CHAPTER XIX--A FRUITLESS CHASE
Chet slipped down from the summit of the rise, motioning to his chum tokeep still. For, although the buffaloes were grazing so far away, hefeared that a loud word spoken might startle them.
"Have they skedaddled, Chet?" Dig finally whispered when his chum camenear.
"No."
"I was afraid that they might have done so. Any chance for a shot?"
"I believe so. I'll tell you my plan," Chet returned in a low voice.
Dig was just as eager now as Chet himself to get a shot at the game.Chet explained quietly how the herd was grazing and what he proposed todo to overcome the lack of shelter from the down wind side.
Dig dismounted and they led the horses up the rise. They had some smalldiscussion as to whether they should abandon the outfit while theystalked the buffaloes.
"You know what Poke will do the minute I take his saddle off. He'llroll," said Dig, with disgust. "And the way he kicks and snorts isenough to frighten any kind of game into a conniption fit."
"I don't think, after all, that the saddles and blanket-rolls will makethe buffaloes suspicious," whispered Chet. "Now lengthen your rein andtie your lariat to it. We'll give the horses all the range possible."
With the horses at the very end of the tethers the trail boys let themdrift over the rise and out upon the plain. It was noon and they werehungry, so they began to graze immediately.
Whenever the buffaloes caught sight of the two horses, they were quietlyfeeding on the short grass, and moving on like themselves--up wind. Aplains-bred or mountain-bred horse will always point into the wind whengrazing, just as instinctively, as any game animal.
What the buffaloes did not see was the long line dragging behind eachhorse. At the end of the lines were the boys, creeping on hands andknees, or lying flat for a time on the prairie, to breathe.
The horses made a perfect screen for the young hunters. Chet's planincluded the stalking of the buffaloes to within easy striking distance.Then they were to spring into the saddles, cast free the ropes, andshoot from that vantage seat--following the herd on horseback ifnecessary, for a second shot.
It seemed as though the plan would go through without a hitch. Thehorses were kept moving by the boys at the end of the ropes; but theydid nothing to startle Hero and Poke.
Holding the rope in one hand, each boy dragged behind him with the otherhis heavy rifle. If the buffaloes glanced toward the horses they wouldsee no farther than the saddle mounts themselves. That is the way withcreatures of the wild. With all their apprehension of an approachingenemy, they are satisfied of their own safety if some other creatureintervenes between them and the enemy. The quietly grazing horses madethe buffaloes perfectly tranquil. The young hunters were making asuccessful approach.
The big leader of the herd was on the far side; but Chet Havens had hismind made up to try for that very individual. It would be a feather inhis cap indeed if he brought down the big bull.
There were two calves with the buffaloes; but they were of grazing age.Chet was quite sure that these calves would not keep the herd back muchif once it should bolt.
The horses and their owners drew nearer and nearer. Chet had planned tocome upon the buffaloes a little to one side instead of from theimmediate rear. This was so the game would not have to swing their headsaround to see the horses.
The more familiar they became with the sight of the grazing horses theless likely the herd was to stampede.
At the right hand--the southeast--was a considerable thicket. Chet hadnoticed this in the beginning; but he did not consider it a good vantagepoint from which to stalk the herd. He was aiming almost directly forit.
He would, however, have given considerable for just the protection thatthicket afforded as the moment for him and Dig to mount drew near. Theboys signalled each other without speaking. Chet assured Dig that he wasgoing to try for the big bull while Dig signalled that he would besatisfied with a much smaller animal and pointed out one of the youngmales, nearer at hand.
Chet glanced all around to see if the way was clear, and had just raisedhis hand in signal to mount, when not only the buffaloes, but thehorses, evinced sudden excitement.
The whole herd stopped feeding, and the horses threw up their heads andsnorted.
"That old fool, Poke!" Dig muttered. "What does he want to make thatnoise for?"
A long grey body shot from the thicket and crossed the plain directlyahead of the buffalo herd. It was running like the wind; indeed, itlooked to be little more than a streak as it skimmed the sod.
Neither boy had ever seen a running wolf before; but they did not needto be told what this was. With terror at his tail Mr. Wolf will matchanything on four legs in speed.
And something had certainly frightened this grey rascal. He haddoubtless been lurking in the thicket, watching the buffalo calves andlicking his chops at the sight. Something had started him for thedistant Canadian border, and it looked as though he would get therepresently.
