the dim light and the streaming rain he saw a clump of
trees, which meant water, at the foot of the hill, and near it a herd
of cattle, some lying down, and some standing with heads up, looking
toward him; while his own senseless mass of thundering hoofs and
knocking horns was headed straight toward them.

With a whooping yell he dashed at the head of the plunging herd, sent
a pistol ball whizzing in front of their eyes and with a quick, sharp
turn leaped his horse to one side, barely in time to escape the hoofs
and horns of the nearest steer. They swerved a little, and making a
detour he came yelling down upon them again, with his horse at its
topmost speed, and sent a bullet crashing through the skull of the
creature in the lead. It dropped to its knees, struggled a moment,
fell over dead, and the herd turned a little more to the right.
Spurring h