No, buffaloes they were not.

The rough shaggy bodies of these would not shine so, for they glittered in the sun as they moved about.

Buffaloes they could not be.
"That they are not," said Lucien, after a deliberate look through his fingers.
"What are they then ?" inquired Francois.
"Listen!" replied Lucien; "do you hear that ?" All three had drawn bridle.

A loud "_gobble_--_obble_--_obble_," proceeded from the animals, evidently uttered by some one of the three.
"As I live," exclaimed Francois, "that's the gobble of an old turkey-cock!" "Neither more nor less," replied Lucien, with a smile.

"_They are turkeys_!" "Turkeys!" echoed Basil, "turkeys taken for buffaloes! What a grand deception!" And all three at first looked very blank at each other, and then commenced laughing heartily at the mistake they had made.
"We must never tell of this," said Basil, "we should be laughed at, I reckon." "Not a bit of it," rejoined Lucien, "such mistakes are often made, even by old travellers on the prairies.