en again met. Some were overthrown, but quickly getting on
their feet, rejoined their companions. Now they bent down on all fours;
now one buffalo, seizing a bow, shot a blunt arrow at another. Some had
shields and spears; some, mounted on the backs of their companions,
charged at everyone they met; all the time the whole band were stamping,
bellowing, yelping, and making other terrific noises, while another
party were seated on the ground beating their drums, and shaking their
rattles, the dancers keeping time to the discordant music. It is
difficult to describe the feats of the different performers, for each
man appeared to dance until he could dance no more, except that when a
pretended buffalo was shot by a blunt arrow, he was dragged out, and
another immediately took his place. This amusement went on until we
were utterly weary of witnessing it, though at first it was amusing
enough. I then suggested to Yellow Wolf that he should order the
dancers to "knock off;" but he replied that the efficacy of the ceremony
depended upon its continuing until the buffalo should appear.

"But suppose they should not come for a whole moon, your braves will be
pretty well worn out by that time," I remarked.

"But they will come before then," he answered.

"So I should hope," I said, laughing.

At last a bevy of squaws placed on the ground, in front of the tent, an
abundant feast of various messes, of which our host invited us to
partake, suggesting that we should add a few articles from our own
stores, including a bottle of fire-water, "for which," he observed, "his
lips felt a peculiar longing."

We took the hint, but Dick ordered only a small bottle to be brought,
observing that we kept the firewater for sick men, or for such occasions
as the present, and that we could not venture to draw largely on our
store.

Unattractive as were the dishes the Redskin damsels offered us, they
were far more palatable than might have been expected.

As the Indians liked their own dishes best, and we preferred ours, we
did not trespass very largely on theirs. We found from the small amount
of meat in the village, that the inhabitants were more hard up for food
than we had supposed.

The buffalo dancers all the time continued their performance, being
evidently impressed with the belief that the more furiously they danced,
the sooner the buffaloes would make their appearance. Night brought no
cessation, one relay of performers reli