in dark clothing. They were moving to and fro, now
uniting in masses, and now separating like the squadrons of an irregular
army. Miles of the green prairie were mottled by their huge dark forms,
or hidden altogether from the view. They seemed to be moving northward,
along the level meadows that stretched between the butte and the Llano
Estacado. This proved to be the case; for in a few minutes the headmost
had pushed forward on a line with the butte; and our young hunters could
distinguish the shaggy, lion-shaped bodies of the bulls that formed the
vanguard of the "gang." Under other circumstances this would have been
a glad sight indeed. As it was, it only served to render their
situation more intolerable. The buffaloes were passing to the north.
Even should they themselves escape, after a time they might not be able
to overtake them; and although they could distinguish none that were
_white_--for the main body was a great way off--it was highly probable
that in so large a herd one or more of these would be found.

As all three continued to watch the black multitudes rolling past, an
exclamation, or rather a _shout_ of joy, was uttered by Basil. He was
upon a tree that stood apart from the others and gave him an
unobstructed view of the plains to the west.

"_Voila_! yonder! yonder!" he cried: "see! in the middle of the drove!
See, brothers!--it shines in the sun--white--white! Huzza!--huzza!"

Basil's speech was scarcely coherent. Neither was that of his brothers,
when they beheld the object to which he had alluded. It could be
nothing else, all believed, than the object of their long wild hunt--a
_white buffalo_. All three huzzaed loudly, and for a moment forgot the
peril of their position. Their shouts started the grizzly monster
below, who, lazily rising to his feet, once more commenced growling and
shuffling about among the trees. The sight of him soon restored the
hunters to a sense of the fearful realities that surrounded them.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

AN ESCAPE FROM THE BEAR-SCRAPE.

For hours they sat upon their painful perch--now glancing downward at
the fierce gaoler that watched unweariedly below--now gazing out upon
the plain, where the dusky droves still continued to move. For hours
the buffaloes kept passing northward, until the setting sun glanced
redly from their brown bodies. Once or twice again the boys thought
they saw white ones in the herd; but their eyes had grown dim with
wa