CHAPTER II--IN PURSUIT OF A HERD
"Queek! Queek!" called Jean. "At once! Immediately!"
Whether or not it was the call of his excited companion that influencedReuben, his pony was quickly bridled, and almost at the same time bothmen leaped upon the backs of their horses. In spite of the weariness ofboth men and beasts, in a brief time all were alike highly excited. Thegreat rumbling mass was steadily approaching and the horses also wereaware of the peril that threatened.
In Reuben's heart there was a thought that if he and his companionshould fire at the buffaloes the course of the mighty herd might bediverted. Perhaps even the direction in which they were moving would beturned and they would then avoid the camp. The young trapper had heardmany stories of men and horses that had been trampled beneath the feetof a frantic herd of buffaloes.
As the huge animals came nearer and a mighty bull was seen acting as anadvance guard, Reuben glanced quickly at Jean to see whether or not heshared in his alarm. Nothing apparently would be able to stand in theway of the rush of the oncoming horde. It was a sight unlike any thatReuben ever had seen.
On, and still on, dashed the animals, moving almost as if the swayingmass was one huge creature. Neither Reuben nor Jean had as yet advancedfrom the camp, but both were waiting with loaded rifles, unable todiscover just what the exact course of the fleeing herd was to be.
"How many are there?" inquired Reuben in a low voice.
"About seven hundred."
Reuben whistled, but made no further response. Two minutes elapsedwithout any change in the direction in which the buffaloes were going.Then Jean said quickly, "I shall go to one side. It ees good for you towait. When you shoot you must hit a cow, that ees the only meat thatone can eat. Il trouverait a tondre sur un oeuf."
Whenever Jean fell into the use of his native language Reuben was awarethat his excitement was almost beyond control. What the words meant hehad no conception, but an instant later he saw Jean dashing directlytoward the approaching herd. His horse now apparently was as excited asits rider. The weariness of the long journey of the day was forgottenor ignored.
Without any definite plan, Reuben departed from the camp, moving inaccordance with Jean's advice toward the rear of the animals. The greatmass was now less than a half-mile distant, and as the two huntersseparated and approached the herd, Reuben saw that they had come withinthree hundred yards before the presence of the two riders wasdiscovered. Then there was a sudden agitation in the huge body. Theband apparently wavered for a moment, and some of the bulls galloped toand fro along the borders of the herd, betraying the fact that thepresence of enemies had been discovered.
The progress of the trappers, however, was not stayed. Riding steadilyforward, they drew nearer the buffaloes. To Reuben the interest of thechase had now become so intense that all other things were ignored.
Suddenly the movements of the dense mass were changed. The body swervedin a semicircle and apparently was in swift flight for the foothills.Within a few seconds the entire herd had joined in the flight, a guardof bulls as usual bringing up the rear. Frequently some of themstopped, and faced about as if they intended to test the strength orlearn the purpose of the men on horseback. In every case, however, thehuge animals speedily turned and once more dashed after the band, onlyto stop again and gaze at the horsemen. Indeed, as the minutes passed,Reuben was persuaded that the animals were minded to stand and fight.
Whatever may have been the impulse, however, as the hunters increasedthe pace at which they were riding the confusion in the herd becamemore manifest. The buffaloes were moving over the ground now withincreasing swiftness, while the rumbling and roaring became steadilylouder as the speed increased.
Reuben, who had followed directions and was making for the rear of theherd, now lost sight of his companion. He had a momentary glimpse ofJean when he was about thirty yards from the border of the herd,dashing into its midst. He heard the loud shout of the Frenchman, "Abeau jeu beau retour!" but as he did not understand any of the words hewas ignorant of Jean's purpose. He saw the mass give way, and ahalf-dozen or more of the bulls, that were less fleet than the cows,turned to face the approaching hunter. Several of them, however, werethrown to the earth by the mass of maddened animals and rolled over andover upon the ground, hardly to be distinguished from the clouds ofdust that now were settling all about them.
Aware that Jean's plan was, if possible, to separate one animal andpursue it until he had approached its side and then aim directly at itsheart, Reuben became so interested that for a brief time he almostforgot the task which had been assigned him.
Recalled in a few moments, however, and aware that Jean no longer wasto be seen, he shouted to his horse to increase its speed and soon wasswiftly moving toward the rear. He saw one cow slightly separated fromthe mass, and in a moment he was pursuing her as swiftly as the wolveshad followed the buffalo calf a little while before.
Steadily the young trapper gained upon his victim until at last hishorse was alongside the animal he was seeking. Partly rising in hisstirrups Reuben, when only a yard separated him from the buffalo,fired. The animal fell headlong at the discharge of the rifle, and thenReuben checked his horse and looked about him for his companion. Notfar away he discovered Jean tying his horse to the head of a cow, whichhe was preparing to cut up.
