IJIFFAI.O HINTING. 



enormous pair of saddlebag.s. He then asked his com- 

 panion-in-arms for a knife, to cut for the strangers some 

 buffalo steaks. 



Now if the nondescript before me had as coolly pro. 

 posed to cut steaks from an ill-natured cur that was wist- 

 fully eyeing the saddle-bags, no more surprise could 

 have been exhibited by my companions than was, when 

 they heard the suggestion. 



The knife was brought, and " Breet-hes ' made an 

 essay at cutting up the saddle-bags, which gave him, 

 dressed as he was in skins, the appearance of a wild rob- 

 ber just about to searcli the effects of some murdered 

 traveller. The work progressed bravely, and, to our 

 surprise, soon were exhibited crude slices of meat. 

 What we saw were the fleshy parts of a buffalo's hams, 

 ingeniously connected together by the skin that passed 

 over the back of the animal, and so dissected from the 

 huge frame as to enable it easily to be carried on a 

 horse, and thus brought " into camp." 



As the sounds that accompany the frying of meat 

 saluted our ears, we moved into the open air, to avoid 

 the certain knowledge that we were about to complete 

 the eating of that peck of dirt, said to be necessary be- 

 fore we die. Before the door were the two horses be- 

 longing to our hosts ; just as they returned from the 

 hunt, and upon one still hung huge pieces of meat, thus 

 simply, and frontier like, held together for transporta- 

 tion. 



