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chase.

The buffaloes started away in a line, single file; Fitzhugh, after a
lively gallop, led us all. Soon he came alongside the rear buffalo, at
which he fired. The animal faltered, and with another shot Fitzhugh
brought him to the ground. Crosby dashed past and leveled another of
the herd, while Livingston dropped a third. Those who were not directly
engaged in the hunt now came up and congratulated the buffalo killers.
Fitzhugh was hailed as the winner of the Buffalo Cup. There was general
sympathy for Heckscher, whose horse had fallen and rolled over him,
thus putting him out of the race.

The hunt being over, the column moved forward through a prairie-dog
town, several miles in extent. These animals are found throughout the
Plains, living together in a sort of society. Their numberless burrows
in their towns join each other and the greatest care is necessary in
riding among them, since the ground is so undermined as easily to give
way under the weight of a horse.

Around the entrance to each burrow earth is piled to the height of at
least a foot. On these little elevations the prairie-dogs sit on their
haunches, chattering to each other and observing whatever passes on the
Plains.

They will permit a person to approach very closely, but when they have
viewed him they dive into their holes with wonderful celerity. They are
difficult to kill. If hit they usually succeed in getting underground
before they can be recovered.

Rattlesnakes and little owls are found in great numbers in the
prairie-dog towns, living in the same burrows. We killed and cooked a
few of the prairie-dogs, and found them very palatable.

A short distance beyond the prairie-dog town we found a settlement of
five white men. They Proved to be the two Clifford brothers, Arthur
Ruff, Dick Seymour, and John Nelson. To the last I have already
referred. Each of these men had a squaw for a wife and numerous
half-breed children. They lived in tents of buffalo skins. They owned a
herd of horses and a few cattle, and had cultivated a small piece of
land. Their principal occupation was hunting, and they had numbers of
buffalo hides, which they had tanned in the Indian fashion.

Upon reaching Pleasant Valley on Medicine Creek the party divided into
two detachments, one hunting along the bank of the creek for elk and
deer, the other remaining with the main body of the escort.

The elk hunters met with no success whatever, but the others found
pl