Part 13 (1/2)

Urging on our steeds, we joined the throng of warriors, ere already forhed when he saw us, and exchanged remarks with some of his companions We concluded that these were in our favour, for ere allowed to retain our steeds

The signal was now given to advance, and the tribe lad to be on horseback, yet our spirits sank e found that ere getting further and further fro

”No er we stay with these Indians, the more we shall know of their ways, and be the better able to desave them

We must appear to be perfectly continted and happy, and try to spake their language--though it giveswords”

”You are right, Mike; I will try to practise your philosophy,” I answered

Weonly for a short time to take our scanty meals We could proceed but slowly, on account of the women and loaded animals; but the warriors scoured over the plain on both sides of our line of ame

Mike and I, however, were kept with the ht we encamped either near a wood or by the side of a stream, where there were always trees to afford us fuel for our fires Thus ent on for several days

The Indians were, we guessed, ion frequented by buffalo, which had not this year come so far east as usual At last we reached the spot at which they considered it desirable to re a full stream from which water could be obtained, and plenty of wood to afford fuel for our fires In every other direction, as far as we could see, the country was nearly level, with little or no ti on it The women immediately set about their usual avocations

But as our meals were very scanty, it was evident that there was a scarcity ofa band of twenty men mounted their best horses to set out, as we concluded, in search of buffalo Without asking leave, Mike and I got on our steeds and joined the that we should not attempt to make our escape so far from home We each of us obtained a bow and a quiver full of arrows, besides a long spear None of the tribe possessed firear together, while scouts were sent forward to look out for buffalo At last we reached a broad strea the bank, whenout to the left, I saw the whole plain covered with a dense uessed to be buffalo It was evident that they wereon their horses, dashed forward to try to intercept the herd before they could cross it It seemed to me, however, that we should be too late to do that

I could see the scouts galloping along the flank of the herd nearest us, trying to find an opening aht penetrate; while every now and then they let fly one of their arrows into the neck of an ani the streaara in their doard course With a tra far across the plain, onward rushed the seeh their tails, and turning up the earth in their course

The river was reached before we could get up to thean to swi those in front into the water The former would have treated the latter in the sae of a precipice, when all would have gone over together As it was, they proved the the opposite bank, and rushi+ng forward as at first

Before we got within shot of the on their well-trained steeds, rode boldly up, shooting their arroithin a few feet of the creatures Three or four only fell; others see out of the herd, with heads lowered to the ground, plunged forward furiously at their assailants The nimble horses wheeled as they approached, and escaped the attack e one or two arrows in return at the infuriated buffalo Had we possessed firearms, many more would have been killed

The Indians had no intention of giving up the pursuit Where the herd had crossed the river, the water was too deep to allow us to wade over

At a signal from their leader, however, the hunters turned their horses, and galloped back in the direction from whence we had coh the water aled ponies The herd could still be seen in the far distance, so we ih called buffalo, the ani of is really the bison

It has a protuberant hunch on its shoulders, and the body is covered, especially towards the head, by long, fine, woolly hair, which makes the animal appear much more bulky than it really is That over the head, neck, and fore part of the body is long and shaggy, and for to the knees in a tuft; while on the top it rises in a dense ly curled and matted on the front The tail is short, and has a tuft at the end--the general colour of the hair being a unifors are especially slender, and appear to be out of all proportion to the body; indeed, it seems wonderful that they are able to bear it, and that the animals can at the same time exhibit the activity they seemed possessed of

In su the sweet grass which springs up after the fires so frequent in one part or other of the prairies In winter, in the northern regions, it would starve, were it not possessed of a blunt nose, covered by tough skin, hich it et at the herbage below In winter, too, the hair grows to a th than in summer, when the hinder part is covered only by a very short fine hair, snificent aniate in herds, which roam from north to south over the western prairies At a certain tiht desperately with each other, on which occasions their roaring is truly terrific

The hunters select, when they can, female buffalo, as their flesh is far superior in quality and tenderness to that of the males The females are, however, far more active than the males, and can run three times as fast, so that swift horses are required to keep up with them The Indians co that their own folly in killing the females is one of the chief causes of the die and unwieldy as is the buffalo, it dashes over the ground at a surprising rate, bounding with large and clu down the broken sides of ravines, and trying the e of riders in pursuit of it

To the Indians of the prairies the buffalo is of the greatest possible value, for they depend on these ani, and numerous other articles They dress the skins with the hair on, and these serve as cloaks or coverings at night The horns are converted into powder-flasks; the hides, when tanned, serve to cover their tents; and the wool makes a coarse cloth When the flesh is eaten fresh, it is considered superior in tenderness and flavour to that of the do celebrated for its delicacy It is also cut into strips and dried in the sun; or it is pounded up with the fat and converted into pes, saddles, or, when cut into strips, fors are made for their bows From the bones theyneedles, and using the finer sinews as threads Froer sinews, are manufactured the bohich they use so dexterously The bladder of the animal is used as a bottle; and often, when the Indian is crossing the prairie where no water is to be found, he is saved fro the water which is found in its inside

To resu, we soon overtook the part of our day's sport The leading portion of the herd kept close together; but in the rear the ani on either side The Indians, with their bows drawn or their spears couched in their hands, dashed in a their weapons into the shoulders of the brutes--so dexterously ai the blows, that many of their victiood horsemen, were but little accustoh we did our best,wounded, or galloped off with our arrows sticking in their bodies We each of us, however,on, closely following one of the principal hunters, when a huge bull, after which the Indian was riding, turned suddenly round, and with its head to the ground rushed madly at hi the buffalo, while the Indian shot his arrow It struck the animal on the neck, but failed to kill it I expected that the next round; but the well-trained steed sprang nimbly on one side, and the now infuriated buffalo dashed towards Mike and lanced off the skull of the creature, which now caeness

I endeavoured toon one side, but barely in ti else can I liken the buffalo's head The creature went rushi+ng on till it was met by two Indians, one of whom shot his arrohile the other struck his spear so exactly in the buffalo's breast that the huge creature i of our day's hunt I was completely carried away by the exciteer to kill buffalo as any Indian ast them As I had exhausted all my arrows, I had now only my spear to trust to Had I been dependent on my own skill, I should have been quickly overthrown, and probably gored to death; butknew far et out of the way of any of the aniled out a young bull which turned off froet ahead of it, so that I ht point my spear full at its breast in the way I had seen several of the Indians do, knowing thaton one side should it be necessary Suddenly the bull stopped; then turning round and seeingtowards me I endeavoured to runout of the way I thrust rasp it hisked out ofclear of the animal with a bound which very nearly threw alloped solorious opportunity this would be for escaping! I thought toso I was looking round, to try and ascertain where he hen down ca, nuround around--and I was thrown right over his head As I lay half-stunned, I saw totowardsloudly I fully expected to be trampled to death before h 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 et onto allop off, and keep ahead of the on one side

I rose, but fell again before I could reach the reins which hung over my steed's neck Already I could aloing to give up my life if I could help it I thereforethe rein, patted the ani foe; then in an instant--I scarcely kno I did it--I was on his back