LET US GO AFIELD 



on the Plains. The hunter, finding the heavy carcass 

 hard for him to handle, made no attempt to remove 

 the skin in the usual way, with the slit down the belly 

 side of the hide. He cut the hide down the back, 

 from neck to tail, and skinning it down on each side, 

 spread it out on the ground, leaving the carcass still 

 sitting up, as it were. Then he cut in along the 

 hump and tenderloin and took out the choice pieces, 

 the "boss" ribs of the hump and the "depouille," 

 and the prized back- fat which any plainsman knew 

 was sweeter than the belly-fats. As he did his 

 dissection he piled the pieces on the spread hide on 

 either side, and so at last he packed his horse with 

 clean meat and went away rejoicing. He left behind 

 him a split robe and the best part of a ton of unused 

 carcass. Perhaps his squaw might come around 

 there another day, but usually it was easier to kill 

 another buffalo. 



The Indians sold a certain number of robes to 

 the white traders, even in the days of the arrow and 

 lance, before they were generally supplied with fire- 

 arms ; but all the robes collected by the Indians made 

 rather a small number as against the great total of 

 hides which began to stream eastward, down the 

 rivers and along the railways. It was incumbent 

 upon the white man to get the last robe at the first 

 moment. The result was that highly differentiated 



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