162 BUFFALO LAND. 



a deposit from a trader of one hundred pickled 

 oysters, and had temporarily closed its doors. His 

 stock of gastric juices seemed to have been well-nigh 

 bankrupted by a fifty years' discounting of jerked 

 buffalo. The one hundred tons of this comj^ound which 

 the noble warrior had dissolved would have exhausted 

 the liquid of a tannery. Let these savages of the 

 plains meet a white man, whenever or wherever they 

 may, their first demand is always for meat and drink, 

 followed not unfrequently by another for his scalp. 

 The victim may have but a day's rations, and be a 

 hundred miles from any station where more can be 

 obtained, but his all is taken as greedily and remorse- 

 lessly as if he commanded a commissary train. 



The Professor and our guide motioned White Wolf 

 and his companion to wait, and rode back to us for 

 the purpose of casting up our account of ways and 

 means. The only chance of balancing it seemed to 

 be by sight draft on Shamus' wagon or an entry of 

 war. We dare not refuse them and go on ; they 

 would be sure to dog our steps, and at the first con- 

 venient opportunity attack and probably murder us. 

 Shamus, with recovered courage, stoutly protested 

 against a raid upon his department. *' To think," he 

 expostulated, "of the swate sausage and ham bein' 

 used to wad such painted carcasses as them divils ! " 

 The guide suggested as the best alternative that we 

 should invite the Indians to return with us to Hays. 

 We caught at the idea and adopted it immediately ; 

 and while the guide rode back as the bearer of our 

 invitation, we "stood to arms," awaiting the result 

 with silent but ill-concealed solicitude. 



