orth cutting up! Even the tongue, that most delicate bit,
had been appropriated by the sneaking thieves, and eaten out to the very
root.

As soon as they had observed us coming back, they had taken to their
heels, each carrying a large piece with him, and we could now see them
out upon the prairie devouring the meat before our very eyes. Ike was
loud in his anathemas, and but that the creatures were too cunning for
him, would have taken his revenge upon the spot. They kept off,
however, beyond range of either rifle or double-barrel, and Ike was
forced to nurse his wrath for some other occasion.

We now went back to the bull, where we encamped for the night. The
latter, tough as he was, furnished us an excellent supper from his
tongue, hump-ribs, boudins, and marrow bones, and we all lay down to
sleep and dream of the sports of to-morrow.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

APPROACHING THE BUFFALO.

Next morning, just as we were preparing to resume our journey, a gang of
buffalo appeared upon one of the swells, at the distance of a mile or a
mile and a half from our camp. There were about a dozen of them, and,
as our guides asserted, they were all cows. This was just what we
wanted, as the flesh of the cows is much more delicate than that of the
bulls, and were eager to lay in a stock of it.

A hurried consultation was held, in which it was debated as to the best
manner of making an attack upon the herd. Some advised that we should
ride boldly forward, and overtake the cows by sheer swiftness, but this
mode was objected to by others. The cows are at times very shy. They
might break off long before we were near, and give our horses such a
gallop as would render them useless for the rest of the day. Besides,
our animals were in no condition for such exercise. Our stock of corn
had run out, and the grass feeding and hard travelling had reduced most
of them to skeletons. A hard gallop was therefore to be avoided if
possible.

Among those who counselled a different course wore the guides Ike and
Redwood. These men thought it would be much better to try the cows by
"approaching," that is, by endeavouring to creep up, and get a shot when
near enough. The ground was favourable enough for it, as there were
here and there little clumps of cactus plants and bushes of the wild
sage (_artemisia_), behind which a hunter might easily conceal himself.
The trappers farther alleged that the herd would not be likely to make
o