on
seeing what had happened, bellowing furiously, came dashing towards us,
ploughing up the ground with his horns. The Indians, unwilling to stand
his charge, turned and fled; when the animal seeing me rushed forward,
determined, it seemed, to wreak his vengeance on my steed.

My well-trained animal, however, bounded out of the way, when I, having
my gun loaded, fired at the bull, which was not three yards from me.
The ball penetrating his chest, he fell dead. The Indians now returned,
and began cutting up the cow. While they were so engaged, another cow,
which they supposed to be the mother of the one they had killed,
galloped towards us, bellowing loudly. They, not having their arms in
their hands, took to flight, declaring that the cow was resolved on
revenging herself for the slaughter of her daughter.

I was much inclined to follow them; but Robin asking me to hold the
horse, slipped from the saddle, and throwing himself by the body of the
dead cow, rested his rifle so that he could take steady aim, and as the
raging cow came near he fired. She turned, gave one or two jumps, and
fell dead.

We had now an ample supply of meat. Several other cows had been killed,
and the Indians employed themselves in cutting them up into pieces fit
for transporting to their lodges. We had crossed no rivers on our way,
and when we came to encamp at night it was found that no water had been
brought, nor were we likely to get any till we reached the encampment.

We all suffered much from thirst. I do not recollect, indeed, having
ever endured so much torture as I did during the next day's ride back.
The Indians, perhaps, bore the want of water better than we did. It
seemed as if we should drink the stream dry which bubbled up out of the
hillside near the camp. It took us a whole day to recover.

We had intended returning to the fort; but as we required a large supply
of buffalo meat, Alick engaged the chief to hunt for us, and consented
to accompany him on another excursion.

Martin, Robin, and I were of course perfectly ready, and set out again
with as much glee as at first. The buffaloes had, however, by this time
retired a long way to the south, and it took us three days to come up
with them. I need not describe another hunt. On this occasion the herd
was more scattered. We galloped in among them, firing right and left.
Each man, when he shot an animal, dropped some article upon the carcass
to show by whose prow