BUFFALO HUNTING. 211 
enormous pair of saddle-bags. He then asked his com- 
panion-in-arms for a knife, to cut for the strangers some 
buffalo steaks. 
Now if the nondescript before me had as coolly pro. 
posed to cut steaks from an ill-natured cur that was wist- 
fully eyeing the saddle-bags, no more surprise could 
have been exhibited by my companions than was, when 
they heard the suggestion. 
The knife was brought, and “ Breeches”? made an 
essay at cutting up the saddle-bags, which gave him, 
dressed as he was in skins, the appearance of a wild rob- 
ber just about to search the effects of some murdered 
traveller. The work progressed bravely, and, to our 
surprise, soon were exhibited crude slices of meat. 
What we saw were the fleshy parts of a buffalo’s hams, 
ingeniously connected together by the skin that passed 
over the back of the animal, and so dissected from the 
huge frame as to enable it easily to be carried on a 
horse, and. thus brought “ into camp.” 
As the sounds that accompany the frying of meat 
saluted our ears, we moved into the open air, to avoid 
the certain knowledge that we were about to complete 
the eating of that peck of dirt, said to be necessary he- 
fore we die. Before the door were the two horses be- 
longing to our hosts; just as they returned from the 
hunt, and upon one still hung huge pieces of meat, thus 
simply, and frontier-like, held together for transporta- 
tion. 
