The reason was very different indeed.

It was not because they were buffaloes, or because they were engaged in a fierce battle,-- it was because _they were white buffaloes_! You will again ask, why this should have been a cause of terror.

Was a _white_ buffalo not the very object of the expedition?
Should the sight of one not have produced _joy_ rather than _fear_?
So the sight of _one_ would; but it was the sight of _so many_--the mysterious spectacle of nearly a dozen of these animals together--a thing unparalleled, unheard of--it was this that inspired our adventurers with awe.
It was some time before any of the three could find words to express their astonishment.

They sat in silence, gazing down into the valley.
They could hardly believe the evidence of their eyes.

With the palms of their hands they shaded them from the sun, and gazed still a longer while.