208 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 



grass struggled for a sickly growth. x\s you entered it, 

 you found yourself growing deej^er and deeper in a 

 fine dust, that had, in the course of time, been worked 

 out of the soil. Some coarse blankets were suspended 

 through the enclosure, as retiring rooms for the women. 

 On the ground were strewn buffalo skins, from which 

 the animal inhabitants alone kept aloof 



We entered without seeing a human being. After 

 some delay, however, a little nondescript, with a white 

 sunburnt head, thrust aside the blankets, and hallooed 

 out, " They ain't injuns." The mother then showed 

 herself She was as far removed from feminine as pos- 

 sible, and appeared as unmoved at our presence as the 

 post that sustained the roof of her house. 



We asked for lodging and food ; she nodded a cold 

 assent and disappeared. Not disposed to be fastidious, 

 we endeavored to make ourselves as comfortable as pos- 

 sible, and wait for the development of coming events. 



In the course of an hour a woman younger than the 

 first made her appearance, and on hearing the detail of 

 our wants, she wrinkled her soiled visage into a distort- 

 ed smile, and told us that the " men " would soon be 

 home with " buifalo meat," and then our wants should 

 be supplied. 



Whatever might have been our disappointment at 

 what we saw around us, the name of buffalo meat dis- 

 pelled it all. The great era in our frontier wanderings 

 was about to commence, and with smiles from our party 



