by the rifle shots and the terrible noise of our soldiers, who were novices to the chase, and fired at him twice almost point blank. The buffalo and the horse stopped at the same
instant. In spite of all his efforts, Captain P could not make his horse, unaccustomed to the hunt, advance a single step, and the furious buffalo plunged both horns into
his flank and threw him down dead. In this critical moment the courageous rider did not lose his presence of mind he leaped from his horse over the buffalo's back, gave him two more bullets from his six-shooter, and completely baffled him. The captain then fled to a gully, which was luckily both deep and near at hand. The buffalo, unable to follow him, abandoned his persecutor, who returned to camp with his horse's saddle on his back. A horse must be well trained to hunt the buffalo, and must be trained specially for buffalo hunting: otherwise the danger is very great, and the consequence may be fatal.
During the months of June and July, tempests and falls of rain and hail are very frequent, and almost of daily occurrence, toward evening in the valley of the Platte, which is the country of storms and whirlwinds par excellence. The gathering of these storms can be noticed at a great distance, as at sea. At first, light spots of clouds are observed on the horizon, which are followed by dark masses of cloud, which move along in succession, crowding one upon another, and spreading over the sky with extraordinary rapidity, they approach and cross each other; they burst and pour forth torrents of water, which drench the valleys, or volleys of hail which crush the herbs and flowers; the storm-clouds then disappear as rapidly as they have come. " Every evil has its remedy," says the old proverb, and these hurricanes, storms and heavy rains serve the purpose of cooling and purifying the atmosphere, which at this season would become insupportable but for this circumstance. The mercury often rises to too' of Fahrenheit in the shade. The water does not rest long on the surface of the soil : it is absorbed almost as it falls, on account of the