lie  thought  his  scalp  was  being  removed  by  a  hostile  Indian,  and  he
yelled  out  for  mercy ;  but  the  savage  red  man  proved  to  be  nothing  more
dangerous  than  one  of  the  horses  that  had  got  free  from  his  halter  and
was  looking  around  for  something  to  eat.  He  scented  the  oats  and  went
for  them,  and  in  trying  to  take  a  mouthful  he  unintentionally  seized  the
hair  of  the  slumberer.  Thereupon  came  the  dream  of  the  red  man  and
his  barbarities,  and  the  consequent  outcry  that  roused  the  camp.
As  had  been  expected,  the  herd  moved  several  miles  down  the  valley,
so  that  it  took  a  ride  of  more  than  an  hour  to  reach  them.  Two  of  the

15


226  THE    YOUNG   NIMRODS.
hunters  of  the  previous  day  did  not  care  to  go  out,  as  one  of  them  had
injured  his  hand  during  the  chase,  and  the  other  was  suffering  from  a
sprained  ankle.  They  kindly  loaned  their  horses  to  the  boys ;  and  as  the
animals  were  "split-ears"  of  the  best  character,  there  was  a  prospect  that
the  buffaloes  might  feel  the  weight  of  bullets  from  the  pistols  of  Harry
and  George.  It  was  stipulated  that  they  were  not  to  make  a  long  run,
and  each  promised  to  be  content  if  he  killed  a  single  buffalo.  With  this
understanding  they  joined  in  the  hunt.
