194 TRAVELSIN 
Our waggons, as well as the bufhes and trees 
that furrounded us, were all loaded with bloody 
fragments of our buffaloes; but on a fudden, 
in the midft of our operation, and while we 
were not expelling it, we found ourfelves at- 
tacked by flights of kites and vultures ; which, 
without any fear, perched among us. The 
kites, above all, were the moft impudent. 
They rapacioufly feized upon the morfels of 
fiefli, and even contended furioufly with my 
people. When they had each carried away a 
pretty large piece, they retired to fome branchy 
at the diftance of ten paces from us^ and de- 
voured it before our eyes. Though we fired 
our fufees, they were not frightened, but re- 
turned inceffantly to the charge ; fo that, find- 
ing that I wafted my powder in vain, we 
refolved to difperfe them, and drive them away 
with large poles, until our provifions fiiould 
be quite dry. This manoeuvre, which for a 
long time haraffed my people, did not prevent 
us from being plundered without mercy; but, 
had we not employed it, nothing abfolutely 
w^ould have remained of our two buffaloes. 
The tongues I ordered to be fmoked ; and I 
never omitted to purfue the fame method with 
thofe of all the animals 1 afterwards killed: 
This 
