and we felt bound to wait until the cattle could be searched for,
and, if possible, recovered. But the reader may be curious to know what
punishment awaited the faithless Tom. By the wholesome law of the
prairie, he who falls asleep on guard is condemned to walk all day,
leading his horse by the bridle, and we found much fault with our
companions for not enforcing such a sentence on the offender.
Nevertheless, had he been of our own party, I have no doubt he would in
like manner have escaped scot-free. But the emigrants went farther than
mere forbearance: they decreed that since Tom couldn't stand guard
without falling asleep, he shouldn't stand guard at all, and
henceforward his slumbers were unbroken.

"Buffalo! buffalo!" It was but a grim old bull, roaming the prairie by
himself in misanthropic seclusion; but there might be more behind the
hills. Dreading the monotony and languor of the camp, Shaw and I saddled
our horses, buckled our holsters in their places, and set out with Henry
Chatillon in search of the game. Henry, not intending to take part in
the chase, but merely conducting us, carried his rifle with him, while
we left ours behind as incumbrances. We rode for some five or six miles,
and saw no living thing but wolves, snakes, and prairie dogs.

"This won't do at all," said Shaw.

"What won't do?"

"There's no wood about here to make a litter for the wounded man; I have
an idea that one of us will need something of the sort before the day is
over."

There was some foundation for such an apprehension, for the ground was
none of the best for a race, and grew worse continually as we proceeded;
indeed it soon became desperately bad, consisting of abrupt hills and
deep hollows, cut by frequent ravines not easy to pass. At length, a
mile in advance, we saw a band of bulls. Some were scattered grazing
over a green declivity, while the rest were crowded more densely
together in the wide hollow below. Making a circuit to keep out of
sight, we rode toward them until we ascended a hill within a furlong of
them, beyond which nothing intervened that could possibly screen us from
their view. We dismounted behind the ridge just out of sight, drew our
saddle-girths, examined our pistols, and mounting again rode over the
hill, and descended at a canter toward them, bending close to our
horses' necks. Instantly they took the alarm; those on the hill
descended; those below gathered into a mass, and the whole got in
motio