What a glorious opportunity this would be for escaping!  I thought to myself.  Had Mike been near me, I should have proposed doing so.  I was looking round, to try and ascertain where he was, when down came my steed--having stepped into the hole of a prairie dog, numbers of which honeycombed the ground around--and I was thrown right over his head.  As I lay half-stunned, I saw to my horror the whole herd of buffalo tearing along towards me, ploughing up the turf with their hoofs, and bellowing loudly.  I fully expected to be trampled to death before many minutes had passed, or to be tossed high in the air over their shaggy backs.  My horse, looking up, saw his danger, and seemed to understand the state of affairs as well as I did.  He made desperate struggles to rise; and I endeavoured to get on my feet and seize the reins, hoping to mount before the herd was upon me.  I might thus gallop off, and keep ahead of them till I could find an opportunity of turning on one side.