one of your friends too," said Mr Pemberton, conducting Jasper
into an inner room, where he found Heywood and Arrowhead seated at a
table, doing justice to a splendid supper of buffalo-tongues,
venison-steaks, and marrow-bones.

"Here are your comrades, you see, hard at work. It's lucky you came
to-night, Jasper, for I intend to be off to-morrow morning, by break of
day, on a buffalo-hunt. If you had been a few hours later of arriving,
I should have missed you. Come, will you eat or smoke?"

"I'll eat first, if you have no objection," said Jasper, "and smoke
afterwards."

"Very good. Sit down, then, and get to work. Meanwhile I'll go and
look after the horses that we intend to take with us to-morrow. Of
course you'll accompany us, Jasper?"

"I'll be very glad, and so will Arrowhead, there. There's nothing he
likes so much as a chase after a buffalo, unless, it may be, the eating
of him. But as for my friend and comrade Mr Heywood, he must speak for
himself."

"I will be delighted to go," answered the artist, "nothing will give me
more pleasure; but I fear my steed is too much exhausted to--"

"Oh! make your mind easy on that score," said the fur-trader,
interrupting him. "I have plenty of capital horses, and can mount the
whole of you, so that's settled. And now, friends, do justice to your
supper, I shall be back before you have done."

So saying, Mr Pemberton left the room, and our three friends, being
unusually hungry, fell vigorously to work on the good cheer of Fort
Erie.

CHAPTER TEN.

BUFFALO-HUNTING ON THE PRAIRIES.

Next day most of the men of Fort Erie, headed by Mr Pemberton, rode
away into the prairies on a buffalo-hunt. Jasper would willingly have
remained with Marie at the fort, but, having promised to go, he would
not now draw back.

The band of horsemen rode for three hours, at a quick pace, over the
grassy plains, without seeing anything. Jasper kept close beside his
friend, old Laroche, while Heywood rode and conversed chiefly with Mr
Pemberton. There were about twenty men altogether, armed with guns, and
mounted on their best buffalo-runners, as they styled the horses which
were trained to hunt the buffalo. Many of these steeds had been wild
horses, caught by the Indians, broken-in, and sold by them to the
fur-traders.

"I have seldom ridden so long without meeting buffaloes," observed Mr
Pemberton, as the party galloped to the top of a ridge of land, from
which they