ear would soon be broken.

_Hunter._ No; these thin, long spears are sometimes used, in buffalo
hunting, for years without breaking. When an Indian chases a buffalo,
if he does not use his rifle or bow and arrow, he rides on fast till
he comes up with his game, and makes his horse gallop just the same
pace as the buffalo. Every bound his horse gives, the Indian keeps
moving his spear backwards and forwards across the pommel of his
saddle, with the point sideways towards the buffalo. He gallops on in
this way, saying "Whish! whish!" every time he makes a feint, until he
finds himself in just the situation to inflict a deadly wound; then,
in a moment, with all his strength, he plunges in his lance, quick as
lightning, near the shoulders of the buffalo, and withdraws it at the
same instant: the lance, therefore, is not broken, though the buffalo
may be mortally wounded.

_Brian._ The poor buffalo has no chance at all.

_Austin._ Well! you mounted your horse, and rode off at full gallop--

_Hunter._ No; we walked our steeds all abreast, until we were seen by
the herd of buffaloes. On catching sight of us, in an instant they set
off, and we after them as hard as we could drive, a cloud of dust
rising from the prairie, occasioned by the trampling hoofs of the
buffaloes.

_Basil._ What a scamper there must be!

_Hunter._ Rifles were flashing, bowstrings were twanging, spears were
dashed into the fattest of the herd, and buffaloes were falling in all
directions. Here was seen an Indian rolling on the ground, and there a
horse gored to death by a buffalo bull. I brought down one of the
largest of the herd with my rifle, at the beginning of the hunt; and,
before it was ended, we had as many buffaloes as we knew what to do
with. Some of the party had loaded their rifles four or five times,
while at full gallop, bringing down a buffalo at every fire.

Very willingly would Austin have lingered long enough to hear of half
a dozen buffalo hunts; but, bearing in mind what had been said about
a longer account at another time, he cordially thanked the hunter for
all he had told them, and set off home, with a light heart, in earnest
conversation with his brothers.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: Buffalo Hunt.]

CHAPTER VI.

The description of the buffalo hunt, given by the hunter, made a deep
impression on the minds of the young people; and the manner of using
th