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 forward at an abominably uneasy gait.  Tete Rouge, as we contemplated him from behind; made a most remarkable figure.  He still wore the old buffalo coat; his blanket, which was tied in a loose bundle behind his saddle, went jolting from one side to the other, and a large tin canteen half full of water, which hung from his pommel, was jerked about his leg in a manner which greatly embarrassed him.

“Let out your horse, man; lay on your whip!” we called out to him.  The buffalo were getting farther off at every instant.  James, being ambitious to mend his pace, tugged hard at the rein, and one of his rider’s boots escaped from the stirrup.

“Woa!  I say, woa!” cried Tete Rouge, in great perturbation, and after much effort James’ progress was arrested.  The hunter came trotting back to the party, disgusted with buffalo running, and he was received with overwhelming congratulations.

“Too good a chance to lose,” said Shaw, pointing to another band of bulls on the left.  We lashed our horses and galloped upon them.  Shaw killed one with each barrel of his gun.  I separated another from the herd and shot him.  The small bullet of the rifled pistol, striking too far back, did not immediately take effect, and the bull ran on with unabated speed.  Again and again I snapped the remaining pistol at him.  I primed it afresh three or four times, and each time it missed fire, for the touch-hole was clogged up.  Returning