e best and fattest of the meat.

When Shaw left me he had walked down for some distance under the river
bank to find another bull. At length he saw the plains covered with the
host of buffalo, and soon after heard the crack of Henry's rifle.
Ascending the bank, he crawled through the grass, which for a rod or two
from the river was very high and rank. He had not crawled far before to
his astonishment he saw Henry standing erect upon the prairie, almost
surrounded by the buffalo.

Henry was in his appropriate element. Nelson, on the deck of the
_Victory_, hardly felt a prouder sense of mastery than he. Quite
unconscious that any one was looking at him, he stood at the full height
of his tall, strong figure, one hand resting upon his side, and the
other arm leaning carelessly on the muzzle of his rifle. His eyes were
ranging over the singular assemblage around him. Now and then he would
select such a cow as suited him, level his rifle, and shoot her dead;
then quietly reloading, he would resume his former position. The
buffalo seemed no more to regard his presence than if he were one of
themselves; the bulls were bellowing and butting at each other, or else
rolling about in the dust. A group of buffalo would gather about the
carcass of a dead cow, snuffing at her wounds; and sometimes they would
come behind those that had not yet fallen, and endeavor to push them
from the spot. Now and then some old bull would face toward Henry with
an air of stupid amazement, but none seemed inclined to attack or fly
from him.

For some time Shaw lay among the grass, looking in surprise at this
extraordinary sight; at length he crawled cautiously forward, and spoke
in a low voice to Henry, who told him to rise and come on. Still the
buffalo showed no sign of fear; they remained gathered about their dead
companions. Henry had already killed as many cows as we wanted for use,
and Shaw, kneeling behind one of the carcasses, shot five bulls before
the rest thought it necessary to disperse.

The frequent stupidity and infatuation of the buffalo seems the more
remarkable from the contrast it offers to their wildness and wariness at
other times. Henry knew all their peculiarities; he had studied them as
a scholar studies his books, and he derived quite as much pleasure from
the occupation. The buffalo were a kind of companions to him, and as he
said, he never felt alone when they were about him. He took great pride
in his skill in hunting.