The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-11-02

They descended into tic valley and urged their ponies on at a sharp gallop. Just in front of them the river curved and flowed for several miles to the east.
 They had turned this bend aud had pushed on for two miles or more, the valley wing constantly as they proceeded, when, jast ahead Of them there burst over the high ground amid a cloud of dust, great rolling mass of dark objects, which covered the sloping hillsides almost instantly. The riders came to a sudden halt. "The big herd l" said Jean hurriedly. "We1l have to scatter, Louis-too bad-but down streams the only safe route for us, and must hurry, too some mistake-confound those rascals !" meaning the Indian hunters.
 They could now hear tue heavy rumble of hoofs, which, coming In the distance had been lost in the chatter of their horses rapid gallop Louis thought 1t did, indeed, sound like the mutter of distant thunder.
 They wheeled their ponies and struck tho spurs
 into their Hanks. To their right stretched the range of hills which had hidden the coming herd, and 10 their left, mile distant, and the river, sweeping around nearly in front of them few minutes ride ahead.
 "Ride hard 1" shouted Jean.
 They were close to the foot hills and the herd was bearing down them with & roar that in- creased like the sudden rising Of the wind. They spurred their ponies vigorously, and were getting good rate of speed of the short legged
 little fellows, when out from big ravine, not three hundred yards ahead, there shot great solid tongue of Dufaoes, and over the hill to the right swept dense black mass, filling in the gap between those behind and those ahead.
 Jean and Louis were trapped hemmed in on all sides but one, and on that side was Ihe river.
 Instinctively both riders veered of and made for the head of the stampede, which was now rapidly rolling on in front of them. The buffaloes had evil dently received a wild alarm from some source in
 the rear for the huge, irregular crescent literally living, moving wall bore down on the young hunt CTS at fearful speed.
 Less than minute of riding toward the head of the column before him convinced Jean of the inn possibility of overreaching and passing 1t. There was only one thing left to do-make to the river and swim for it, and, motioning Louis to follow, he headed his pony straight for the river bank.
 Jean glanced back over his shoulder; the central mass of the big stampede was about three hundred yards behind them, nor could the small ponies, already windcd with twenty miles of hard riding, incre lse the distance. Foremost in the stampede we're the biggest, swftest bulls, their sides almost touching as, with heads down, they bowled their huge numbering bodies forward reckless of any
 thing ahead in their fright at what was behind them. In the rear of the bulls was confused, heaving mass, lost st no great distance in rising cloud of dust that seemed endless.
 Louis was badly frightened, but kept his wits and followed every move of Jeans. They rode di- rectly for the river and reached its bank together but here both ponies so quickly and stubbornly halted that Louis, though good rider, was pitched clean over his animals head and alighted upon his shoulder on the edge of the bank He clutched at the top of the bank with his right hand-his left arm was bruised and numbed from the shock cluDg for brief instant, then slid down some ten or twelve feet into the current.
 Jean made one more effort to force his animal over the brink, but failed then, too much alarmed for Louis to wait longer he spraDg from the saddle, threw away his gun and jumped after his comrade. Louis was thrashing the water with one arm in a despersture effort to swim away from the bank, but his wounded arm and the weight Of his clothes and heavy boots impeded him, the thick, muddy water dragged him down, and the poor fellow would have sunk even before the buffaloes were upon him had not Jean come to the rescue
 Jeans ideas of what followed during the next few seconds are confused but he remembers that he got hold of Louis, and helped to buoy him up while they kicked and sfrn0aled hard against the cnr-