, who, upon his side,
was beginning to feel as if he had had enough.

"Ah, there's worse things than roast buffler hump," said Joses; "and
now, my lad, if I was you I'd take as big and as long a sleep as I
could, for we must be off again before daylight after the herd."

"Shall we catch up to them again, Joses?" asked Bart.

"Catch up to 'em? why, of course, they haven't gone far."

A quarter of an hour later Bart was fast asleep, dreaming that he was
hunting a bull bison ten times as big as the one he had that afternoon
shot, and that after hunting it for hours it suddenly turned round and
began to hunt him, till he became so tired that he lay down and went off
fast asleep, when, to his great disgust, when he was so weary, Joses
came and began to shake him by the shoulder, saying:

"Come, Master Bart, lad, wake up. The buffer's been coming close in to
camp during the night."

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

MORE FOOD FOR THE CAMP.

For it was nearly day, and Bart jumped up, astonished that he could have
slept so long--that is to say, nearly since sundown on the previous
evening.

A good fire was burning, and buffalo steaks were sizzling and spurting
ready for their repast, while the horses were all standing together
beneath a little bold bluff of land left sharp and clear by the action
of a stream that doubtless flowed swiftly enough in flood time, but was
now merely a thread of water.

The party were settling down to their meal, for which, in spite of the
previous evening's performance, Bart felt quite ready, when the horses
suddenly began to snort and show a disposition to make a stampede, for
there was a rushing noise as of thunder somewhere on ahead, and as the
Indians rushed to their horses' heads, and he made for Black Boy,
thinking that there must be a flood rolling down from the hills, he
caught a glimpse of what was amiss.

For, as Bart stood up, he could see over the edge of the scarped bank
beneath which they had made their fire, that the plain was literally
alive with bison, which, in some mad insensate fit of dread, were in
headlong flight, and their course would bring them right over the spot
where the party was encamped.

The Beaver saw it, and, prompt in action, he made his plans:--Signing to
several to come to his side, while the rest held the horses, he leaped
upon the edge of the stream bed just as the bison were within a hundred
yards, and Bart and Joses followed him. Then altogether, as