sed an eye and surveyed it as
though he was measuring the height of a wall: then he shook his head.

"What's the matter with you?" asked the impatient Fred.

"Ye are a sixteenth of an inch too far forward, be the token of which
the ball wint through the upper part of the heart: whin ye kill a
buffalo coow ye should always sind the ball through the lower instead of
the upper part of the heart. Ye surprise me so much that I am graved
with ye, me own Fred."

The latter laughed.

"I suppose it would have done as well had I sent the bullet through her
brain; but that takes the finest kind of marksmanship."

"Av course, which explains why ye didn't dare attimpt it: whin we have
finished our dinner, supper and breakfast all in one, I'll step out on
the perarie, strike an impressive attitude and drop the biggest bull in
the drove, just to tach ye the gintaal way of doin' that same thing."

"Well, I shall be glad to learn the best style of bringing down the
creatures."

By this time, Fred had severed a piece of meat from the shoulder of the
buffalo. It weighed several pounds, but Terry broke in with the
wondering inquiry:

"What are ye goin' to do with _that_?"

"That's for our dinner; what would you suppose?"

"I thought that was the part of the coow that ye were goin' to be
sinsible enough to lave behind while we built a fire around the rist and
had enough of a maal to stay the pangs of hunger."

Without waiting to hear the response of his companion, Terry ran among
the trees and began gathering wood with which to start a blaze. Both
boys were such experts at this that only a brief time was necessary.
Fred laid the buffalo steak on the leaves and took part, striking the
flame with his own flint and tinder. There was no water within reach and
this was quite a deprivation, but the boys were hungry enough to wait
for that. From his scant store of mixed salt and sugar, Fred drew forth
enough to season the enormous slice and it was speedily half broiled.

Two such hungry youngsters are not likely to be particular about their
dinner being done to a turn, and they were eager to eat it when it was
exceedingly rare. Leaving Terry to make known when it was ready for the
palate, Fred walked to the edge of the prairie to take a survey.

He could not forget that they had serious business before them, and,
though he was warranted in believing that there was nothing to fear from
the Winnebagos who had caused so much trouble, h