XXXI THE CHARGING BUFFALO
Scouts went out at dawn, and were back again before the camp had finishedbreakfasting. Their report made the hunters hasten preparations. Alreadythe question as to which ones of the Brabant-Perier party should takepart in the hunt had been settled. Only two horses were available. Louis'new one had gone lame, and one of Neil's was not a good buffalo pony,being gun shy and easily frightened. Neither Mr. Perier nor Walter hadever hunted buffalo, while Louis and Neil were skilled in the sport. Soit was right that the latter two should go. Walter was disappointed ofcourse. He would have liked to take part in the hunt. But he comfortedhimself with the thought that there would be other opportunities.
The caravan was just south of the Turtle River, a tributary of the Red,and a number of miles west of the latter stream, in slightly rolling,though open country. A low, irregular ridge shut off the view to thesouth and hid the buffalo. After the hunters got away, the women,children, and few men who had remained behind, started on, with thecarts. They wanted to be in readiness to collect the meat before the hotsun spoiled it, and they were eager to watch the sport. This time thecarts did not move single file, but jounced over the prairie in any ordertheir drivers saw fit.
Walter and Raoul were as anxious as anyone for a view of the hunt. Theyhitched up Neil's pony and got away as quickly as possible, leaving Mr.Perier and Mrs. Brabant to follow slowly with the other cart and lamehorse. Elise, Marie, and Max went with the two boys, while Jeanneremained with her mother.
The boys' cart was among the first to top the rise. The sight revealedalmost took Walter's breath away. The prairie beyond the ridge wascovered with buffalo in a dense, dark mass. They were feeding peacefully,moving slowly along towards the southeast.
"Where are the hunters?" asked Walter.
Raoul pointed to the southwest. "Behind those little hills," he saidconfidently. "The wind is east. They have gone around to approach fromthat way, so the beasts will not get their scent. There they come!"
Figures of horsemen were appearing over the top of one of the low hills.On they came, a long, irregular line, riding easily down hill at a lope.As they reached level ground they broke into a gallop. The buffalonearest the hunters were taking alarm. They were crowding forward, thebulls on the outskirts of the herd pawing the ground and tossing theirgreat heads. The horsemen broke into a run. They charged recklesslyacross the prairie, regardless of gopher holes. Those _bois brules_ couldcertainly ride, thought Walter in admiration. He wondered whether Louisand Neil were among the foremost. At that distance he could not tell.
Suddenly the buffalo everywhere took fright. At a clumsy, galloping gaitthey were away. They crowded, wheeled, milled, stampeded, hoofs flying,shaggy heads tossing. In a few moments the foremost of the hunters wereamong them, shouting, yelling, firing, horses plunging and shying. Thewhole mass was in wild commotion, sweeping on towards the low ridge wherethe carts waited and the excited spectators looked on. With thethundering of hoofs, the bellowing of the beasts, the shouts and yells ofthe hunters, the continuous popping of guns, the clouds of smoke and dustlit up by the flashes of firing, the prairie had become pandemonium.
Never had Walter dreamed of such a sight. His blood was tingling. Hebreathed fast and excitedly. Elise stood beside him, her hands claspedtightly together, frightened yet fascinated. Marie and Raoul danced upand down, and little Max sat on the edge of the cart and shrieked at thetop of his voice in his excitement.
The great band was breaking up into smaller droves and groups. In everydirection they wheeled and fled. The hunters, riding recklessly, swayingin their saddles, loading and firing at full speed, pursued them.
One group of six or eight frightened beasts was close by, just at thefoot of the low ridge. A horseman dashed towards them. Walter had justtime to recognize that blue-bonneted red head, and then, as Neil fired,the little band broke and scattered. One big bull was pounding up theslope, straight towards the cart.
Walter was standing on one side, Raoul on the other of the nervous,excited pony, which was pawing, snorting, twisting about in the shafts,alarmed and uneasy at the sight below. It had not occurred to either boythat he would have a chance to do any shooting. Both of the guns were inthe cart.
When the buffalo charged up the slope, Walter sprang back. As he seizedhis gun, the panic-stricken pony jumped to one side, sending Raoulsprawling, wheeled, overturned the cart, and was off. Walter saw Maxhurtle through the air, and land right in the path of the oncomingbuffalo. As the child struck the ground, Elise darted towards him.
With shaking fingers Walter slipped a charge of powder and ball into themuzzle of his gun and primed it. His whole body was trembling. He mustnot miss. A story Lajimoniere had told of a fight with an infuriatedbuffalo flashed through his mind. "I aimed behind the ear," the Canadianhad said. Where was the ear in that shaggy mass of hair?
The bull, at the crest of the ridge, paused for an instant to paw theground, shake its huge, ugly head, and bellow defiance at the littlegroup in its pathway. Forcing himself to be steady, deliberate, Walterpulled the trigger. It pulled hard. The flint struck the steel. Sparksflew in every direction. There was a flash, a roar, a bellow. The buffaloplunged forward, and went down.
When Walter recovered from the shock of firing--his primitive, flintlockmusket kicked like a mule--the great, dark, hairy bulk lay almost at hisfeet. Had he hit behind the ear? He would take no chances. The muscles ofthe big body were twitching. Hurriedly reloading, he fired again, the gunmuzzle almost against the buffalo's head. An instant later there cameanother report. Raoul had picked himself up, seized his gun, that hadbeen thrown out of the cart, and fired at the fallen beast. He missed itin his excitement, by a wider margin than he missed Walter.
Walter took no heed of the wild shot. His only thought was of Elise andMax. He turned to find Elise stooped over her little brother, her armsaround him. When she realized that the danger was over, she sank down ina heap in the grass. Max wriggled from her arms and sat up.
"Elise," cried Walter, "what were you trying to do?"
"Drag Max out of the way," she answered simply. "Didn't you see? Thatterrible beast was coming straight towards him!"
"And straight towards you, too. Didn't you think of that?"
"She is the bravest girl I ever saw," exclaimed Marie Brabant. Marie, whohad been on the other side of Raoul, had fled to safety, and had notreturned until the danger was over.
"No, no," Elise protested. "I was terribly frightened when I saw thathuge, ugly beast coming up the hill. But when Max fell out of the cart, Ithought he was going to be killed. I have looked after him ever sinceMother died you know, Walter," she added, as if in excuse for her ownbravery.
"You are the bravest girl I ever knew," Marie repeated emphatically,"even if you are afraid of snakes."
But Elise had turned to her little brother. "You aren't hurt, are you,Max?" she asked anxiously.
"Just my shoulder where I fell on it," the lad replied bravely. "Ithink----"
He was interrupted by Neil's shout. Unnoticed by the others, the Scotchboy had ridden up the hill. He dismounted beside the dead buffalo.
"It was all my fault," he said contritely. "I ought not to have driventhe beasts this way. I saw you, but I was after a cow and didn't noticethat bull turning towards you. I never thought of his charging up hill. Ididn't know you were in any danger, till I heard the shot and looked uphere. You've made a good kill, Walter. He's a big fellow. And youcertainly kept your head. I'm not sure I wouldn't have lost mine, if Ihad been in your place." This was a generous admission from anyone asproud of his courage and prowess as Neil MacKay was. At that moment,however, Neil was not in the least proud of himself. His carelessness hadbrought peril to his friends.
South from Hudson Bay: An Adventure and Mystery Story for Boys Page 32
