THE ROUND MOUND. 97 



as well remark, that, after passing beyond 

 the region of the tall grass, between the 

 IMissouri frontier and Arkansas river, the 

 horse-fly also is unknown. Judging from our 

 own prairies, we had naturally anticipated a 

 great deal of mischief from these bmte tor- 

 mentors, in which we were most agreeably 

 disappointed. 



But I have not yet done with the meat- 

 curing operations. Wliile in the midst of the 

 buffalo range, travellers usually take the pre- 

 caution of laying up a supply of beef for ex- 

 igencies in the absence of the ' prairie cattle.* 

 We had somewhat neglected this provision in 

 time of abundance, by which we had come near 

 being reduced to extremities. Caravans some- 

 times he by a day or two to provide a supply of 

 meat ; when numbers of buffalo are slaugh- 

 tered, and the flesh ' jerked,' or shghtly barbe- 

 cued, bv Dlacin.cT it nnon a scaffold over a fire. 



The same method is resorted to by Mexi 



cans when the weather is too damp or cloudy 

 for the meat to dry in the open air. 



We were now approaching the 'Roimd 

 Mound,' a beautiful round-topped cone, rising 

 nearly a thousand feet above the level of the 

 plain by which it is for the most part sur- 

 rounded. W^e were yet at least three miles 

 from this mound, when a party set out on foot 

 to ascend it, in order to get a \iew of the sur- 

 rounding country. They felt confident it was 

 but half a mile off— at most, tliree-quarters ; 

 but findihg the distance so much greater than 

 they had anticipated, many began to lag be- 



■9 



