366 FAIEY BINGS 



and a better fighter than any of the other bulls) comes 

 forward, and goes straight into the bath that has been 

 prepared for hirn. The remainder of the herd stand 

 humbly by till he has had enough, and the moment he 

 steps out, the bull of next importance steps in, and so 

 on till all have had their turn. By this time the hole is 

 often fifteen or twenty feet across, and two feet deep, and 

 into this the water gradually bubbles up. In a few years' 

 time the place is covered with fresh green grass, that 

 looks even greener by the contrast w T ith the burnt-up stuff 

 that surrounds it. 



And this is how the fairy rings are made ! 



Perhaps the finest of all the bisons or buffaloes are 

 those which inhabit the country now known as Dakota, 

 where, fifty or sixty years ago, dwelt the Sioux Indians, a 

 nation of mighty hunters. The animals are very useful 

 for many purposes, and while their skins are of great 

 value as beds or coverings, the flesh forms the principal 

 food of the tribe. The hunting is almost always done on 

 horseback, and the first thing necessary is to catch one 

 of the small breed of horses wdiich formerly roamed in 

 bands over the prairies. This little creature — it never 

 grows much larger than a pony — is carefully trained for 

 some years in racing and jumping and other exercises, and 

 in the end is able to outrun any other wild animal to be 

 found on these western plains. 



Sometimes it happens — or did, fifty or sixty years ago — 

 that for a long time together no buffaloes will pass along a 

 certain tract of country, and then the Indians of the 

 district suffer from famine, and are even in danger of 

 dying of starvation. Then what joy in the camp when a 

 scout comes in one day with the news that a herd of 

 buffaloes are grazing not many miles off. In a moment a 

 hundred young 'braves' have thrown aside their shields and 

 every other heavy thing they have about them, especially 

 any part of their dress that might be a hindrance in run- 

 ning — for no one knows how a buffalo hunt may end. 



