FOOD THE COMANCHE BELLE. 343 



Indians retired for the night that I could return to my 

 own tent and blankets to toss and dream of this vision of 

 paradise. Next morning with the sun I was again with 

 my fascination. The general gave the Indians a beef. 

 Some time after a warrior came and spoke to the girl. 

 Rising from her seat, she gave me a look of invitation to 

 accompany her. Proceeding a few yards into a little 

 glade, we came to several Indians standing around the 

 slaughtered beef, which was turned on its back, and the 

 stomach split open. Taking a knife from one of the men, 

 my c beautiful Indian maiden ' plunged her lovely hand 

 and rounded arm into the bowels of the beast, and found 

 and cut off some eight or ten feet of the ' marrow gut.' 

 Winding it about her arm, she stepped on one side, and, 

 giving the entrail a shake, inserted one end in her 

 beautiful mouth. Looking at me with ineffable content 

 and happiness expressed in her beaming countenance, 

 she slowly and without apparent mastication swallowed 

 the whole disgusting mass. I returned sadly to my tent, 

 my ideal shattered, my love gone ; and I need hardly 

 add that this one Indian love affair has satisfied my 

 whole life. 



When game is plentiful the Indian is choice in his 

 food, eating only the delicate and savoury parts. When 

 suffering from hunger, he will eat anything snakes, 

 lizards, toads, and sometimes even carrion birds. Dog flesh 

 is regarded as an almost sacred dish, being reserved only 

 for feasts on great occasions. Fat wolf is nearly as good 

 as dog, and not unfrequently supplies his place in the 

 pot when the domestic animal is scarce. 



A skunk is a very great delicacy, much prized by 

 squaws in an interesting situation. The odour of this 

 animal is no protection against the Indian, who will 

 seize it by the tail and beat it against the ground until 

 dead, regardless of the fetid discharge which would 

 sicken almost to death another man. The result is that 

 an Indian camp is by no means a desirable country 



