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Tracks of a Rolling Stone-Part22_Henry J.Coke(1827-1916)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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three days before I again fell in with my friends. I had not



touched food since the early morning, and was rather done.

To return to the high ground was to give up for the night;



but that meant another day behind the cavalcade, with

diminished chance of overtaking it. Through the dusk I saw



what I fancied was something moving on a mound ahead of me

which arose out of the surrounding swamp. I spurred on, but



only to find the putrid carcase of a buffalo, with a wolf

supping on it. The brute was gorged, and looked as sleek as



"die schone Frau Giermund"; but, unlike Isegrim's spouse, she

was free to escape, for she wasn't worth a bullet. I was so



famished, that I examined the carcase with the hope of

finding a cut that would last for a day or two; my nose



wouldn't have it. I plodded on, the water up to the saddle-

girths. The mosquitos swarmed in millions, and the poor



little grey could hardly get one leg before the other. I,

too, was so feverish that, ignorant of bacteria, I filled my



round hat with the filthystagnant water, and drank it at a

draught.



'At last I made for higher ground. It was too dark to hunt

for tracks, so I began to look out for a level bed. Suddenly



my beast, who jogged along with his nose to the ground, gave

a loud neigh. We had struck the trail. I threw the reins on



his neck, and left matters to his superior instincts. In

less than half an hour the joyful light of a camp fire



gladdened my eyes. Fred told me he had halted as soon as he

was able, not on my account only, but because he, too, had



had a severe fall, and was suffering great pain from a

bruised knee.'



Here is an ordinary example of buffalo shooting:

'JULY 2ND. - Fresh meat much wanted. With Jim the half-breed



to the hills. No sooner on high ground than we sighted game.

As far as eye could reach, right away to the horizon, the



plain was black with buffaloes, a truly astonishing sight.

Jim was used to it. I stopped to spy them with amazement.



The nearest were not more than half a mile off, so we

picketed our horses under the sky line; and choosing the



hollows, walked on till crawling became expedient. As is

their wont, the outsiders were posted on bluffs or knolls in



a commanding position; these were old bulls. To my

inexperience, our chance of getting a shot seemed small; for



we had to cross the dipping ground under the brow whereon the

sentinels were lying. Three extra difficulties beset us -



the prairie dogs (a marmot, so called from its dog-like bark

when disturbed) were all round us, and bolted into their



holes like rabbits directly they saw us coming; two big grey

wolves, the regular camp followers of a herd, were prowling



about in a direct line between us and the bulls; lastly, the

cows, though up and feeding, were inconveniently out of



reach. (The meat of the young cow is much preferred to that

of the bull.) Jim, however, was confident. I followed my



leader to a wink. The only instruction I didn't like when we

started crawling on the hot sand was "Look out for



rattlesnakes."

'The wolves stopped, examined us suspiciously, then quietly



trotted off. What with this and the alarm of the prairie

dogs, an old bull, a patriarch of the tribe, jumped up and



walked with majestic paces to the top of the knoll. We lay

flat on our faces, till he, satisfied with the result of his



scrutiny, resumed his recumbent posture; but with his head

turned straight towards us. Jim, to my surprise, stealthily



crawled on. In another minute or two we had gained a point

whence we could see through the grass without being seen.



Here we rested to recover breath. Meanwhile, three or four

young cows fed to within sixty or seventy yards of us.



Unluckily we both selected the same animal, and both fired at

the same moment. Off went the lot helter skelter, all save



the old bull, who roared out his rage and trotted up close to

our hiding place.



'"Look out for a bolt," whispered Jim, "but don't show

yourself nohow till I tell you."



'For a minute or two the suspense was exciting. One hardly

dared to breathe. But his majesty saw us not, and turned



again to his wives. We instantly reloaded; and the startled




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