y upon
Hector's shoulder, 'and with the favour of God we shall yet do better
here than e'er we could in the land we left.'

This was a good deal for him to say, but the excitement of the hunt had
for the time swept away his reserve, and he was in almost as high
spirits as Hector.

So soon as they had rested a little, the buffalo hunters set to work to
skin the buffalo, and to cut the rich meat into long strips, which,
after being dried in the sun, were then minced as small as possible,
and so made into 'pemmican,' which was then packed away for use in the
winter.

Of course, there was great feasting meanwhile, and the special
tit-bits, such as the tongues and the humps, were cooked and eaten with
the keenest relish.

Dour and Dandy were so well supplied with bits of juicy steak, or
well-covered bones, that they were in danger of overfeeding, and Mr.
Macrae had to limit their allowance.

It took several days to prepare the pemmican, and then, laden with it
and with the buffalo-skins which would at leisure be made into the
warmest of robes, the whole party moved slowly back to Pembina.

'Eh! but I'm glad I killed one myself,' said Hector to his father as
they rode along together, 'for now I'll have a buffalo robe of my own,
and that will be fine when the winter comes, won't it, father?'

So indeed it proved. There was many a night during the long cold
winter at Pembina, when Hector, lying snug and warm under his
buffalo-robe, had reason to be thankful for the success of his shot.

The reception of the hunting-party at Pembina was a royal one, and the
feasting that followed was shared in by all. Then the remainder of the
meat was stored away for the winter.

As already mentioned, Mr. Macrae had taken more pains and spent
somewhat more money upon the hut that sheltered his family, and now,
having got everything fixed to his satisfaction, with that fore-thought
which was one of his distinguishing traits, he resolved to secure a
supply of firewood for the winter.

A fine 'bunch of timber,' as it was called locally, stood not more than
a mile away, and, hiring a horse and cart from one of the residents,
Mr. Macrae, accompanied by his whole family--for it was beautiful
weather, being the so-called Indian summer--began his attack upon the
trees.

'I'll cut them doon, laddie,' he said to Hector, 'and ye'll chop off
the branches, and so we'll just divide the wark between us.'

This arrangement suited Hector, and