ON THE PRAIRIE 151 



the ravine, heedless of two more balls, both 

 of which went into his flank and ranged 

 forwards, and disappeared over the ridge 

 at a lumbering gallop, the blood pouring 

 from his mouth and nostrils. We knew hr 

 could not go far, and trotted leisurely along 

 on his bloody trail; and in the next gully 

 we found him stark dead, lying almost on 

 >ack, having pitched over the side when 

 led to go down it. His head was a re- 

 markably fine one, even for a fall buffalo. 

 He was lying in a very bad position, and it 

 was most tedious and tiresome work to cut 

 it off and pack it out. The flesh of a cow 

 or calf is better eating than is that of a 

 bull ; but the so-called hump meat that is, 

 the strip of steak on each side of the back- 

 bone is excellent, and tender and juicy. 

 Buffalo meat is with difficulty to be dis- 

 tinguished from ordinary beef. At any 

 rate, the flesh of this bull tasted uncom- 

 monly good to us, for we had been without 

 fresh meat for a week ; and until a healthy, 

 c man has been without it for some 



