They were walking
swiftly, and before I could come within gunshot distance they slowly
wheeled about and faced toward me.
Before they had turned far enough
to see me I had fallen flat on my face. For a moment they stood and
stared at the strange object upon the grass; then turning away, again
they walked on as before; and I, rising immediately, ran once more in
pursuit. Again they wheeled about, and again I fell prostrate.
Repeating this three or four times, I came at length within a hundred
yards of the fugitives, and as I saw them turning again I sat down
and leveled my rifle. The one in the center was the largest I had
ever seen. I shot him behind the shoulder. His two companions ran
off. He attempted to follow, but soon came to a stand, and at length
lay down as quietly as an ox chewing the cud. Cautiously approaching
him, I saw by his dull and jellylike eye that he was dead.
When I began the chase, the prairie was almost tenantless; but a
great multitude of buffalo had suddenly thronged upon it, and looking
up, I saw within fifty rods a heavy, dark column stretching to the
right and left as far as I could see. I walked toward them. My
approach did not alarm them in the least. The column itself
consisted entirely of cows and calves, but a great many old bulls
were ranging about the prairie on its flank, and as I drew near they
faced toward me with such a shaggy and ferocious look that I thought
it best to proceed no farther.
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