ith a drink formed of the
mesaskatomina berries, we each mounted a horse provided for us by the
chief Picheto.

Just before starting we witnessed the prowess of a young Cree, the son
or nephew of the chief. A valley was in front of us, on the opposite
side of which a buffalo bull appeared. Urging on his horse the young
Cree dashed forward, armed with his bow from the "bois-d'arc," his
arrows from the mesaskatomina tree, feathered with the plumes of the
wild duck, and headed with a barb fashioned from a bit of iron hoop.

He dismounted at the foot of the steep sides of the valley, which he
quickly ascended; leaving his horse at liberty, and approaching a huge
boulder, he crouched down behind it. The buffalo was at the time not
forty yards from him. While slowly approaching, the animal leisurely
cropped the tufts of the parched herbage. When about twenty yards
nearer, the bull raised his head, sniffed the air, and began to paw the
ground.

Lying at full length, the Cree sent an arrow into the side of his huge
antagonist. The bull shook his head and mane, planted his fore feet
firmly in front of him, and looked from side to side in search of his
unseen foe, who, after letting fly his arrow, had again crouched down
behind the rock. The Indian, now observing the fixed attitude of the
animal--a sure sign of its being severely wounded--stepped on one side
and showed himself. The bull instantly charged, but when within five
yards of his nimble enemy, the Cree sprang behind the rock, and the
animal plunged headlong down the hill, receiving as he went a second
arrow in his flanks.

On reaching the bottom he fell on his knees, looking over his shoulder
at the Indian, who was close behind him, and now observing the bull's
helpless condition, sat down a short distance off, waiting for the
death-gasp. After one or two efforts to rise, the huge beast dropped
his head and fell over dead.

Without a moment's pause, the Cree, knife in hand, springing forward,
cut out the animal's tongue, caught his horse, which had been eagerly
watching the conflict, and came galloping across the valley towards us,
being received with loud shouts by his companions.

"He's a fine youth," observed the chief Picheto; "before many years are
over he will be able to count the scalps of the Blackfeet he has killed
by hundreds."

Towards evening we reached another Cree encampment, from which we could
see some distance off, in a dale between low