Filled with the spirit of the chase, Reuben decided that he would tryto secure another cow. As he swiftly advanced he heard a shout fromJean, "Le cout en ote le gout!" Still he did not understand what wassaid, and in his determination to secure another victim he did not heedthe call, and soon was engaged in the mad pursuit of the flying herd.
Whether or not it was due to the weariness of the horse he was riding,or to the increased speed of the buffaloes, Reuben never knew, but atall events he was compelled to continue the pursuit for a longdistance. Unaware of the passing time and unmindful of the fact thatthe sun now was disappearing below the western horizon, intent solelyupon securing another buffalo, Reuben still followed in the chase. Athick cloud of dust filled his mouth and eyes and at times nearlysmothered him. There were moments, too, when the herd was not to beseen, so concealed was it by the cloud which the hundreds of feet hadstirred up in the desert.
He was aware also that the buffaloes were crowding more closelytogether, and the body was so compact that he was beginning to questionwhether or not he would be able to force an entrance and cut off any ofthe animals from the others. The dull and confused murmuring at timeswas as distinctly heard as was the noise of the many feet. Many timesbefore Reuben had seen herds of buffaloes in the distance, but this hadbeen the first time he had joined in a chase.
Jean had told him often of his own experiences in buffalo hunting, andin his own peculiar way had declared that "Indians and the buffaloprovide the poetry and life of the prairie."
Whenever a discovery of a herd had been made Jean had insisted uponhunting alone. Even now Reuben could picture the excited Frenchmanshouting to his horse, "Avance donc!" and cracking his whip to urge thefleet animal into its best paces. Often Reuben had shared in the feastthat had followed, enjoying the tongues and steaks which his companioninsisted were the only choice bits of meat that the buffalo provided.While these pieces were being roasted on sticks held over the fire,Reuben in a measure had been content because of the feast that waspromised. Now, he himself was a buffalo hunter and already had securedone victim.
Unaware how far he was leaving his companion behind him, and ignorantof the direction in which he was moving as he followed the herd, Reubenstill maintained the pursuit. He was unaware also of another change inthe course of the animals. He had ridden near to the border of theterrified mass, but for some reason had been unable to penetrate it, orto separate one from the others.
As the herd swung to the right, Reuben found that he was being crowdedby the animals, that apparently either were unaware of his presence orignored their peril. He was ignorant of the fact that the herd waspassing over dangerous ground. Many times in his long
rides across theplains Reuben had passed through a prairie-dog village. The sight ofthe little creatures sitting erect upon their haunches, watching theapproaching stranger on horseback, had become so common that he hadgiven slight heed to the little animals. Nor had he once thought ofthem as a source of danger.
Still the flight and the pursuit were maintained. Several times thehorse which Reuben was riding stumbled and nearly fell, but every timethe pony was able to regain its foothold and dashed forward withundiminished speed.
Reuben was now aware that the animal he was riding was breathingheavily and doubtless was feeling the effect of its swift pace afterthe long ride of the day. As soon as he had secured the cow hedesired--for now the young trapper had selected the animal which heintended to shoot--he decided that he would give his horse a long restbefore he returned to the camp.
Suddenly one of the forefeet of his horse sank into a hole which theprairie-dogs had made. Glancing about him, Reuben saw that he was inthe midst of a village of the little animals. With an effort hemaintained his seat in the saddle, for he was an expert horseman, andan ordinary fall had little peril for him. This time, however, hishorse was unable to regain its foothold. It stumbled and staggeredseveral steps, and then with a groan sank to the ground.
As it fell, Reuben slipped from its back and leaped lightly to theground. Advancing to the head of his horse, he seized the bridle andattempted to lift the animal to its feet. It was unable to rise, and abrief examination convinced the young trapper that the fall had brokenits leg.
The thunder of the flying herd now sounded farther away. In the dimlight Reuben saw that the buffaloes were still running swiftly and wereheaded for a valley or defile among the hills not far distant. Oncethere, doubtless they would be secure from attack.
His own predicament, however, was too appalling to enable Reuben longto think of the fleeing herd. He was miles distant from his companion,his horse had fallen with a broken leg, and night was upon him, whilehis perils doubtless would be greatly increased before morning came.For a moment the heart of the young hunter was heavy. A groan of hisfaithful pony recalled him to the necessity of action. There was nohope of restoring the suffering brute, and, advancing to its head,without hesitating a moment, Reuben fired at the heart of the panting,suffering animal. With scarcely a quiver the horse became still.
His own problem, however, was still unsolved, as Reuben now was fullyaware. The cloud of dust in part had disappeared in the dim light. Helooked all about him, but not a trace of Jean or the camp was he ableto discover. He was alone on the trackless plains and by no meanscertain of the direction in which he had come or of the way in which heshould go.