CHAPTER XVI. 



BISON MEAT A STRANGE ARRIVAL — THE SYDNEY FAMILY THE HOME IN THE VAL- 

 LEY THE SOLOMON MASSACRE THE MURDER OP THE FATHER AND THE CHILD 



THE settlers' FLIGHT INCIDENTS OUR QUEEN OF THE PLAINS THE 



PROFESSOR INTERESTED — IRISH MARY DOBEEN HAPPY — THE HEROINE OF 



ROMANCE sachem's BATH BY MOONLIGHT — THE BEAVER COLONY. 



AT noon we were all in camp again, fully pre- 

 pared to do justice to the ample dinner of buf- 

 falo, antelope, and turkey which we found awaiting 

 ns. The Mexicans brought in the quarter of an old 

 bull, and, according to their own story, had committed 

 terrible slaughter on the plain above ; but, as we had 

 already learned to balance a Mexican account by a de- 

 duction of nine-tenths for over-drafts, we felt that we 

 saw before us the result of their day's hunt. This 

 our first taste of bison, gave us highly exaggerated 

 ideas of that animal's endurance. The entire flesh 

 was surprisingly elastic — indeed, a very clever imita- 

 tion of India rubber. It recoiled from our teeth with 

 a spring, and just then I should scarcely have been 

 surprised had I seen those buifalo which Avere feed- 

 ing in the distance, go bounding off like immense 

 foot-balls. My opinion in regard to butfalo meat 

 afterward underwent a great change, but not until I 

 had tasted the flesh of the cows and calves. Shamus, 

 on this occasion, had devoted his culinarv energies 



(236) 



