132 BUFFALO LAND. 



haps indignantly, he turned away and disappeared 

 behind the ridge, and the bison multitude followed. 



Our horses arrived the next niorning all safe, ex- 

 cej)ting a few skin bruises, the steed Cynocephalus, 

 however, being a trifle stiffer than usual, from the 

 motion of the cars. When they were trotted out 

 for inspection, by some hostlers whom we had hired 

 that morning for our trip, the inhabitants must have 

 considered the sight the next best thing to a circus. 



Apropos of circuses, we learned that one had exhib- 

 ited for the first and only time on the plains a few 

 months before. In that country, dear reader, ^olus 

 has a habit of loafing around with some of his sacks 

 in which young whirlwinds are put up ready for use. 

 One of these is liable to be shaken out at any 

 moment, and the first intimation afforded you that 

 the spirit which feeds on trees and fences is loose, is 

 when it snatches your hat, and begins flinging dust 

 and pebbles in your eyes. But to return to our 

 circus performance. For awhile all j^assed off admi- 

 rably. The big tent swallowed the multitude, and 

 it in turn swallowed the jokes of the clown, older, 

 of course, than himself. In the customary little tent 

 the living skeleton embodied Sidney Smith's wish 

 and sat cooling in his bones, while the learned pig 

 and monkey danced to the melodious accompaniment 

 of the hand-organ. 



Suddenly there was a clatter of poles, and two 

 canvass clouds flew out of sight like balloons. The 

 living skeleton found himself on a distant ridge, with 

 the wind whistling among his ribs, while the monkey 



