myself that, under the circumstances, you will not find it
unpalatable."

Saying this, our host brought forward a large flagon, and pouring into
our cups a brown-coloured liquid, set them before us. We all drank of
the "locust beer," which was not unlike mead or new cider; and to prove
that we liked it, we drank again and again.

This ceremony over Rolfe once more resumed his narrative.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

A VERY LEAN BUFFALO.

"We were all soon engaged in different occupations. Mary was preparing
the dried meat, which she intended to boil along with the locust-beans
in our tin-pot. Fortunately, it was a large one, and held nearly a
gallon. Cudjo was busy kindling the fire, which already sent up its
volumes of blue smoke. Frank, Harry, and the little ones, were sucking
away at the natural preserves of the acacia, while I was dressing my
armadillo for the spit. In addition to this, our horse was filling out
his sides upon the rich buffalo-grass that grew along the stream; and
the dogs--poor fellows! they were like to fare worst of all--stood
watching my operations, and snapped eagerly at every scrap that fell
from my knife. In a very short while the fire was blazing up, the beef
and beans were bubbling over it in the tin-pot, and the armadillo was
sputtering on the spit beside them. In another short while all things
were cooked and ready to be eaten.

"We now remembered that we had neither plates, glasses, knives, forks,
nor spoons--yes, Cudjo and I had our hunting-knives; and, as it was no
time to be nice, with these we fished the pieces of meat and some of the
beans out of the soup-pot, and placed them upon a clean, flat stone.
For the soup itself, we immersed the lower part of the pot into the cool
water of the stream, so that in a short time Mary and the children could
apply the edge of it to their lips, and drink of it in turn.

"As for Cudjo and myself, we did not want any of the soup. We were
altogether for the `substantials.'

"I thought, at first, I should have all the armadillo to myself. Even
Cudjo, who in `ole Vaginny' had bolted 'coons, 'possums, and various
other `varmints,' for a long time hung back. Seeing, however, that I
was eating with evident relish, he held out his sable paw, and desired
me to help him to a small piece. Having once tasted it, the ice of his
appetite seemed to be all at once broken, and he kept asking for more,
and then for more, until I began to fear he would n