As he ran, he looked back, and saw a sight that might well
fill the bravest soul with dread. A great black line, crested
with tossing horns, was bearing down on them. The thunder of
hoofs was like the roar of a hurricane, but behind the herd was a
vast wall of light, which seemed to reach from the earth to the
heavens and which gave forth sparks in myriads. Dick knew that
they had been just in time.

They did not stop until they had gone a full quarter of a mile,
and then the wagons were hastily drawn up in a rude circle, with
the animals facing the center, that is, the inside, and still
rearing and neighing in terror. Then the men, rifle in hand, and
sitting in the rear of the wagons, faced the buffalo herd.

Dick was with the riflemen, and, like the others, he began to
fire as soon as the vanguard of the buffaloes was near enough.
The wagons were a solid obstacle which not even King Bison could
easily run over, but Dick and Albert thought the herd would never
split, although the bullets were poured into it at a central
point like a driven wedge.

But the falling buffaloes were an obstacle to those behind them,
and despite their mad panic, the living became conscious of the
danger in front. The herd split at last, the cleft widened to
right and left, and then the tide, in two great streams, flowed
past the wagon train.

Dick ceased firing and sat with Albert on the tail of the wagon.
The wall of fire, coming to the burned ground, went out in the
center, but the right and left ends of it, swinging around, still
roared to the southward, passing at a distance of a quarter of a
mile on either side.

Dick and Albert watched until all the herd was gone, and when
only smoke and sparks were left, helped to get the camp into trim
again. Conway knew that the boy had saved them, but he gave him
no thanks.

It took the ground a long time to cool, and they advanced all the
next day over a burned area. They traveled northward ten days,
always ascending, and they were coming now to a wooded country.
They crossed several creeks, flowing down from the higher
mountains, and along the beds of these they found cottonwood,
ash, box elder, elm, and birch. On the steeper slops were
numerous cedar brakes and also groves of yellow pine. There was
very little undergrowth, but the grass grew in abundance.
Although it was now somewhat dry, the horses and mules ate it
eagerly. The buffaloes did not appear here, but they saw ma