The wolf ran almost against the noses of the herd. The buffaloes huddledfor a moment, the big bull snorting and bellowing. Then, as onecreature, they wheeled in the track of the wolf, and set off at alumbering canter that took them across the plain at surprising speed.
"By the last hoptoad that was chased out of Ireland!" exclaimed Dig, indisgust. "Did you ever see such luck?"
He ran to scramble on to Poke's back; but Chet commanded him not tofollow the herd at once.
"No use adding to their fright. They may only run a few miles if theyare not molested," said Chet.
"And not a shot after all that trouble!"
Chet was staring at the thicket rather than after the stampededbuffaloes.
"What under the sun could have started that wolf like that?" hemuttered.
"Come!" cried Dig excitedly from the saddle, "you're not going to let'em get entirely away from us, are you, Chet?"
"I don't believe we can get near them again today, Dig."
"Why not?"
"After being scared like that they will be more watchful. And it's twoo'clock now."
"I don't care. Why, Chet, those are real buffaloes!"
"What's the matter?" laughed his chum. "Did you think they wereimitations at first?"
"Whew!" blew Dig. "I certainly believed they were an hallucination. Ididn't believe there were such creatures. At least, not along thistrail.
"But now I've seen 'em--and been almost near enough to 'em for a shot--Itell you right now, Chet Havens, my blood is up! Let's go after thosebuffaloes!"
"Even if they lead us to the Arctic Circle?" laughed Chet.
"Well, we have our camp equipment with us. Why not camp for the nightwhere we happen to be? We can get back to the Grub Stake trailtomorrow."
"And poor little Stone Fence?" suggested Chet slyly.
"Shucks! Maybe I'll lasso one of those buffalo calves," said Dig,grinning. "It would sell for more in town."
It was agreed to pursue the buffalo herd for a way, at least. Thefrightened creatures had run from their feeding course. They haddisappeared behind some round mounds to the northwest. This was almostas much off their trail as the buffaloes' previous course had been. Whenthe boys started on a heavy gallop after the game, the Grub Stake traillay far to the south.
The distance to the mounds was not above five miles. The horses took upthe trail at an easy pace and when they mounted the first small eminencethe buffaloes were still out of sight.
"Whew!" exclaimed Digby. "I reckon they have run some distance, Chet."
"See that timber ahead?" replied his chum. "It's an open piece, andthere is probably a stream in it, or just the other side of it. Thebuffaloes have gone no farther than the water, and may be feeding in thegrove. If the latter, then we must approach very carefully. They can seeus on the plain before we can see them in the timber."
"Now you're shouting, old boy!" cried Dig, admiringly. "Say! you're aregular plainsman."
"It stands to reason," Chet
returned, "we've got to use our heads if weexpect to ever shoot one of those buffaloes."
"Oh, cricky, Chet! If we only could," said Dig longingly.
"Keep your heart up. Maybe we shall," said Chet stoutly. "Now, let metell you what I think."
"Spout, brother, spout."
"If that herd gets quiet again and goes to feeding, how will the animalshead?"
Dig immediately saw what he meant, and nodded.
"Into the wind, of course," he said.
"And the breeze holds steady, and is likely to do so until sundown,"Chet proceeded.
"Well?"
"What we want to do, then, is to make a circle to the west and come upbehind the feeding herd, just as we did before. Let us not cross thisplain to the timber. We'll keep along the line of these mounds and attheir foot, and find some place to cross over to the timber and thewater under shelter. Come on," and he swung Hero's head about.
"Just one minute, Chet," said his chum timidly, as he urged Poke tofollow the other horse.
"What's that?"
"Don't you think we ought to eat?"
"Do you want to waste time now making camp, and cooking, and all that?Right in the middle of stalking that herd?"
"Whew! I'll have to pull in my belt a hole or two, then," grumbled Dig.
"Pull it in then. No stop until we have another chance at thebuffaloes--or until night comes and stops us," declared his chum firmly."We're real hunters now. We're not playing at it!"
For two hours they rode steadily. The two boys scarcely exchanged a wordand the horses began to show weariness. Then they came up a dead gullyinto the edge of the very piece of timber for which they had beenaiming. There was no water in sight, and both horses and riders werebeginning to suffer for it. The timber seemed more extensive than hadappeared from the round back of the mound across the plain. Nor, as faras the boys could see, were there any signs of the herd of buffaloes. Itreally seemed as though their chase had been fruitless--and the sun wasfast going down.
"Whew!" said Dig, whimsically. "We're a long way from home, Chet. Whatshall we do next?"