"Then there's two of them. Don't you see that one lying out yonder?"

We went to it, and instead of a dead white wolf found the bleached skull
of a buffalo. I had missed my mark, and what was worse, had grossly
violated a standing law of the prairie. When in a dangerous part of
the country, it is considered highly imprudent to fire a gun after
encamping, lest the report should reach the ears of the Indians.

The horses were saddled in the morning, and the last man had lighted his
pipe at the dying ashes of the fire. The beauty of the day enlivened us
all. Even Ellis felt its influence, and occasionally made a remark as we
rode along, and Jim Gurney told endless stories of his cruisings in the
United States service. The buffalo were abundant, and at length a large
band of them went running up the hills on the left.

"Do you see them buffalo?" said Ellis, "now I'll bet any man I'll go and
kill one with my yager."

And leaving his horse to follow on with the party, he strode up the hill
after them. Henry looked at us with his peculiar humorous expression,
and proposed that we should follow Ellis to see how he would kill a fat
cow. As soon as he was out of sight we rode up the hill after him, and
waited behind a little ridge till we heard the report of the unfailing
yager. Mounting to the top, we saw Ellis clutching his favorite weapon
with both hands, and staring after the buffalo, who one and all were
galloping off at full speed. As we descended the hill we saw the party
straggling along the trail below. When we joined them, another scene
of amateur hunting awaited us. I forgot to say that when we met the
volunteers Tete Rouge had obtained a horse from one of them, in exchange
for his mule, whom he feared and detested. The horse he christened
James. James, though not worth so much as the mule, was a large and
strong animal. Tete Rouge was very proud of his new acquisition, and
suddenly became ambitious to run a buffalo with him. At his request,
I lent him my pistols, though not without great misgivings, since
when Tete Rouge hunted buffalo the pursuer was in more danger than the
pursued. He hung the holsters at his saddle bow; and now, as we passed
along, a band of bulls left their grazing in the meadow and galloped in
a long file across the trail in front.

"Now's your chance, Tete; come, let's see you kill a bull." Thus urged,
the hunter cried, "Get up!" and James, obedient to the signal, cantered
deliberately fo