Bill Biddon, Trapper; or, Life in the NorthwestEllis, Edward Sylvester
General
Bill Biddon, Trapper; or, Life in the Northwest
Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Hunting -- West (U.S.) -- Fiction; Indians of North America -- Fiction; Trappers -- Fiction; Western stories
I now looked about me. Buffaloes were flying in every direction, and
the forms of the savages could be seen darting to and fro among them,
dealing death and destruction at every turn. The main herd was pouring
simultaneously southward, while the scores which had been cut off,
were endeavoring to rejoin them, carrying us along with them. In
different parts of the prairie could be seen the dark, motionless
forms of the slain buffaloes, showing how successful the chase had
been thus far.
The sky, which in the morning was fair and clear, was now becoming
overcast with heavy clouds, and two or three warning rumbles of
thunder were heard in the distance. Still, the savages were too
excited to notice the interruption, as long as a single buffalo
remained. I saw Jim plunge his horse unhesitatingly into a crowd of a
dozen or so, when, as he commenced dealing destruction, his horse
became entangled, and he was compelled to make a flying leap over the
backs of the animals around him. This he accomplished successfully,
leaping from one back to the other, until he was clear of them all.
Suddenly, it occurred to me, while holding my fiery horse, that if I
meditated escape it was high time to be about it. Turning to the
southward, I could just descry the drove thundering away, a vast cloud
of dust circling above them. The rein was dropped upon the neck of my
horse, and, stretching out his head, he bounded away like the wind. He
was a noble animal, and was now in his element. He enjoyed the chase
as much as any of the savages; and, as mile after mile of prairie flew
beneath his feet, he was only warming into the excitement. As I looked
back, I could just discern the Indians, like specks in the distance,
still at their bloody work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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