. us 



THE BISON, on BUFFALO. 267 



slirill " iL'hooj) ! " wliich is the signal of victory. I 

 must confess that I was furious, and that for the 

 moment I felt strongly tempted to have a shot at 

 the Sioux ; but my absurd anger soon evaporated, 

 and I called my dogs, swearing never again to 

 expose myself to the mortification of having 'my ^ ,£, 

 nose wdped' in this disgraceful manner by separating — 4- 

 myself from my fellow-sportsmen. 



When you hunt in company on the American 

 prairies, there is a custom which is very consoling 

 for those who have a good appetite. The skin and 

 antlers belong to the fortunate hunter, and the meat 

 is shared equally with those who have not been so 

 lucky. Tliis rule has no exception, and it is a very 

 fair one ; for, without it, such is the selfishness of 

 the Indians, that the greater number would some- 

 times run the risk of being famished. When a 

 deer, a buffalo, or an antelope has been lulled, the 

 fortunate hunter quietly lights his pipe, sits down, 

 and waits patiently wdiile his companions flay and 

 divide the game, bringing him his share, which he 

 accepts without a word. 



I returned to camp sorely disappointed, and the 

 only consolation I had was, that my friends Sears 

 and Delmot had not been a bit more fortunate than 

 myself. 



Next morning, after a night which had only been 

 disturbed by the barkings of the dogs, who treated 

 us to as ii-iditful a music as ever kept a weary man 





