THE STORY OF THE BUFFALO. 



139 



able in delicacy. It is exceedingly tender, and possesses the property of not 

 cloying even when eaten in excess. The fat is devoid of that sickening rich- 

 ness which is usually met with in our domesticated animals. 



The cow is smaller than the bull, and considerably swifter. She is also' 

 generally in better condition and fatter than her mate, and in consequence the 

 hunters who went to "get meat" always selected the cows from the herd. 



The principal use of the flesh of the buffalo was to make ''jerked meat" of 

 it. This is made by cutting the meat into long, narrow slips, and drying 



EUROPEAN BUFFALOES FIGHTING. 



them in the sun. There is a peculiar art in cutting these slips. The operator 

 takes a large lump of the flesh, and holding his knife firmly in one hand, presses 

 the meat against its edge with the other, continually turning it round and 

 round, until the whole piece is converted into one long strip. The strips thus 

 prepared are pegged out on stakes, as washerwomen peg their clothes, or sus- 

 pended in festooiis on the branches of trees, like red snakes, until they are dry 

 enough to be packed up. Three days is considered sufficient for the purpose. 

 The cow is preferred to the bull for conversion into jerked meat, while the 



