ole, and
came to an abrupt stop. The foot was extricated, and I was instructed in
the dangers that beset the prairie voyager in these blind traps of the
plain.

The trail had been ascending at a gentle grade, and we had a slight
change of scene--desert hill instead of desert plain. The sand-hills
rose in tiers before us, and I was informed that they were formed ages
ago by the action of water. What was hard, dry ground to our horses'
hoofs was once the bottom of the sea.

I was much interested in the geology of my environments; much more so
than I should have been had I been told that those strange, weird hills
were the haunt of the red man, who was on the war-path, and looking
constantly for scalps. But these unpleasant facts were not touched upon
by the officers, and in blissful ignorance we pursued the tenor of our
way.

We were obliged to ride a great distance before we sighted any game,
and after twenty miles had been gone over, my temporarily forgotten
weariness began to reassert itself. Dr. Powell proposed that the ladies
should do the shooting, but my interest in the hunt had waned. It had
been several years since I had ridden a horse, and after the first few
miles I was not in a suitable frame of mind or body to enjoy the most
exciting hunt.

A herd of buffaloes finally came into view, and the party was instantly
alive. One old bull was a little apart from the others of the herd, and
was singled out for the first attack. As we drew within range, a rifle
was given to May, with explicit directions as to its handling. The
buffalo has but one vulnerable spot, and it is next to impossible for
a novice to make a fatal shot. May fired, and perhaps her shot might be
called a good one, for the animal was struck: but it was only wounded
and infuriated, and dropping its shaggy head, it rushed toward us. The
officers fusilladed the mountain of flesh, succeeding only in rousing it
to added fury. Another rifle was handed to May, and Dr. Powell directed
its aim; but terrified by the near presence of the charging bull, May
discharged it at random.

Although this is strictly a narrative of facts, exercising the privilege
of the novelist, we leave our present heroine in her perilous position,
and return, for a space, to the fort.

Will returned from his scouting trip shortly after the departure of the
hunting party, and his first query was:

"Is Nellie here?"

"Come and gone," replied his wife; and she informed him of