290 BUFFALO LAND. 



What would have been called in Washington, ''an 

 unpleasant episode," was discovered by Muggs in the 

 center of a biscuit. Taking a hearty British bite 

 from it, various hairy lines followed the morsel into 

 his mouth, and caught among his teeth. Examina- 

 tion revealed one of Mr. Colon's choicest spiders, 

 which by some means had eifected his escape and 

 crawled into the dough. It was hard to tell which 

 was most incensed, the Briton or the entomologist. 

 Sachem remarked that the specimen was much 

 kneaded, and added it to our bill of fare as " game, 

 breaded." 



As night approached, our Mexicans j^repared for 

 wolf-baiting. During the day they had shot two or 

 three old bulls, which wandered within half a mile of 

 camp, and now the swarthy fellows intended to turn 

 an honest penny. For these purposes professional 

 hunters, and occasionally teamsters on the ^^hxins, 

 provide themselves with bottles of strychnine, and a 

 quantity of this was accordingly produced. We went 

 with the men to see the operation, as it clearly came 

 within the province of our studies. With their 

 knives the Mexicans cut from the carcass lumps of 

 flesh about the size of one's fist, into which gashes 

 were made, doses of strychnine inserted, and the flesh 

 then pressed together again. The balls^ thus charged, • 

 were scattered close around the carcass, and a few 

 laid upon it. Cuts were also made, and the poison in- 

 troduced in various parts of the hams. As many as 

 fifty doses were thus prepared, and we then returned 

 to camp. 



No cayote serenade occurred that night, the musi- 



