LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 77 



fatal. When he rose from the ground, he saw all the 

 party halting in full view of his discomfiture ; and when 

 he joined them, loud were the laughs, and deep the 

 regrets of the hungry, at his first attempt. 



However, they now knew that they were in the 

 country of meat ; and a few miles farther, another band 

 of stragglers presenting themselves, three of the hunters 

 went in pursuit, La Bonte taking a mule to pack in the 

 meat. He soon saw them crawling towards the band, 

 and shortly two puffs of smoke, and the sharp cracks of 

 their rifles, showed that they had got within shot ; and 

 when he rode up, two fine buffaloes were stretched upon 

 the ground. Now, for the first time, he was initiated 

 in the mysteries of "butchering." He watched the 

 hunters as they turned the carcass on the belly, stretch- 

 ing out the legs to support it on each side. A transverse 

 cut was then made at the nape of the neck, and, 

 gathering the long hair of the boss in one hand, the 

 skin was separated from the shoulder. It was then 

 laid open from this point to the tail, along the spine, 

 and then, freed from the sides and pulled down to the 

 brisket, but still attached to it, was stretched upon the 

 ground to receive the dissected portions. Then the 

 shoulder was severed, the fleece removed from along the 

 backbone, and the hump-ribs cut off with a tomahawk. 

 All this was placed upon the skin ; and after the 

 " boudins " had been withdrawn from the stomach, and 

 the tongue a great dainty taken from the head, the 

 meat was packed upon the mule, and the whole party 

 hurried to camp rejoicing. 



