THE BISON, OR BUFFALO. 269 



When (lay broke, the horrible death which we 

 had escaped was revealed to us in all its frightful 

 reality. As far as we could see to the southward, 

 there was nothing visible but burnt-up soil, as black 

 as a coal, and here and there, around the trunk of 

 a tree which had resisted better than the herbage, 

 the flames still flickered, and heaps of ashes still 

 smoked. All along the stream, which emptied itself 

 into the lake, the devastating fire had stopped sliort, 

 and the chief of the Sioux remarked that this was 

 very fortunate for us, for the country on the other 

 side would be practicable for sporting. Neverthe- 

 less, he advised that we should all stay for a day 

 where we were, so as to allow the violence of the 

 conflagration to expend itself. 



The Sioux pitched tlieir tents upon the rocky 

 soil, and whilst Duquesne, Bonnet, and Gemmel 

 were arranging our domicile, Messrs. Simonton and 

 Sears and myself started on a short journey of 

 exploration. Advancing towards the north-west, we 

 found some rocks and an abundance of water-fowl. 

 Further on, we came upon some cliff's which were 

 laved by the waters of the lake, and there we found 

 clouds of penguins and gulls, with their black wings 

 and white breasts shining in the sun. There were 

 herons also among the rough granite rocks, and 

 we counted seventy-two in one group, bowing to 

 each other with the gravity of Chinese man- 

 darins. Nothing could be more comic than the 



