wonderful--here in the mystery of this wide,
calm, inscrutable desert that lay all about, in a world young and strong
and full of the primeval lusts of man.

CHAPTER XVI

BUFFALO!

Before dawn had broken, the clear bugle notes of reveille sounded and
set the camp astir. Presently the smokes of the cook fires arose, and in
the gray light we could see the horse-guards bringing in the mounts. By
the time the sun was faintly tinging the edge of the valley we were
drawn up for hot coffee and the plain fare of the prairies. A half hour
later the wagon masters called "Roll out! Roll out!" The bugles again
sounded for the troopers to take saddle, and we were under way once
more.

Thus far we had seen very little game in our westward journeying, a few
antelope and occasional wolves, but none of the herds of buffalo which
then roamed the Western plains. The monotony of our travel was to be
broken now. We had hardly gone five miles beyond the ruined station
house--which we passed at a trot, so that none might know what had
happened there--when we saw our advance men pull up and raise their
hands. We caught it also--the sound of approaching hoofs, and all joined
in the cry, "Buffalo! Buffalo!" In an instant every horseman was
pressing forward.

The thunderous rolling sound approached, heavy as that of artillery
going into action. We saw dust arise from the mouth of a little draw on
the left, running down toward the valley, and even as we turned there
came rolling from its mouth, with the noise of a tornado and the might
of a mountain torrent, a vast, confused, dark mass, which rapidly
spilled out across the valley ahead of us. Half hid in the dust of their
going, we could see great dark bulks rolling and tossing. Thus it was,
and close at hand, that I saw for the first time in my life these huge
creatures whose mission seemed to have been to support an uncivilized
people, and to make possible the holding by another race of those lands
late held as savage harvest grounds.

We were almost at the flanks of the herd before they reached the river
bank. We were among them when they paused stupidly, for some reason not
wishing to cross the stream. The front ranks rolled back upon those
behind, which, crowded from the rear, resisted. The whole front of the
mass wrinkled up mightily, dark humps arising in some places two or
three deep. Then the entire mass sensed the danger all at once, and with
as much unanimity as they had