a huge bull started out from behind a knoll, and rushed towards
us. My brother's horse started at the unexpected sight, and putting his
foot into a badger hole, stumbled, and threw him over his head. The
faithful animal stood stock still, but on came the bull. I shrieked out
to Malcolm to leap on his horse and fly, but he was stunned, and did not
hear me. The bull was not twenty paces from him; in another instant he
would have been gored to death. I felt thankful that I had not before
fired. Raising my rifle to my shoulder, I pulled the trigger, the huge
animal was within ten paces of him; over it went, then rose on its
knees, and struggled forward. I galloped up to Malcolm, who was
beginning to recover his senses. With a strength I did not fancy I
possessed I dragged him up, and helped him on his horse just before the
monster fell over the spot where he had lain, and would have crushed him
with his weight. By the time Sigenok returned, the buffalo was dead.
He highly praised me when he heard what had occurred, but said that we
had had hunting enough that day, and that he would now summon his people
to take possession of the animals we had killed. The skins are called
robes, and are valued as articles of trade, being taken by the fur
traders and sent to Canada, England, Russia, and other parts of the
world. Parts of the flesh of the slain animals was carried into the
camp for immediate consumption, but the larger portion was prepared
forthwith in a curious way for keeping. The meat is first cut into thin
slices and dried in the sun, and these slices are then pounded between
two stones till the fibres separate. This pounded meat is then mixed
with melted fat, about fifty pounds of the first to forty pounds of the
latter, and while hob is pressed into buffalo-skin bags, when it forms a
hard, compact mass. It is now called pemmican, from _pemmi_, meat, and
_ken_, fat, in the Cree language. One pound of this mixture is
considered as nutritious as two of ordinary meat, and it has the
advantage of keeping for years through all temperatures.

VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER FIVE.

Soon after the grand hunting-day I have described, our scout brought
word that a party of Sioux were in the neighbourhood. Our fighting-men
attacked them and killed several. A scalp-dance took place, and other
orgies which I will not describe. I was so horrified with what I saw,
that I agreed with Malcolm that we would get back to the sett